Cinephiles are spoilt for choice. The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns for its 34th edition this year with over 100 films from 50 countries, including 20 world premieres.
Held from Nov 30 to Dec 10, the festival will also see Chinese actress Fan Bingbing hitting the red carpet on its opening night.
It opens with Tiger Stripes, the first Malaysian film to win the best feature prize at Cannes’ International Critics’ Week earlier this year. Directed by Amanda Nell Eu and starring Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral, and Shaheizy Sam, the Malay-language art-house horror film portrays 12-year-old Zaffan, who discovers her body’s horrifying secret when she becomes the first among her friends to reach puberty. Audrey Diwan, the Critics’ Week’s 2023 jury president, said it was “irreverent and uncompromising”.
Three Singaporean films will be competing in the prestigious Asian Feature Film Competition for the first time in 25 years. They are:
- Jow Zhi Wei’s Tomorrow Is A Long Time, an emotional story about a father and son;
- Dreaming & Dying by Nelson Yeo, a fantasy drama that revolves around three middle-aged friends;
- Last Shadow At First Light by Nicole Midori Woodford, about a Singaporean-Japanese girl and her journey to her mother’s hometown.
World premieres from 13 countries and more for Fan fans
Twenty world premieres from 13 countries will also be held at the festival, including Valli from India by director Manoj Shinde, which boldly explores the complex landscape of gender fluidity through the journey of a transgender religious devotee seeking liberation from an oppressive village.
Another is A Year Of No Significance by Singaporean director Kelvin Tong. The 1970s-style drama stars Peter Yu, who is “fast becoming the (Tony) Leung Chiu Wai of Singapore,” according to Tong. He also appears in Last Shadow At First Light and Dreaming & Dying.
For Fan fans, this year’s SGIFF should be particularly appealing. Besides attending the opening night, she will also participate in a few of the festival’s events.
In a sharing session on Dec 1, find out how she navigates working across diverse cultures and what audiences can expect from her in the future.
On Dec 2, Fan will receive the Cinema Icon Award 2023 for her contributions to the film industry. As a Chinese woman fleeing an abusive husband in South Korea, she returns to the silver screen in Green Night. The SGIFF will also screen her in Buddha Mountain, which won Best Asian Feature Film at the 24th SGIFF and Best Actress at Tokyo International Film Festival, and Double Exposure.
Previously known as the Cinema Legend Award, the Cinema Icon Award’s past recipients include Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia), Simon Yam (Hong Kong), Koji Yakusho (Japan), and Joan Chen (US/China).
Other key awards include the FIPRESCI Awards that sheds light on the role of film critics and the Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema Award 2023 awarded to White Light Post in recognition of their award-winning achievements in post-production work.
Screenings will be held at Filmgarde Kallang, Golden Village X The Projector at Cineleisure, Gallery Theatre (National Museum of Singapore), Oldham Theatre, Shaw Theatres Lido, and The Projector at Golden Mile.
Single-film tickets are $25 for the opening film, $20 for special presentation films, and $15 for all other films. For more information on the films, festival events, and tickets, visit at SGIFF’s website.
