SGIFF returns with 105 films from 45 countries
The 35th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) has announced a programme of contemporary premieres and restored classics, focusing on themes of displacement, migration and the effects of artificial intelligence and technological transformation.
Mr Jeremy Chua, general manager of SGIFF, says that in recent years, film-makers have been influenced by global trends such as “doom scrolling”, the fixation on negative news by social media users.
“Doom scrolling is part of our culture now, and the idea that people are being left behind by technological and economic change,” he adds.
He was speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) press event on Oct 28 held at the offices of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Citing films from this year’s SGIFF programme illustrating its themes, Mr Chua includes the drama Mongrel, by Taiwan-based Singapore film-maker Chiang Wei-liang and Taiwanese film-maker Yin You-qiao. The film deals with the plight of exploited migrant workers in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Singapore film-maker Yeo Siew Hua’s mystery thriller Stranger Eyes deals with the anxieties of living in an age of surveillance.
To be held from Nov 28 to Dec 8, this year’s line-up features 105 films from 45 countries, with 80 per cent of the selections hailing from Asia.
The festival opens with Yeo’s Stranger Eyes, whose 2018 film A Land Imagined won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. The film stars Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng, whose career spans over three decades since his 1992 debut in Rebels Of The Neon God.
Lee and Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei will be present to receive SGIFF’s Screen Icon award. Both have been cast together in award-winning films such as the drama Vive L’Amour (1994) and musical-drama The Hole (1998), both directed by Malaysia-born Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang.
Both will attend the Dec 1 screening of the restored version of Vive L’Amour at SGIFF. Lee, along with Yeo, Taiwanese co-star Wu Chien-ho and Singapore actress Xenia Tan, will attend the festival opening screening of Stranger Eyes.
Major international premieres include body horror master David Cronenberg’s supernatural drama The Shrouds starring Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger, Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar’s drama The Room Next Door headline by Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, and American director Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological horror I Saw The TV Glow.
The festival’s Landmark section presents historically significant works, including a restored version of South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho’s debut black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). A special focus on Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi includes The Circle (2000), his documentary This Is Not A Film (2011) and his recent drama Hidden (2023).
Early-bird tickets to SGIFF go on sale on Oct 29 at sgiff.com, with prices ranging from $10 to $25 for screenings.
The SMF will return for its 11th edition as one of Asia’s leading international media industry platforms, from Nov 28 to Dec 8. Besides SGIFF, other events under the SMF include the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) and Nas Summit Asia (NAS).
In a statement issued by the IMDA about the SMF, Ms Yvonne Tang, cluster director of the media industry cluster of IMDA, said that the Asian media industry has been “taking the world stage by storm”, with Singapore playing a significant role in the region’s success.
“The industry has stayed relevant and even thrived in the fast-changing landscape. As the world continues to be excited by Asian storytelling and stories, we are here to provide the spark for people to come together to collaborate and innovate. This annual festival also highlights Singapore’s strength as a hub for world-class content and impactful collaborations, shaping the future of Asia’s media industry for a global audience.”
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