Festival Team

Hsieh I-Hsuan is a film curator, critic, and researcher based in Amsterdam and Taipei with an anthropological background. She has been a programmer at the Women Make Waves Film Festival Taiwan (since 2021), Taipei Film Festival (2017-2019), Taoyuan Film Festival (2018), and a selection committee member for TIDF (2022, 2024) and Taipei Film Festival New Talent Competition (2019-2021). She was also a jury member for the 8th Taiwan International Video Art Exhibition. Her recent curatorial projects have been presented at the Barbican Centre (UK) for Queer East, Eye Filmmuseum (NL), National Palace Museum (TW) – Southern Branch, WORM Rotterdam and other alternative spaces.

In addition to her programming work, she is the editor-in-chief for Taiwan Documentary E-Paper and has had her film writing published extensively across Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China with a focus on Taiwan and Southeast Asia. 

Richard Bolisay is a writer, film critic, programmer, and educator from the Philippines. He is the author of Break it to Me Gently: Essays on Filipino Film (2019) and Nothing Deep (2022), both finalists for the Philippine National Book Awards. He also edited the anthology Daang Dokyu: A Festival of Philippine Documentaries (2020) and co-organised the Alternative Cinema Initiatives Conference (2019). An alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Press and Locarno Critics Academy, he is currently a PhD student in the Department of Film Studies at the University of St Andrews.

Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa a cinephile, film critic, writer, and editorial team member of Film Club Thailand. He is also the founder of Wildtype, a loose group of Thai cinephiles that organises film screenings, and seminars, and publishes film books in Thailand. Since 2008, Wiwat has curated and organised a series of Thai short film screenings called Filmvirs Wildtype, which focuses on overlooked Thai short films. Since 2018, he has collaborated with the Documentary Club to program film events and organise documentary film festivals.

Sim Jiaying (沈佳颖) is the founder and manager of Singapore Film Database (http://sgfilmdb.com), a comprehensive digital resource that provides detailed information on the films, organisations, and venues defining Singapore’s film ecosystem. She holds a PhD in Film and Television Studies from the University of Glasgow. Beyond her academic roles teaching critical thinking and writing, gender and sexuality, and media literacy at local universities, Jiaying actively researches and produces content for film and mixed media projects. Her research delves into global screen cultures, examining how filmmaking processes and the sensory experiences of film both produce and challenge societal norms while negotiating cultural and gender identities. Her scholarly writings on Asian cinemas can be found in international journals such as Film-Philosophy and in film anthologies published by the University of Edinburgh Press and Routledge.

Sam I-shan is an independent curator focusing on time-based media, photography, and art and politics. She programmes for film festivals, specialising in artist films and video, and Southeast Asian and experimental cinema, working with Singapore International Film Festival, Art SG Film and Videoex Zurich. She was previously curator at National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum and Esplanade Visual Arts. She lives and works in Singapore and Cambodia.

Qila Gill is a film programmer and producer. She recently guest-curated the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition at the Singapore International Film Festival and is returning for the 35th edition.

She is Head of Programme at London Short Film Festivals, on the selection committee of Berlinale Shorts and Generations, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg and is a screener for documentary features at SXSW. Independently, she runs Marginalia Pictures, a creative atelier producing artists’ moving image and creative non-fiction, with films by Asmita Shrish, Michelle Williams-Gamaker and Onyeka Igwe. Her research interests lie within the frameworks of fragility, sensitivity, inclusivity, ethnicity, ethical discourse, and embodiment. Previously, Qila worked as Distribution Director at LUX and served on the selection committee for Sheffield Doc/Fest. Qila is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and Programmers of Colour Collective.

Bernice Ong is an arts manager and scenic designer with a decade of diverse experience in the cultural sector. She is thrilled to serve as Festival Manager with the dedicated team at the Singapore Youth Film Festival, a critical platform that champions the voices and visions of young creators. Bernice graduated with a Master of Arts (Research) in Media Studies from Utrecht University.

Vess Chua is a film programmer and producer based in Singapore. With a focus on Southeast Asian and Singapore short films, she is currently the Programme Executive at the Singapore International Film Festival and the Festival Manager of the Singapore Youth Film Festival. She is also on the viewing committee for Movies That Matter (NL) for the Take on Future and Take on Love thematic sections. Her research investigates the implications of historical legacies and collective anxieties on the re-orientation of self and identity. Previously, she contributed to the Perspectives Film Festival, first as a Programmer in 2018, then as the Festival Director in 2019.

Gabriel Goh is the Programme Executive at the Singapore International Film Festival. Along with Sam I-shan, he has overseen the development of the Undercurrent section at the festival since 2021, which brings in bold contemporary artist films from around the world. His programming ethos builds on his ongoing research interests in the concepts of time and idleness in Southeast Asian cinema. Outside work, he enjoys tinkering with Super8 films and documenting tifos at lower-league football matches.

Ryan Pagdanganan programmes films at the Singapore International Film Festival. His practice treads around his residence between cultures and translates into an enduring curiosity of the mundane everyday. His photographs have been plastered at FilmNeverDie (2020) in Melbourne and Ephemere (2023) in Tokyo. His static words are sprinkled around in places such as Bog Bodies Press (2024) and Reboot (2023) while his more interactive work lives in several corners of the internet.

Eri is currently a programme assistant for the Singapore Youth Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival. She holds a First Class Honours in Film Studies from the University of Adelaide, where her research interests lie in film adaptations of classic literature and postwar cinema from a Bazinian perspective. When not watching films, she enjoys a good book with a cup of tea.

Erika Chandra is the current programme assistant at the Singapore International Film Festival. She is intrigued by films that delve into self-reflexivity alongside provocative themes. When she is not watching films, she spends her time indulging in Bibble-related memes and perfecting the craft of making pancakes.

Sarah is a sophomore at the National University of Singapore, pursuing a double major in Philosophy and English Literature. Currently a programme assistant for the Singapore Youth Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival, her research interests include continental thought, phenomenology and psychoanalytic theory. She is also active in the Singapore street dance scene and explores dance through a reparative lens as a recuperation of embodiment.

Kuan Cien is an independent producer and arts manager. Since 2001, he has undertaken numerous roles at Arts House Limited, Art Stage Singapore, CultureLink Singapore, Dance Nucleus, M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, SIFA, TheatreWorks (renamed T:>Works) and The Necessary Stage.

He also advocates for the arts through his association with CITRUS practices, Producers SG and the Singapore Drama Educators Association. Trained in arts management and theatre studies, his day-to-day work is guided by values such as care, reciprocity and fairness. He recently co-directed CITRUS fest: Who Cares?, and is presently a mentor with the Arts Resource Hub IGNITE Mentorship programme.

Photo: Sebastian Tan

With two decades of experience in the Singapore Film Industry, Mabelyn has been a Line Producer on landmark Singapore films, a Film Educator with the local film institutions and has finally come full circle, returning to the place where it all started for her when she was a little wide-eyed volunteer years ago – the Singapore International Film Festival.

An experienced producer from Singapore, Pui Yin has a successful track record of producing box-office hits and collaborating on international movie projects. Some of her notable works include I Not Stupid, I Not Stupid Too, Homerun, The Maid, 881, Homecoming and Taxi! Taxi!, among others. She has also collaborated on international movie projects such as The Eye, The Eye 2, Turn Left, Turn Right, The Home Song Stories (Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Golden Horse Awards 2007) and Painted Skin. Most recently, she completed the 45-episode The Little Nyonya, the 36-episode The Ferryman – Legends Of Nanyang (iQIYI’s first Southeast Asia Original in 2021), the 40-episode Sisterhood (which aired on iQIYI and CCTV in 2023) and co-produced Miss Tanya (a Douyin mini drama) and Sparkling Show In Singapore 2023 (a Douyin variety).

Lekheraj Sekhar is an actor and the Partnerships Executive at the Singapore Film Festival. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, where he developed an ethnography of the local stand-up comedy scene. As an actor, he last appeared in Tomorrow Is A Long Time (2023), which was screened at the Berlinale and SGIFF. In his free time, Lekheraj attempts to play the guitar and enjoys a good loiter.

Wilfred Castillo is an American graphic designer. As the Festival team’s brand designer, he provides a decade of experience in Singapore as a creative leader and consultant. He has previously worked at international design agencies Landor, Interbrand and IDEO where he elevated brands through visual storytelling and brand experience. When not pushing pixels, he’s producing music and performing in low tech electronic music shows.

Krystalle Teh is a writer and cinephile from Singapore. Before joining the Festival team as its Marketing Executive, she previously participated in the Festival’s Youth Jury & Critics Programme in 2021. Her film criticism has appeared with Asian Film Archive and her short fiction is forthcoming in SUSPECT journal. She is at work on a series of short stories on violent desires.

Shining has built a strong career in managing dance productions, contributing to numerous local and international festivals. She has toured extensively with T.H.E Dance Company, participating in many of their productions from its early days. She served as the company’s Production Stage Manager from 2013 to 2016. With support from the National Arts Council grant, Shining assisted the Technical Director at City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong, in producing Sang Jijia’s full-length work, Post-Perception/Transcendence, in 2017.

Since 2017, she has been the Gala Events Manager for the Singapore International Film Festival, managing its opening film screenings, special presentations and the Silver Screen Awards. In the concert realm, she has worked with Disney In Concert in Singapore and Malaysia and has also worked with artists such as David Tao, Sunset Rollercoaster, Accused Five, and An Pu. Currently, Shining enjoys freelancing and working on a wide range of productions.

Sharon Jing Yi is an arts manager and independent producer with a rich background in music and extensive experience in the media and arts sectors. Currently a hospitality team member at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), she is dedicated to fostering collaboration and community well-being.

In addition to her role in the arts, Sharon is a certified Yoga teacher and has acted in several local short films. Since 2020, she has been on a journey of mindfulness teaching, championing holistic health within creative and women communities. She also organizes informal group dreamwork events, furthering her commitment to personal and communal growth. Sharon holds a BA (Hons) in Arts Management from LASALLE College of the Arts.