35th Singapore International Film Festival Unveils Full Programme With 105 Films from 45 Countries, Celebrates Asian Voices with Over 80% Asian Lineup

• Full programme lineup now available on official site with early bird tickets available from 29 October 
• Three world premieres of Singaporean films and a lineup of returning local and regional talents underscore festival’s commitment to championing Asian cinema  
• Recurring themes of migration and displacement, and the influence of AI and technology on the medium of film, showcase filmmakers’ responses to current global topics 
• Screen Icon Award, which recognises exceptional Asian talents, to go to Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei
• Special gala presentations for two films, The Fable and The Unseen Sister, with each film’s talents — such as Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee, filmmaker Midi Z — in attendance
• International highlights include horror-comedy Nightbitch starring Amy Adams, The Shrouds by master of body horror David Cronenberg, Grand Tour by Cannes-award winning director Miguel Gomes, and a newly restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s Barking Dogs Never Bite 
• Newly launched SGIFF Industry Days conference event tailored by and for film professionals debuts, bringing together visionary creatives from around the globe for a three-day series of live discussions and networking opportunities

SGIFF 2024: Celebrating 35 Years of Championing Local and Regional Cinema

SINGAPORE, 28 OCTOBER 2024 – As the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) marks its 35th edition, the nation’s largest and longest-running film event reinforces its position as a key reference point for Singapore and Asian cinema, while showcasing its unique perspective on contemporary trends in global cinema.

Held from 28 November to 8 December, this year’s lineup features 105 films from 45 countries, with 80% of the selections hailing from Asia. International highlights this year include the horror-comedy Nightbitch featuring Amy Adams, The Shrouds by master of body horror David Cronenberg, Grand Tour by Cannes-award winning director Miguel Gomes, and a newly restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s debut feature Barking Dogs Never Bite, which will have its international premiere at SGIFF.

In keeping with one of the festival’s core missions to nurture both local and regional cinema, this year’s SGIFF boasts an impressive lineup of works originating from both at home and abroad; many of these works are from filmmakers who have been previously supported, or awarded, by the festival. These filmmakers’ return, whether through world premieres or competition entries, highlights the festival’s continual support and recognition of Singaporean and Southeast Asian creatives through their evolving journeys.

Among the highlights are three world premieres of Singaporean films. The House of Janus marks the return of director Ong Keng-Sen after his 1996 cult classic Army Daze, while filmmaker Wong Chen-Hsi follows up her award-winning debut with her sophomore feature, City of Small Blessings, an adaptation of Simon Tay’s novel that tackles themes of displacement and urban change. Finally, Jason Soo — a previous recipient of the SGIFF Film Fund in 2021 — will present Al Awda, a non-fiction work based on his 2018 experience sailing on a ship of the same name to deliver aid to Palestinians affected by the blockade of Gaza.

The festival’s main competition section, the Asian Feature Film Competition, will also see notable past awardees return with new works. They include PS Vinothraj’s follow up to his Best Director-winning debut Pebbles, which clinched the prize at the 32nd edition of the festival, as well as Truong Minh Quý, who won Best Southeast Asian Short Film with The Men Who Wait at the same edition, and Déa Kulumbegashvili, who won the competition’s Best Director award at the 31st SGIFF.

For the first time, each festival section will have an opening film that embodies the spirit of its category, setting the tone and leading a dynamic conversation with the other films in their respective categories. All of them hail from the Asian region, and many are directed by Southeast Asian filmmakers who have previously been supported or awarded by the festival.

They include Cambodian filmmaker Polen Ly, whose debut documentary feature Until the Orchid Blooms — a piece that explores the ecological threat posed by a hydroelectric dam — will open the Standpoint section. Other familiar names include Eric Khoo (Spirit World, a fantasy-drama that sees Catherine Deneuve​​ cross into a supernatural realm while exploring the intricacies of artistry and legacy) and Dương Diệu Linh (Don’t Cry, Butterfly, a film that blends feminist folklore with a touch of horror), whose films will open the Horizon and Foreground sections respectively.

A Bold Programme Lineup Spotlighting Global Issues Through a Regional Lens 

Reflecting the festival’s strong regional focus and its position as a reference point for Southeast Asian cinema, SGIFF 2024 features a lineup with over 80% Asian films, showcasing a wealth of diverse perspectives that speak to the issues and narratives shaping the region today.

A recurring theme in this year’s programme is the continual influence of AI and technology on image-making and the medium of film. Stranger Eyes, the festival’s opening film, captures the anxieties of being under constant surveillance, while the festival’s Undercurrent section pushes the boundaries of the medium even further with the section’s first-ever opening acts.

Both are innovative live pieces that embrace technology to challenge traditional forms of storytelling, and what cinema can be in an increasingly networked age: Young Artist Award recipient Ho Rui An’s live performance lecture, Figures of History and the Grounds of Intelligence, incorporates live AI-generated images to explore how machine learning is influenced by historical contexts, while Melting Fire Iceman sees South Korean performer-director HeeSue Kwon employ AI to manipulate live projected imagery, blurring the boundaries between memory, spectatorship, and the cinema experience.

Another key theme explored in this year’s lineup is that of migration and forced displacement, in response to the contemporary age of global movement. These works often reflect deeply personal narratives of filmmakers who are themselves second- or third-generation immigrants. Singaporean director Chiang Wei-Liang’s Mongrel highlights the harsh realities faced by illegal Southeast Asian migrants, who are often trapped in exploitative, underpaid caregiving roles, while in the hybrid documentary Xoftex, viewers are taken into the heart of a Greek refugee camp, which immerses audiences in the disorienting experiences of the stateless. 

Meanwhile, films like Cu Li Never Cries, a tender feature debut for Vietnamese director Pham Ngoc Lân, and Universal Language, an absurdist comedy-drama set in a version of Canada where Persian and French are its official languages, delve into the ambivalence of home — a theme central to the immigrant experience — while looking to confront universal questions of identity and belonging.

Thong Kay Wee, Programme Director of SGIFF, says: “The festival continues to engage with global cinema trends and reflect upon the realities of the world, while imbuing a strong curatorial stance and our unique Asian perspective on how these can be reimagined. As we mark our 35th anniversary this year, we are dedicated to expanding our legacy of championing talents from Singapore and around the Asian region, all while presenting a multifaceted and distinctive festival programme deserving of our audiences’ support.”

Special Presentations: The Fable and The Unseen Sister 

The festival is also pleased to announce two special presentations this year, each accompanied by a gala reception that features the films’ talents in attendance. 

The first is The Fable, directed by Raam Reddy, a haunting tale set in the Himalayan orchards of India in 1989. The film follows Dev, played by Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee, a soft-spoken patriarch whose tranquil existence on his sprawling estate is threatened by a series of mysterious fires, transforming his picturesque estate into a microcosm of larger systematic inequalities. Shot entirely on 16mm film, The Fable embraces a raw, nostalgic visual aesthetic that enhances its otherworldly atmosphere and lays bare its political critiques. Manoj Bajpayee will also participate in an exclusive dialogue session, where he will dive into the evolution of his craft, and how his portrayal of Dev in The Fable reflected his own spiritual and personal transformation.

The second special presentation is The Unseen Sister, a psychological drama from Myanmar-born Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z, who also marks his return to SGIFF after his previous film, Nina Wu (2019), was also featured as a special presentation at that year’s edition. Adapted from Zhang Yueran’s novel Qiao Sisters, the film features Zhao Liying as a star actress haunted by the appearance of her estranged sister, played by Xin Zhilei, forcing her to confront the buried secrets of her past. Filmed in both Beijing and Yunnan province — which shares a border with Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam — the films’ setting serves as an integral backdrop for the story, immersing viewers in the region’s complex history as its characters grapple with their own issues of identity and family ties. 

The Fable is part of the Horizon section of the festival, which brings together a diverse range of films from both renowned filmmakers and emerging talents alike to offer a bird’s eye view of contemporary world cinema. Meanwhile, The Unseen Sister stands out as a highlight in the Foreground section, which celebrates popular cinema today, promising fresh perspectives on familiar narrative conventions like genre and visual style.

Screen Icon Award: Honouring Two Exceptional Asian Talents 

SGIFF has long served as a bridge between Singaporean cinema and the wider Asian film community, fostering active dialogue and collaboration across the region. In line with this mission, the annual SGIFF Screen Icon Award honours Asian actors who have made an indelible impact as creative forces in film. In celebration of the festival’s 35th anniversary, SGIFF is proud to present two Screen Icon Awards this year, honouring the talents of Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng, who are the first Taiwanese actors to win this award.

Previously known as the Cinema Icon Award, the Screen Icon Award pays homage to an actor’s exceptional contributions to bringing Asian stories to life on screen. Past recipients include notable figures such as Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia), Koji Yakusho (Japan), and Fan Bingbing (China). 

Yang Kuei-mei began her career as a singer before becoming an acclaimed actress, earning recognition for her performances in films such as Once Again With Love (1981), Hill of No Return (1992) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A record-holder for the most performance awards at SGIFF, Yang has won the festival’s highest acting accolade four times in her career, including for her role in Vive L’amour, the 1994 film that beautifully captures the lives of three lonely people who unknowingly inhabit the same luxury apartment in Taipei. Vive L’Amour — starring both Yang and Lee Kang-sheng — will also be screened as part of SGIFF’s Landmark section, which spotlights cult hits and classic films through history. Yang recently starred in the 2024 film Yen and Ai-Lee, which explores family dynamics and intergenerational trauma through a layered narrative. She plays a single mother attempting to reconcile with her daughter out of prison, and has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Golden Horse Awards.

SGIFF will also honour Taiwanese actor, director and screenwriter Lee Kang-sheng with the Screen Icon Award. Best known as Malaysian-born Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang’s frequent collaborator, Lee has earned critical acclaim for his performances in films such as Stray Dogs (2013), which won him Best Leading Actor at the 50th Golden Horse Awards. As a director, Lee’s 2003 debut feature, The Missing, won the New Currents Award at the Busan International Film Festival. Lee also stars in SGIFF’s festival opening film, Stranger Eyes, as the supermarket worker who becomes the prime suspect when a girl goes mysteriously missing.

Yang and Lee will reunite at a dialogue session on 30 November held at the National Museum of Singapore, where they explore their decades-long collaboration, particularly in the visionary films of Tsai Ming-liang, the celebrated filmmaker best known for his depictions of urban ennui and alienation. The pair have starred alongside each other in some of Tsai’s most iconic and critically acclaimed works, such as The River (1997), What Time Is It There? (2001), The Wayward Cloud (2005) and Stray Dogs (2013). The session presents a rare opportunity to hear from two trailblazers of contemporary arthouse cinema as they reflect on their artistic journeys, and discuss how they have shaped their own — as well as each other’s — creative path. 

Jeremy Chua, General Manager of SGIFF, says: “The Screen Icon Award stands as a testament to the remarkable contributions of Asian talents who have enriched the cinematic scene. This year, in conjunction with our milestone edition, we are proud to honour two exceptional personalities, Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng, whose outstanding contributions to Taiwanese and Asian cinema exemplify the incredible talents within our community.”

SGIFF Industry Days: A New Conference Event Tailored For and By Film Professionals

As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue and deeper industry engagement for film professionals in Singapore, Southeast Asia, and beyond, SGIFF is proud to introduce its inaugural SGIFF Industry Days programme, a three-day knowledge-building platform and conference event tailored for and by film professionals.

The new programme features 15 sessions fronted by speakers from around the globe, spanning topics from navigating the global market for Asian-led stories, to how best to choreograph intimate scenes with professionalism and authenticity — all while offering rare opportunities to hear from visionary creators. They include figures like leading Syrian filmmaker Ossama Mohammed, director of Stars in Broad Daylight (1988), a newly restored work and the opening film for the festival’s Landmark section, and Santosh Sivan, the famed Indian cinematographer who became the first Asian to be awarded the Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Held from 3 – 5 December at LASALLE College of the Arts, SGIFF Industry Days will cover a broad spectrum of discussions that span various aspects of film production while providing professionals from around the globe the valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, offering attendees a robust, engaging experience. Interested participants can register online at SGIFF’s official website.

SGIFF 2024’s full programme lineup, as well as ticketing information, is now available on its official website.

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