Youth Critics Programme

The Youth Critics Programme provides mentorship and encourages writing in response to the festival programme. It aims to nurture a new generation of film writers who can contribute to Asian and Southeast Asian film discourse. A panel of industry experts will also share about what it means to think and write about cinema.


In an exciting departure from past editions, participants will collectively produce a post-festival publication that will be released online. One of the participants will receive the Youth Critic Award for their originality of writing and for contributing to cinematic discussions in the region.

Read the publication: ATLAS Volume 1.

Calling all interested applicants to join the 2023 programmes, Submit your applications for the following programme now! Click here to apply. If you have any enquiries, please write in to programme@sgiff.com.

Mentor 2022

Phoebe PUA

Singapore

Phoebe Pua is a film researcher and programmer specialising in Southeast Asian and contemporary independent cinemas. More broadly, her work explores gender, sexuality, and race in popular media. Her writing has been published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies, Language in Society and Discourse, Context, and Media.

Since 2019, Phoebe has been hosting interviews and open Q&As with filmmakers working in Southeast Asia. She has also given public talks on the region’s screen cultures at events hosted by the Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, Singapore Art Museum, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and SGIFF. Phoebe co-programmed Turf Wars: The Tropics and Cinema in Southeast Asia (2021) with NUS Museum as well as Dislocating/Locating Southeast Asia/Trinh T. Minh-ha (2020–21) with Nurul Huda Rashid and NTU Centre for Contemporary Art.

Speakers 2022

Patrick CAMPOS

Phillipines

Associate Professor, University of the Philippines Film Institute

Moe Myat May Zarchi

Myanmar

Filmmaker; editorial director, 3-ACT Cinema Magazine

Davide CAZZARO

South Korea

Publisher, editor and author, NANG

Nabilah Said

Singapore

Playwright and arts writer; editor, Kontinentalist

Participants 2022

Tarini BENGANI

Singapore

BOEY Yui Keat Ryan-Ashleigh

Singapore

Jeffrey DEYTO

Phillipines

Jolie FAN Yuxuan

Singapore

Shelby KHO

Indonesia

Sasha HAN

Singapore

SENG Savunthara

Cambodia

TAN Mei Qi

Singapore

Benjamin YAP Kee Siang

Singapore

Christian Charles Xuan YEO

Singapore