Singapore– Following a highly successful return of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) last year, the 26th edition of SGIFF is set to provide festival goers with an insight into the region’s stories and the art of filmmaking through more than 150 film screenings and public programmes.
The Heartbeat of Asian Independent Cinema
As the longest-running international film platform of Southeast Asia, SGIFF thrives as a gathering of the region’s independent filmmaking talents to showcase their works to Asia and beyond. It is also a platform for them to engage in conversations and ultimately contribute to the growth of this industry. This year, SGIFF will present 146 feature and short films from 51 countries, across 11 sections – Opening, Special Presentation, Silver Screen Awards, Singapore Panorama, Asian Vision, Cinema Today, Spotlight on Mexican Cinema, Imagine, Classics, Between Visible and Invisible: Alternative Vision of Chinese Independent Documentary and Tribute to Mohsen Makhmalbaf – showcasing the region’s story in film.
This includes the international premiere of SGIFF’s opening film at Marina Bay Sands, Panay, which tells the life and predicaments faced by Taiwan’s indigenous communities on land rights; Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cemetery of Splendour, which juxtaposes Thailand’s violent past against quirky everyday activities seen through the eyes of an aging woman; and Singapore’s multi-disciplinary artist Ng Xi Jie’s world premiere of her first feature film, Singapore Minstrel, which offers a glimpse into the art of busking in the metropolitan city through featuring Roy Payamal, a stalwart of Singapore’s busking scene.
SGIFF also shortlisted few Indian movies for the festival. Female-centric film "Angry Indian Goddesses" by Pan Nalin, and "The Fourth Direction" by Gurvinder Singh which tells the story of clonfilct between Sikh separatist militants and the military in 1984 Punjab are among selected Indian movies
| The Fourth Direction Trailer |
Running from 26 November to 6 December 2015, the 26th edition of SGIFF will take place across various venues, including Marina Bay Sands. The other screening venues are National Museum of Singapore, Shaw Theatres Lido, National Gallery Singapore, The Arts House, The Projector and The Substation.
Tickets for SGIFF are on sale from 21 October 2015 at all SISTIC outlets, its website www.sistic.com.sg and hotline +65 6348 5555.
Tickets for the Opening Film and Special Presentation Films are also available through www.marinabaysands.com/ticketing and the Marina Bay Sands MasterCard Theatres Box Office.
