Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s thriller “Assault,” which previously played Rotterdam, will open the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival.
Singaporean film “#LookAtMe,” which was denied certification by local authorities, remains part of the lineup, but will not screen at the festival. “#LookAtMe will not be screened at the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival as it has been refused classification by the Infocomm Media Development Authority,” says a note on the festival website.
Films in competition at the festival’s Asian feature film competition, the Silver Screen Awards, include “Archaeology Of Love” (South Korea) by Lee Wan-min; “Arnold Is A Model Student” (Thailand-Singapore-France-Netherlands-Philippines) by Sorayos Prapapan; “Autobiography” (Indonesia-France-Germany-Poland-Singapore-Philippines-Qatar) by Makbul Mubarak “The Cloud Messenger” (India) by Rahat Mahajan; “Convenience Store” (Russia-Slovenia-Turkey) by Michael Borodin; “Gaga” (Taiwan) by Laha Mebow; “Joyland” (Pakistan) by Saim Sadiq; “Leonor Will Never Die” (Philippines) by Martika Ramirez Escobar; and “Summer With Hope” (Canada-Iran) by Sadaf Foroughi.
The Southeast Asian Short Film Competition will see 17 films vying for awards.
The absence of “#LookAtMe” aside, as always the festival boasts a robust selection of local Singapore-made features. These include Derrick Chew’s “Boom,” Lei Yuan Bin’s “Baby Queen,” Anshul Tiwari’s “Before Life After Death,” Lavender Chang and John Clang’s “Absent Smile” and Boi Kwong’s “Geylang” and several shorts.
In all, the festival will screen 101 independent films (features and shorts) from 55 countries. Half of the lineup is spread across six curated program sections, including two new ones, Altitude and Horizon.
Program director, Thong Kay Wee, said: “SGIFF has been through a lot over the last few years and a period of consolidation with new insights have been helpful for our path ahead. We have to continually challenge ourselves to evolve as we grow together with our audience and the film industry. In line with last year’s changes to our program sections, the new additions complete the shift towards a more designated and inclusive programming direction where we welcome audiences to consider the different positions they can assume when they enjoy our film offerings.”
Festival executive director, Emily J. Hoe, added: “SGIFF is back at full capacity this year and we are truly grateful to those who have supported us through thick and thin. In addition to having a Central Asian film open the festival for the first time, we have also expanded Producers Network to include the whole of Asia, reinforcing our support for independent films in the entire region. We now provide a more holistic platform for filmmakers, with the festival’s new developments perfectly complemented by existing competition sections for Asian feature films and Southeast Asian short films as well as Singapore Panorama. Through these critical sections, we spotlight the best emerging filmmakers from the region and are excited to follow and support their careers going forward.”
The festival runs Nov. 24-Dec. 4.
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