Discover The Magic of Cinema At The 29th Singapore International Film Festival

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF CINEMA AT THE 29TH SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SGIFF 2018 continues to celebrate Asian storytellers, nurture new generations of filmmakers, and propel their works to international attention

Singapore, 4 October 2018 – Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) continues its effort to nurture and champion talent in filmmaking in Asia at the 29th SGIFF here, with the introduction of a new series – Moonlight Cinema. A first this year, SGIFF partners with Gardens by the Bay to host two free outdoor screenings as part of the celebration of storytelling through cinema. The inaugural Moonlight Cinema series begins with My Girl (USA,1991) and My Girl (Thailand, 2003) – two coming-of-age love stories set in the time of childhood.

Winner of Locarno Film Festival’s top prize – the Golden Leopard, and Golden Star award in the Feature Narrative competition at El Gouna Film Festival, Egypt; A Land Imagined by Singaporean filmmaker, Yeo Siew Hua, makes its local premiere in competition at the 29th SGIFF, stars local veteran actor Peter Yu

“We’re committed to an inclusive programme that is designed to allow cinema to be discovered by audiences of all ages. The Moonlight Cinema series is a new addition this year and serving as a platform for the Festival to encourage local audiences to expand their horizon to different types of cinema. We would love for the younger audiences to learn about the classic Thai box-office hit such as My Girl (Fan Chan) as way of getting to know more about Southeast Asian films,” says Wahyuni Hadi, Executive Director, Singapore International Film Festival.

Among the key highlights at the 29th SGIFF, winner of Locarno Film Festival’s top prize – the Golden Leopard, A Land Imagined by Singaporean filmmaker, Yeo Siew Hua, will make its local premiere in competition at the Festival this year. The film is Yeo’s sophomore feature after his debut in 2009’s In the House of Straw, and stars local veteran actor Peter Yu in his debut feature film role. The film also garnered the top Golden Star award in the Feature Narrative competition at the recent El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt. The Mandarin thriller tells the tale about the disappearance of a migrant Chinese construction worker at a Singapore land reclamation site.

“The Singapore International Film Festival has been the biggest part of my own film education and being a part of it now means a lot to me. Having travelled with my film to festivals all over the world, I’m very proud to finally present it in Singapore where it’s meant to be seen”, says Yeo Siew Hua, Director, A Land Imagined.

In line with Singapore Media Festival’s (SMF) Country of Focus initiative this year, the Philippines will be in the limelight at the 29th SGIFF with a selection of Filipino films and filmmakers featured across this year’s line-up. Fresh off a New Wave that began in the 2000s, Philippine cinema has since matured into a thriving industry with rich stories and diverse talents. It is a special milestone for the country this year as it celebrates 100 Years of Philippine Cinema.

“This monumental cinematic achievement in the Philippines will be encouraging to the upcoming generations of filmmakers to tell a diversity of stories, showcasing their voice and exchanging their knowledge,” says Pimpaka Towira, Programme Director, Singapore International Film Festival.

Filipino artist and filmmaker, Shireen Seno, joins the panel of Southeast Asian Short Film Competition Jury at SGIFF this year, and will be showcasing her second feature, Nervous Translation, that is based on her personal experiences growing up as a reluctant child of the Philippine diaspora. Set against the backdrop of Filipino society in the years just after the People Power Revolution in late 1980s, Nervous Translation captures the uncertainty and curiosity of childhood in a strikingly unique way. The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won the Rotterdam 2018 NETPAC award for best Asian film.

The line-up of key films from the Philippines to be showcased at SGIFF 2018 also include short films in competition – Manila is Full of Men Named Boy by Andrew Stephen Lee, The Imminent Immanent by Carlo Francisco Manatad, Please Stop Talking by Josef Gacutan, and Judgement by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez. Additionally, the three Filipino features that will be featured in the Asian Vision line-up this year, which aims to present new works by both renowned auteurs and future visionaries of Asian Cinema, are The Ashes and Ghosts of Tayug 1931 by Christopher Gozum, Season of the Devil by Lav Diaz, and Nervous Translation by Shireen Seno. Meanwhile, Mikhail Red’s Eerie will make its world premiere at the midnight section – Midnight Mayhem that lets audiences discover cult films of the Festival circuit with some genre-bending thrills.

The 29th SGIFF which runs from 28 November to 9 December 2018, will be hosted across multiple Festival venues, including Capitol Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, National Gallery Singapore, The Cathay, Filmgarde Bugis+, Objectifs, and *SCAPE.

SGIFF is an event of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), hosted by Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA). SGIFF 2018’s Official Sponsors include Official Red Carpet Venue, Capitol Theatre; Official Hotels, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore; Official Automobile, BMW; and Official Airline, Singapore Airlines.

The full Festival line-up and ticketing details will be announced in end October 2018.

For more information, please visit www.sgiff.com.

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