SINGAPORE – The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) concluded its 26th edition today, drawing over 12,000 festival-goers from Singapore and across the region. The Festival was held over an 11-day period, from 26 November to 6 December 2015.
Committed to celebrating independent cinema and telling Asia’s story in film, the longest-running international film platform in Southeast Asia showcased a total of 146 feature and short films from 51 countries this year. Not only were its various post-screening talks and masterclasses with acclaimed filmmakers well-attended by festival-goers, the SGIFF also saw a total of 14 sold out screenings – of which five were local productions.
Sailing A Sinking Sea by Olivia Wyatt also emerged as the favourite feature film among festival-goers at this edition of SGIFF in the inaugural Audience Choice Awards, in recognition of the growing desire by festival goers for greater involvement.
Over the past week, the SGIFF brought to town more than just films and through its programming provided all festival-goers a vibrant and immersive experience. During the entire course of the Festival, an impressive line-up of internationally renowned personalities descended our shores. Stars such as Michelle Yeoh, Dev Patel, Sonia Sui Tang and Choi Woo-Shik not only graced the Festival with their presence, some of them also conducted In Conversation dialogues sessions with the public. Distinguished filmmakers and producers from around the world including Terence Chang, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Brillante Mendoza interacted with audiences through talks, masterclasses and provided mentorship at the Southeast Asian Film Lab.
SGIFF Executive Director, Yuni Hadi, said, “SGIFF has always been a magical and inspiring experience for me, and our team constantly finds ways to excite, engage and grow our film community. We hope to continue building a platform that allows people to not just come to watch film, but to also expand their conversations and perspectives on film and filmmaking in Singapore and Asia. Through this year’s Festival, it is evident that pride and interest in independent cinema is growing, and that is what we hope to continue to encourage in the years to come.”
“The SGIFF has put up a strong showing this year, affirming itself as one of the region’s most established international platforms for Southeast Asian cinema and independent filmmaking,” said Angeline Poh, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Industry Group), Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA). Poh added, “As an event of the Singapore Media Festival, the SGIFF is a key platform for local filmmaking talent to showcase their projects to an international audience. We look forward to even more compelling stories by Singaporean and Asian filmmakers in future editions of the SGIFF.”
Mr. George Tanasijevich, President and CEO of Marina Bay Sands, said: “Marina Bay Sands is proud to present the Singapore International Film Festival with its high calibre of creative talent from around the world, culminating at the Silver Screen Awards last night. Over the past ten days, the festival has inspired, engaged and connected the community. As the Presenting Sponsor of the SGIFF, we are honoured to support its mission to showcase fresh and unique voices from Southeast Asia and beyond. Through our Corporate Social Responsibility programme, we want to play a vital role in growing the arts and its audiences in Singapore. With original storytelling that pushes the boundaries of filmmaking as an art form, new talent is discovered and cinema breaks new ground.”
Unlike previous editions where a closing film wrapped up the Festival, the SGIFF celebrated the closing of the Festival by screeningThe Fourth Direction, the Best Asian Feature Film at this year’s Silver Screen Awards as well as the winning film of the Audience Choice Award, Sinking A Sailing Sea. The winners of this year’s Best Southeast Asian Short Film – The Fox Exploits the Tiger’s Might – and Best Singapore Short Film – My Father After Dinner – will also be rescreened alongside the Best Asian Feature Film and Audience Choice Award film respectively.
The SGIFF is an event of the Singapore Media Festival, hosted by Media Development Authority (Singapore). SGIFF’s Official Sponsors include Presenting Sponsor, Marina Bay Sands; Official Festival Time Partner, IWC Schaffhausen; Official TV, Fox International; Official Airline, Singapore Airlines; Official Technology Partner, Mocha Chai Laboratories and Official Art Magazine, Art Republik.
NOTE: This is a press release from the Singapore International Film Festival.
