The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is back for its 34th iteration and this year, cinephiles can expect over 100 films across 50 countries. Held from Nov 30 to Dec 10, the festival will also see Chinese actress Fan Bingbing attending its opening night.
Opening this year’s SGIFF is Tiger Stripes which made history by being the first Malaysian film to win the Grand Prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week. Starring Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral and Shaheizy Sam, the film tells the story of how 12-year-old Zaffan becomes the first among her friends to hit puberty, only to discover a horrifying secret about her body.
For the first time in 25 years, three Singaporean films will be competing in the prestigious Asian Feature Film Competition. They are:
Tomorrow Is A Long Time by Jow Zhi Wei – an emotional film about a father and sonDreaming & Dying by Nelson Yeo – a fantasy drama revolving around three middle-aged friendsLast Shadow At First Light by Nicole Midori Woodford – a mystery film that follows a Singaporean-Japanese girl on a journey to her mother’s hometown
SGIFF will also play host to 20 world premieres, including India’s Valli and A Year Of No Significance by Singaporean director Kelvin Tong.
Fans of Chinese actress Fan Bingbing should pay extra attention to this year’s SGIFF as she will be attending its opening night and be involved in a few of the festival’s activities.
Fans can then catch her at a sharing session on Dec 1 where she will be talking about how she navigates working across diverse cultures and what audiences can look forward to from her in the years to come.
On Dec 2, Fan Bingbing will be presented the Cinema Icon Award 2023 at Shaw Lido for her contributions to the film industry. There, audiences can also catch her latest film Green Night where she plays a Chinese national who tries to escape from her abusive husband in South Korea.
Tickets for this year’s SGIFF will be open for public sales from 12pm on Friday (Oct 27), with prices starting at S$15. Early bird tickets for SGIFFriends are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at SGIFF’s official website.