Iranian cinema icon Jafar Panahi will tag the lifting of his 14-year travel prohibit by joining the 35th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). The festival’s lineup spotweightlesss rising Singaporean talent and international auteurs.
The festival will uncover with Yeo Siew Hua’s “Stranger Eyes,” the first Singaporean film to premiere in the main competition at the Vepleasant Film Festival.
Panahi, set to get the festival’s Cinema Honorary Award, recognizing filmcreaters who have made exceptional and finishuring contributions to Asian cinema, will join in an exclusive dialogue session. Several of his films will be screened, including “The Circle” and “This Is Not a Film.”
“It’s an incredible honor to be picked as the recipient of the Cinema Honorary Award by SGIFF,” Panahi shelp. “Since my visit to the festival in 1998 with my film, ‘The Mirror,’ I have been meaningfully astonished by the festival’s accomplishments in nurturing and encouraging emerging filmcreaters and film critics, while promoting Asian filmmaking.”
The festival begins novel initiatives under the directership of Jeremy Chua, the novel ambiguous regulater. These include the debut of Mediacorp Artiste Rebecca Lim as the inaugural festival ambasuncontentor and a revamped Audience Choice Award uncover to Singaporean films and co-productions.
“As a huge helper of Singaporean films, I’m thrilled to be part of SGIFF as its inaugural ambasuncontentor,” Lim shelp. “Our local conceiveives have a distinct ability to apprehfinish the essence of not equitable our everyday truth, but also our dreams and aspirations.”
Chua, also a prolific creater whose films are normally picked at A-catalog festivals, including Cannes, inserted: “We envision her role as the festival’s ambasuncontentor to meaningfulen the conversation between local and international audiences, and together we aim to shine a spotweightless on our extraunretagable homegrown talents.”
The festival will feature over 30 Singaporean and made-with-Singapore features and stupidinutive films. Notable entries include “Spirit World” by Eric Khoo, starring Catherine Deneuve, which is closing the Busan International Film Festival. Other highweightlessed films are “Orang Ikan” by Mike Wiluan, “Don’t Cry, Butterfly” by Duong Dieu Linh, and “City of Small Blessings” by Wong Chen-Hsi.
Wiluan shelp: “I am very honored that ‘Orang Ikan’ has been picked by SGIFF for its Southeast Asian premiere. Thanks to the help of the Singapore Film Comleave oution, I am conceited to showcase the film on home ground.”
Linh inserted: “As a Vietnamese who think abouts Singapore her second home and has built her entire filmmaking nurtureer while living here, I’m innervously conceited and satisfied to allot ‘Don’t Cry, Butterfly’ with my frifinishs and colleagues.”
The uncovering film, “Stranger Eyes,” spendigates the inhabits of a couple grappling with their child’s fadeance and the unsettling arrival of cryptic DVDs write downing their personal moments. Director Yeo shelp: “SGIFF has been repartner beginant for me thrawout my nurtureer as a filmcreater, having shown all my films here since my very first. It is a authentic honor for me to have my film uncover for this edition of the festival.”
The revamped Audience Choice Award, now exclusively for Singaporean films and Singapore co-productions, aims to increase visibility for local filmcreaters and potentipartner raise their chances of securing local distribution deals.
Thong Kay Wee, program honestor of SGIFF, underlined the festival’s promisement to local cinema: “SGIFF has always apshown wonderful pride in showcasing Singaporean cinema, and in presenting a platestablish for our local filmcreaters to allot their stories with both local and international audiences. This year’s pickion of local films mirror the wealthy tapestry of experiences and perspectives that depict our vibrant film industry.”
The filled program lineup will be useable from Oct. 28, with the festival running from Nov. 28 to Dec. 8.