Naman Ramachandran The Singapore International Film Festival is marking its 35th edition with 105 films from 45 countries, with Asian titles comprising 80% of the program.
Running Nov. 28-Dec. 8, the fest will host three world premieres of Singapore features, including Ong Keng-Sen’s “The House of Janus,” Wong Chen-Hsi’s “City of Small Blessings,” adapted from Simon Tay’s novel, and Jason Soo’s documentary “Al Awda.” Among the international highlights are Amy Adams-starrer “Nightbitch,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” and a restored version of Bong Joon-ho‘s feature debut “Barking Dogs Never Bite.” Two special gala presentations are scheduled: Raam Reddy’s “The Fable,” starring Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee, and Myanmar-born Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z’s “The Unseen Sister,” featuring Zhao Liying and Xin Zhilei.
The fest will present its Screen Icon Award to Taiwanese talents Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng. Yang, a four-time SGIFF performance award winner, recently appeared in “Yen and Ai-Lee,” earning a Golden Horse Award nomination.
Lee, known for his collaborations with Tsai Ming-liang, stars in the festival’s opening film “Stranger Eyes.” A new initiative, SGIFF Industry Days, debuts this year as a three-day conference featuring 15 sessions with international speakers, including Syrian filmmaker Ossama Mohammed and Indian cinematographer Santosh Sivan.
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