Films are given a breath of fresh air as the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns to its original format for its 32^nd edition this November. As one of the countries with the highest cinema-goers year-round, Executive Director of the festival, Emily J. Hoe, shares her positive sentiments during the virtual press conference.

Credits: SGIFF

SGIFF premieres with an Indonesian black comedy action film that explores the prevalence of toxic masculinity – Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash. The film is an adaptation of Eka Kurniawan’s best-selling book. It is written and directed by Edwin, the winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. It is co-produced between Indonesia, Singapore and Germany with the support of IMDA and the Singapore Film Commission’s (SFC) Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant.

On top of its signature Silver Screen Awards for Asian feature films and Southeast Asian short films and Singapore Panorama, this year’s edition includes Milestone, Foreground, Standpoint, Undercurrent and Domain. Helming the programming of the festival for the first time is Thong Kay Wee. He explains the vision for this year’s edition focusing on the content of the film rather than its geographic origin, introducing cinema as open-ended.

Dreaming by Nelson Yeo

Credits: SGIFF

With over 100 shortlisted films, the disruption of cinema screenings has held back the released of many featured and short films. During the press conference, Boo Junfeng, Chairperson SGIFF shared his happiness for the return of cinema screenings as the festival was a critical part of his career as a Singaporean film director.

Film screenings and a series of panel discussions are organised across various venues such as Shaw Lido, Filmgarde Bugis+, Golden Village (Grand 1 & 4), The Projector, The Arts House, Carnival Cinema, Oldham Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, Lasalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Technological University and Wild Rice.

Plan your visit to avoid any disappointments as seats are reduced due to the safe management measures. Stay connected on their official social media: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more updates on the festivities. Book your tickets with various discounts and packages in store on the official website! Priority tickets sales are for grabs from November 8 at noon.