Singapore International Film Festival

The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore and Southeast Asian cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an important event in the Singapore arts calendar.^[1][2]

Singapore International Film Festival

Location	Singapore
Founded	1987
Awards	Silver Screen Awards
Website	sgiff.com

History

Originally launched to give local audiences an opportunity to watch independent and non-commercial films, the festival is now recognized worldwide by film critics for its focus on Asian filmmakers and promotion of Southeast Asian films.

SGIFF is committed to nurturing and championing homegrown talents, and to new discoveries in the art of filmmaking. Its festivities bring to this city a vibrant film culture and a deeper appreciation of its cinematic cultural life. The event serves as a catalyst to arouse the widest public interest in the arts, encouraging artistic dialogue and creative discovery. SGIFF is devoted to giving thousands of film lovers around the region direct access to the world’s most inspired films.

Featuring overseas and local artists in an eclectic array of world and Asian cinema, the event aims to open up new perspectives, make new connections and reach out to over 100,000 participants over an 11-day period. Audiences will enjoy a plethora of activities including film screenings, master classes, fringe events, discussions and awards ceremonies. The possibilities for creative interaction and the resulting exceptional synergies between the film market and other disciplines defines the Singapore International Film Festival.

Edition	Year	Opening film	Closing film	Ref(s)
1st	1987	The Name of the Rose by Jean-Jacques Annaud	The Mission by Roland Joffé	^[3]
2nd	1989	The Glass Menagerie by Paul Newman	Testimony by Tony Palmer	^[4]
3rd	1990	The Children by Tony Palmer	Blue Steel by Kathryn Bigelow	^[5]
4th	1991	Cyrano de Bergerac by Jean-Paul Rappeneau	Dreams by Akira Kurosawa	^[6]
5th	1992	Raise the Red Lantern by Zhang Yimou	A Brighter Summer Day by Edward Yang	^[7]
6th	1993	The Trial by David Jones	Strictly Ballroom by Baz Luhrmann	^[8]
7th	1994	The Blue Kite by Tian Zhuangzhuang	The Scent of Green Papaya by Tran Anh Hung	^[9]
8th	1995	The Red Lotus Society by Stan Lai	Amateur by Hal Hartley	^[10]
9th	1996	The Confessional by Robert Lepage	Memories by Kōji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura and Katsuhiro Otomo	^[11]
10th	1997	Gabbeh by Mohsen Makhmalbaf	Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier	^[12]
11th	1998	Hana-bi by Takeshi Kitano	Happy Together by Wong Kar-wai	^[13]
12th	1999	Ordinary Heroes by Ann Hui	The Hole by Tsai Ming-liang	^[14]
13th	2000	Monday by Sabu	The Wind Will Carry Us by Abbas Kiarostami	^[15]
14th	2001	Yi Yi by Edward Yang	Eureka by Shinji Aoyama	^[16]
15th	2002	Kandahar by Mohsen Makhmalbaf	What Time Is It There? by Tsai Ming-liang	^[17]
16th	2003	Chi-hwa-seon by Im Kwon-taek	Divine Intervention by Elia Suleiman	^[18]
17th	2004	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring by Kim Ki-duk	Goodbye, Dragon Inn by Tsai Ming-liang	^[19]
18th	2005	Steamboy by Katsuhiro Otomo	Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence by Mamoru Oshii	^[20]
19th	2006	Dunia by Jocelyne Saab	4:30 by Royston Tan	^[21]
20th	2007	Sankara by Prasanna Jayakody	Opera Jawa by Garin Nugroho	^[22]
21st	2008	The Princess of Nebraska by Wayne Wang	Road to Dawn by Derek Chiu	^[23]
22nd	2009	Sincerely Yours by Rich Lee	Milk by Semih Kaplanoğlu	^[24]
23rd	2010	Mao's Last Dancer by Bruce Beresford	Dear Doctor by Miwa Nishikawa	^[25]
24th	2011	Red Light Revolution by Sam Voutas	Senna by Asif Kapadia	^[26]
25th	2014	Unlucky Plaza by Ken Kwek	In the Absence of the Sun by Lucky Kuswandi	^[27]
26th	2015	Panay by Cheng Yu-chieh	—	^[28]
27th	2016	Interchange by Dain Iskandar Said	—	^[29]
28th	2017	Angels Wear White by Vivian Qu	—	^[30]
29th	2018	Cities of Last Things by Ho Wi Ding	—	^[31]
30th	2019	Wet Season by Anthony Chen	The Truth by Hirokazu Kore-eda	^[32]
31st	2020	Tiong Bahru Social Club by Tan Bee Thiam	—	^[33]
32nd	2021	Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Edwin	—	^[34]
33rd	2022	Assault by Adilkhan Yerzhanov	—	^[35]

Awards

Main article: List of Singapore International Film Festival awards

The Singapore International Film Festival is credited for the discovery and promotion of the most renowned Singaporean filmmakers who are recognized globally today. Introduced in 1991, the Silver Screen Awards is an annual event that celebrates excellence in Singapore and Asian cinema.

The Silver Screen Awards features the Asian Feature Film Competition which awards the Best Film, Best Director, Best Performance, Best Cinematography and the NETPAC Award for the Critic's Prize.

References

1. Frater, Patrick (17 October 2017). "'Angels Wear White' to Open Singapore Film Festival".
2. hermesauto (17 October 2017). "Golden Horse-nominated thriller Angels Wear White to open the Singapore International Film Festival".
3. "1987: SGIFF 1 - Singapore International Film Festival".
4. "1989: SGIFF 2 - Singapore International Film Festival".
5. "1990: SGIFF 3 - Singapore International Film Festival".
6. "1991: SGIFF 4 - Singapore International Film Festival".
7. "1992: SGIFF 5 - Singapore International Film Festival".
8. "1993: SGIFF 6 - Singapore International Film Festival".
9. "1994: SGIFF 7 - Singapore International Film Festival".
10. "1995: SGIFF 8 - Singapore International Film Festival".
11. "1996: SGIFF 9 - Singapore International Film Festival".
12. . Archived from the original on 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
13. "1998: SGIFF 11 - Singapore International Film Festival".
14. "1999: SGIFF 12 - Singapore International Film Festival".
15. "2000: SGIFF 13 - Singapore International Film Festival".
16. "2001: SGIFF 14 - Singapore International Film Festival".
17. "2002: SGIFF 15 - Singapore International Film Festival".
18. "2003: SGIFF 16 - Singapore International Film Festival".
19. "2004: SGIFF 17 - Singapore International Film Festival".
20. "2005: SGIFF 18 - Singapore International Film Festival".
21. "2006: SGIFF 19 - Singapore International Film Festival".
22. "2007: SGIFF 20 - Singapore International Film Festival".
23. "2008: SGIFF 21 - Singapore International Film Festival".
24. "2009: SGIFF 22 - Singapore International Film Festival".
25. "2010: SGIFF 23 - Singapore International Film Festival".
26. "2011: SGIFF 24 - Singapore International Film Festival".
27. "2014: SGIFF 25 - Singapore International Film Festival".
28. "Cities of Last Things".
29. "2016: SGIFF 27 - Singapore International Film Festival".
30. "Festival 2017 - Singapore International Film Festival".
31. "Festival 2018 - Singapore International Film Festival".
32. Frater, Patrick (22 October 2019). "Singapore Festival to Focus on Asian Excellence for 30th Edition". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
33. Frater, Patrick (5 November 2020). "Singapore Festival Unveils Lineup for Hybrid Edition". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
34. "Past Edition – 2021 - SGIFF 2022". sgiff.com. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
35. Lui, John (26 October 2022). "SGIFF 2022 to open with Kazakh film, Ken Kwek's banned #LookAtMe still part of festival programme". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 4 January 2023.

External links

• About SGIFF