Keeping the Singapore International Film Festival fresh1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhen the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) first appeared in 1987, it was about the only event in the island where you could watch independent, non-blockbuster films.
Two decades on, Singapore is awash with festivals big and small, regular screenings of festival-type films at Golden Village’s Cinema Europa and Cathay’s The Picturehouse, and at hip indie cinema Sinema at Old School.
But the SIFF (www.siff.sg) is not letting this competition beat it back. If anything it’s coming out even stronger this year with 144 feature films (compared to 87 last year) and about 50 short films to be screened at Sinema, The Arts House, LaSalle College of the Arts and the newly renovated Shaw Lido Cineplex, home to the SIFF for many years.
This year, the organisers have also made more fringe activities available; from workshops and talks on prop-making to visual effects, make-up, camera work and screenwriting, to name just some.
A new board of directors is largely responsible for this big leap forwards.
