NEWS: 29th Singapore International Film Festival Wraps Up 12-Day Festival2 min read
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The 29th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) successfully wraps up 12 days of immersive festivities, bringing together some of the region’s most talented filmmakers and diverse audiences across 29 sold-out screenings and off-screen programmes, including Masterclasses and In Conversation sessions. With more than 17,000 festival-goers from Singapore and across the region participating in the Festival this year, a marked increase from last year’s Festival; SGIFF continues to cement its position as the film platform in Southeast Asia that showcases quality independent cinema, celebrating Asian storytellers, nurturing next-generation filmmakers and propelling their works to an international audience.
Casting the spotlight on a stellar body of cinematic work that emerged from the region, the internationally-recognised film festival showcased 103 feature and short films from 44 countries, across genres and presentations; and screening a mix of festival favourites and undiscovered gems. The diverse selection of coveted films from Asia and beyond this year further demonstrates the ascending future of Asian cinema, with SGIFF continuing to lead the charge for Asian filmmakers emerging onto the global stage.
This year, crowd-favourite One Cut of the Dead by Japanese director Shinichiro Ueda won the Audience Choice Award, following active voting by festival-goers over the 12-day Festival. The film was re-screened at the National Museum of Singapore on the last day of the Festival, alongside winner of Best Film in the Asian Feature Film Competition, A Land Imagined by Singaporean director, Yeo Siew Hua, which was a landmark achievement for Singapore as the first ever Singaporean feature film to win the coveted title in the Silver Screen Awards’ history. Danech San’s A Million Years won Best Southeast Asian short film.
The 29th SGIFF received strong support from local film industry heavyweights who joined the stellar line-up of international filmmakers and stars to grace the various red-carpet events throughout the Festival at the historic Capitol Theatre; as well as participated in many immersive sharing sessions featuring visiting and local filmmakers and cast members at Masterclasses and In Conversation sessions.
SGIFF is an event of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), hosted by Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA). SGIFF 2018’s Official Sponsors include Official Red Carpet Venue Capitol Theatre; Official Hotels Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore; Official Automobile BMW; and Official Airline Singapore Airlines.
For more information, please visit SGIFF.
Image credit: Bless Inc Asia
