Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the largest and longest-running film event in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the Festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an iconic occasion in the Singapore arts calendar.
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.
The 26th edition SGIFF will be held from 26 November to 6 December 2015.
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International recognition
Originally launched to give local audiences a chance to see 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. Many international critics attend this festival to see Asia's new and bright talents.
Its mission is
- To promote film as an artistic medium
- To nurture and champion local talents in the art of filmmaking;
- To showcase international films and provide a global platform for Asian and Singapore Cinema;
- To cultivate film literacy and education;
- To discover the best in film innovation, story-telling and talent;
- To provide the opportunity for audiences to view films not otherwise released commercially; and
- To create awareness of the finer points of film-making through seminars and workshops by overseas professionals
Awards
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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 where the awardees are as follows:
- 1993 Best Asian Feature & Director: The Peach Blossom Land (Stan Lai)
- 1994 Best Film: Sopyonje (Im Kwon Taek)
- 1994 Best Director : The Blue Kite (Tian Zhuangzhuang)
- 1995 Best Film: Vive L'Amour (Tsai Ming-Liang)
- 1996 Best Asian Feature: Cardiogram (Darezhan Omirbayev)
- 1996 Best Director: Mahjong (Edward Yang)
- 1997 Best Asian Feature: Gabbeh (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
- 1997 Best Director: The King of Masks (Wu Tianming)
- 1998 Best Asian Feature: Children of Heaven (Majid Majidi)
- 1998 Best Director: Ayneh (The Mirror) (Jafar Panahi)
- 1999 Best Asian Feature & Director: The Hole (Tsai Ming-Liang)
- 2000 Best Asian Feature: Darkness and Light (Chang Tso-Chi)
- 2000 Best Director: Seventeen Years (Zhang Yuan)
- 2001 Best Film: Eureka (Shinji Aoyama)
- 2001 Best Director: Chunhyang (Im Kwon Taek)
- 2002 Best Asian Feature: Batang West Side (Lav Diaz)
- 2002 Best Director: Away From Home (Semih Kaplanoglu)
- 2003 Best Asian Feature: The Best of Times (Chang Tso-Chi)
- 2003 Best Director: Angel on the Right (Djamshed Usmonov)
- 2004 Best Asian Feature & Director: Uzak (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
- 2005 Best Film: Underexposure (Oday Rasheed)
- 2005 Best Director: This Charming Girl (Lee Yoon- Ki)
- 2006 Best Asian Feature: It's Only Talk (Ryuichi Hiroki)
- 2006 Best Director: Love Story (Kelvin Tong)
- 2007 Best Asian Feature: Opera Jawa (Garin Nugroho)
- 2007 Best Director: Crossing the Dust (Shawkat Amin Korki)
- 2008 Best Asian Feature & Director: Slingshot (Brillante Mendoza)
- 2009 Best Asian Feature: Laila's Birthday (Rashid Masharawi)
- 2009 Best Director: Every Night, Loneliness (Rasoul Sadr Ameli)
- 2010 Best Film & Director: Sex Volunteer (Cho Kyeong-Duk)
- 2011 Best Film: Buddha Mountain (Yu Li)
- 2011 Best Director: beside(s,) happiness (Heiward Mak)
- 2014 Best Film & Director: Court (Chaitanya Tamhane)
- 2015 Best Film: The Fourth Direction (Gurvinder Singh)
Through the Short Film Category, the following Singaporean talents were first discovered at the SGIFF’s Silver Screen Awards:
- 1991 Best Film: August (Eric Khoo[1])
- 1994 Best Film: Married (Chee K)
- 1994 Best Director and Special Achievement Award: Pain (Eric Khoo)
- 1996 Best Film: A Moveable Feast (Sandi Tan, Jasmine Ng, Kelvin Tong)
- 1997 Best Film: Beansprouts and Salted Fish (Chee K)
- 1998 Best Director: Replacement Killers (Jack Neo)
- 2000 Best Film: Sons (Royston Tan Tsze Kiam)
- 2002 Special Achievement Award: 15 (Royston Tan)
- 2003 Special Achievement Award: Autograph Book (Wee Li Lin)
- 2005 Best Film: A Family Portrait (Boo Jun Feng)
- 2007 Special Jury Prize: Katong Fugue (Boo Jun Feng)
- 2008 Best Film: Keluar Baris (Boo Jun Feng)
- 2011 Best Film: Hentak Kaki (James Khoo)
In 2014 however, the Singapore Short Film Category was expanded and renamed the Southeast Asian Short Film Category, where it showcased entries from all over the Southeast Asian region including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The awardees in this category for the 2014 Silver Screen Awards include:
- 2014 Best Southeast Asian Short Film: Dahdi (Granny) (Kirsten Tan)
- 2014 Best Singapore Short Film: Not Working Today (Shijie Tan)
- 2014 Best Director: On Stopping the Rain (Aditya Ahmad)
- 2014 Special Mention: Vanishing Horizon of the Sea (Chulayarnnon Siriphol)
See also
References
External links
