After months of anticipation and a number of hints about how this year would be “different”, the line-up for the 24th Singapore International Film Festival has been announced. It certainly doesn’t disappoint (though after ScreenSingapore, very little would). Festival founder Geoffrey Malone remains the Chairman of the Board of Directors but he’s joined by radio personality Hamish Brown and Hong Leong Holdings Investment Director Quek Kon Hui.
The program for this year’s festival includes 144 feature films split into 16 segments and Singaporean cinema gets a decent nod with a dedicated program. The Silver Screen Awards will return as well. Anticipated celebrity arrivals include Ryan Kwanten, Josh Radnor and possibly Guy Pearce.
The Programme
Opening Film - Red Light Revolution (China)
Singapore Panorama – The best Singaporean feature films of 2011
Echoing Love (produced by Edmund Chen), Eclipses (Daniel Hui), Ignore All Detour Signs (Helmi Ali), I Have Loved (Elizabeth Wijaya/Lai Weijie), Sing The Blues (Kenny Ong), The Outsiders (Madhav Mathur), The Gang (Kelvin Sng), Fairytales (Kelvin Sng)
C’est la Vie – The dramatic
Me and Orson Welles (USA), Chongqing Blues (China), Breakfast Lunch Dinner (China/Thailand/Singapore), The First Beautiful Thing (Italy), Beyond (Sweden), The Sun Beaten Path (Tibet), Animal Town (South Korea/USA), Minggu Pago Di Victoria Park (HK/Indonesia), The Off Hours (USA), Gesher (Iran), Buddha Mountain (China), Demain Des L’aube (France), Wang’s Ideal (China), Captain Abu Raed (Jordan), Small Town Murder Songs (Canada), Tilt (Bulgaria), Lao Wai (China), beside(s,) happiness (HK), A Screaming Man (France), The Journals of Musan (South Korea), Silent Souls (Russia), Bambara Walalla (Sri Lanka), Floating Lives (Vietnam), La Riziere (China/France), Das Letze Schweigen (Germany), White as Snow(Turkey), Hi-So (Thailand), Cold Weather (USA)
The Best Medicine – The ones that will make you laugh
Submarine (UK), Curry Munchers (New Zealand), Abel (USA), Made in China (USA), happythankyoumoreplease (USA), La Tete Ailleurs (France), Man Without a Cell Phone (Israel), Hospitalite (Japan), Bunny and the Bull (UK), On Tour (France), No Eres Tu, Soy Yo (Mexico), Salvation Boulevard (USA), Rolling Home With A Bull (South Korea), Le Nom Des Gens (Italy), Potiche (France
Wham! Bam! Pow! – Action, ass-kicking and ammunition that doesn’t run out
The Troll Hunter (Norway), Lights Out (France), A Quiet Life (Italy/France/Germany), Saha (Azerbaijan), Viva Riva! (Democratic Republic of Congo), The Yellow Sea (South Korea), Clash (Vietnam), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Finland/Norway), Island (UK), Secret Reunion (South Korea), Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (Brazil), Snabba Cash (Sweden)
Reality Bites– Hot docs
Inside Job (USA), Page One: Inside the New York Times (USA), Autumn Gold (Germany), El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Germany), Rent Boys (Germany), Little Treasures of Lombok (Netherlands), Strangers No More (USA), Kuche Melli (Iran), Just Like Us (USA), Armadillo (Denmark), Marathon Boy (India), Exit Through the Gift Shop (USA), Donor Unknown (UK), Revenge of the Electric Car (USA), Hell and Back Again (UK/USA), Summer Pasture (China/USA), Pink Saris (UK), Kinyarwanda (USA)
Indie Goes 3D – Can it be more than a gimmick?
Pina (Germany), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (USA/Canada/France/Germany/UK) , Little Ghostly Adventures of the Tofu Boy (Japan)
Midnight Madness – Be afraid, be very afraid
Super (USA), The Forbidden Door (Indonesia), Rabies (Israel), The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu (USA), Hobo With a Shotgun (Canada/USA), The Selling (USA)
Down the Rabbit Hole – I have no idea what’s going on (experimental)
The Tree of Life (USA), Taliya.Date.Com (Israel), Symbol (Japan), Jess + Moss (USA), The Screen Illusion (France), Asakusa Daydreams (Japan), Enter the Void (France), A Useful Life (Uruguay), One Day (Taiwan), Amer (France/Belgium), Rubber (France), Life In A Day (France/Belgium)
Animation – Films are a joy when every scene takes time to craft
Green Days (South Korea), A Cat in Paris (France), Piercing I (China), Chico and Rita (Spain), Spotlight on Platige Image (Poland)
Seeing Music, Hearing Film – Like Never Say Never, but better
Look at What the Light Did Now (USA), Living With The Tiger (Thailand), Pianomania: In Search of the Perfect Sound (Germany), Dream Factory (South Korea), Tibet in Song (USA), The Other F Word (USA), Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (USA), Il Cacciatore di Anatre (Italy)
Beyond Twilight – When vampires aren’t the stuff of teenage girls’ dreams
Nosferatu (Germany), God of Vampires (USA), Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl (Japan), Vampires (Belgium), Tolong! Awek Aku Pontianak (Malaysia), The Truth About Dracula (Germany)
Australian Film Focus – They come from a land down under
Griff the Invisible, The Reef, Matching Jack, A Heartbeat Away, Bran Nue Dae, 33 Postcards
Bertrand Tavernier Retrospective – The master of capturing life in France
L’Horloger de Saint-Paul, Un Dimanche A La Campagne, La Vie Et Rien D’autre, Ca Commence Aujord’hui, La Princesse de Montpensier
Everyone’s Gotta Start Somewhere – First works of famed directors before the acclaim arrived
Everyone’s Gotta Start Somewhere – The Singapore Edition (early works of Boo Junfeng, Liao Jiekai, Jacen Tan, Loo Zhihan, Sherman Ong, Wee Li Lin and Wesley Leon Arazoo), Pi (USA), Sepet (Malaysia), Delicatessen (France), Bound (USA)
Muppets, Music & Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy – Masters of puppets
Muppet History 101, Muppet Fairytales, Muppet Music Moments, Commercials & Experiments
International Shorts – Briefly, the best from around the world (Screened at Sinema Old School 17 and 23 September)
Shanghai Love Market (China), The Familiar (Canada), The Wonder Hospital (South Korea), The Father (Australia), Derelict (UK), The Mouse That Soared (USA), Den Draka (Czech Republic), Bian Zi (Taiwan), Paper Hearts (UK), Night Fishing (South Korea), Bread & Kisses (Canada), Shuffle (USA), Into Thin Air (Iran), Pinion (Australia), Savasana (USA), Aman (UK/Iran), Something Left, Something Taken (USA), A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation (Germany, screened before A Cat in Paris on 23 Sep), Whereabouts (China/Australia, screened before beside(s,) happiness on 20 Sep), Wow Film Festival Australian Shorts (Australia, screened on 16 Sep)
Closing Film - Senna (UK)
The Silver Screen Awards
Asian Feature Film
Best Film
beside(s,) happiness, Secret Reunion, Buddha Mountain, The Journals of Musan, Animal Town, Lao Wai
Best Director
beside(s,) happiness, Buddha Mountain, Chongqing Blues Floating Lives, Red Light Revolution
Best Cinematography
Floating Lives, One Day, I Have Loved, National Alley
Best Performance
Fachri Albar in The Forbidden Door; Kang Dong-won in Secret Reunion; Kim Young-pil in Rolling Home with A Bull, Zhao Jun in Red Light Revolution
Singapore Short Films (screening at Sinema Old School on 21 and 22 September from 9:30pm)
Best Film
Hello, Goodbye (Tay Li-Cheng), Hentak Kaki (James Khoo), Threads (Charmaine Ho), Sisters (Lincoln Chia)
Best Director
Big Feet (Jonathan Cockett/Brad Wilson), Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee), Hentak Kaki (James Khoo), Sisters (Lincoln Chia)
Best Cinematography
Left Hook (Muhammad Salihin bin Ramli), Window of Dreams (Nooraini Shah Sikkander), Blue Tide (Luo Min), Hello, Goodbye (Tay Li-Cheng), Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee)
Best Performance
Oon Shu An in Left Hook (Muhammad Salihin bin Ramli), Marc Gabriel Loh in First Breath After Coma (Logavel Balakrishnan), Sunny Pang in 3 Days Grace (Kenny Tan), Benjamin Chow in Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee)
Finalists
Wild Dogs (Saravanan Sam), Spring (David Ee), Transit (Regina Tan), Play Pretend (Ellery Ngiam), Drawing Memories (Thom Chang/Jerly Chang/Dionisius Kartalaksana/ Yeo Bi Xia), The Red Veil (Chua Seng Yew), Father & Son (Natasha Rathod)
Animation Symposium
Happening on 24 September, big boys like LucasFilm, Blackmagic Design, Double Negative Visual Effects, One Animation and Infinite Frameworks will discuss animation in today's world of cinema in Beyond Limits: Expanding the Digital Horizon.
13 Little Pictures Workshop
From 19-23 September, aspiring filmmakers will collaborate under the watchful eyes of Liao Jiekai, among others, to produce a short film within five days.
Most films will be screened at Shaw Lido, Sinema Old School and The Arts House. For a full list of timings, visit www.siff.sg. Tickets will be available ($10-$30) from Sistic after 2 September.
The program for this year’s festival includes 144 feature films split into 16 segments and Singaporean cinema gets a decent nod with a dedicated program. The Silver Screen Awards will return as well. Anticipated celebrity arrivals include Ryan Kwanten, Josh Radnor and possibly Guy Pearce.
The Programme
Opening Film - Red Light Revolution (China)
Singapore Panorama – The best Singaporean feature films of 2011
Echoing Love (produced by Edmund Chen), Eclipses (Daniel Hui), Ignore All Detour Signs (Helmi Ali), I Have Loved (Elizabeth Wijaya/Lai Weijie), Sing The Blues (Kenny Ong), The Outsiders (Madhav Mathur), The Gang (Kelvin Sng), Fairytales (Kelvin Sng)
C’est la Vie – The dramatic
Me and Orson Welles (USA), Chongqing Blues (China), Breakfast Lunch Dinner (China/Thailand/Singapore), The First Beautiful Thing (Italy), Beyond (Sweden), The Sun Beaten Path (Tibet), Animal Town (South Korea/USA), Minggu Pago Di Victoria Park (HK/Indonesia), The Off Hours (USA), Gesher (Iran), Buddha Mountain (China), Demain Des L’aube (France), Wang’s Ideal (China), Captain Abu Raed (Jordan), Small Town Murder Songs (Canada), Tilt (Bulgaria), Lao Wai (China), beside(s,) happiness (HK), A Screaming Man (France), The Journals of Musan (South Korea), Silent Souls (Russia), Bambara Walalla (Sri Lanka), Floating Lives (Vietnam), La Riziere (China/France), Das Letze Schweigen (Germany), White as Snow(Turkey), Hi-So (Thailand), Cold Weather (USA)
The Best Medicine – The ones that will make you laugh
Submarine (UK), Curry Munchers (New Zealand), Abel (USA), Made in China (USA), happythankyoumoreplease (USA), La Tete Ailleurs (France), Man Without a Cell Phone (Israel), Hospitalite (Japan), Bunny and the Bull (UK), On Tour (France), No Eres Tu, Soy Yo (Mexico), Salvation Boulevard (USA), Rolling Home With A Bull (South Korea), Le Nom Des Gens (Italy), Potiche (France
Wham! Bam! Pow! – Action, ass-kicking and ammunition that doesn’t run out
The Troll Hunter (Norway), Lights Out (France), A Quiet Life (Italy/France/Germany), Saha (Azerbaijan), Viva Riva! (Democratic Republic of Congo), The Yellow Sea (South Korea), Clash (Vietnam), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Finland/Norway), Island (UK), Secret Reunion (South Korea), Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (Brazil), Snabba Cash (Sweden)
Reality Bites– Hot docs
Inside Job (USA), Page One: Inside the New York Times (USA), Autumn Gold (Germany), El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Germany), Rent Boys (Germany), Little Treasures of Lombok (Netherlands), Strangers No More (USA), Kuche Melli (Iran), Just Like Us (USA), Armadillo (Denmark), Marathon Boy (India), Exit Through the Gift Shop (USA), Donor Unknown (UK), Revenge of the Electric Car (USA), Hell and Back Again (UK/USA), Summer Pasture (China/USA), Pink Saris (UK), Kinyarwanda (USA)
Indie Goes 3D – Can it be more than a gimmick?
Pina (Germany), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (USA/Canada/France/Germany/UK) , Little Ghostly Adventures of the Tofu Boy (Japan)
Midnight Madness – Be afraid, be very afraid
Super (USA), The Forbidden Door (Indonesia), Rabies (Israel), The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu (USA), Hobo With a Shotgun (Canada/USA), The Selling (USA)
Down the Rabbit Hole – I have no idea what’s going on (experimental)
The Tree of Life (USA), Taliya.Date.Com (Israel), Symbol (Japan), Jess + Moss (USA), The Screen Illusion (France), Asakusa Daydreams (Japan), Enter the Void (France), A Useful Life (Uruguay), One Day (Taiwan), Amer (France/Belgium), Rubber (France), Life In A Day (France/Belgium)
Animation – Films are a joy when every scene takes time to craft
Green Days (South Korea), A Cat in Paris (France), Piercing I (China), Chico and Rita (Spain), Spotlight on Platige Image (Poland)
Seeing Music, Hearing Film – Like Never Say Never, but better
Look at What the Light Did Now (USA), Living With The Tiger (Thailand), Pianomania: In Search of the Perfect Sound (Germany), Dream Factory (South Korea), Tibet in Song (USA), The Other F Word (USA), Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (USA), Il Cacciatore di Anatre (Italy)
Beyond Twilight – When vampires aren’t the stuff of teenage girls’ dreams
Nosferatu (Germany), God of Vampires (USA), Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl (Japan), Vampires (Belgium), Tolong! Awek Aku Pontianak (Malaysia), The Truth About Dracula (Germany)
Australian Film Focus – They come from a land down under
Griff the Invisible, The Reef, Matching Jack, A Heartbeat Away, Bran Nue Dae, 33 Postcards
Bertrand Tavernier Retrospective – The master of capturing life in France
L’Horloger de Saint-Paul, Un Dimanche A La Campagne, La Vie Et Rien D’autre, Ca Commence Aujord’hui, La Princesse de Montpensier
Everyone’s Gotta Start Somewhere – First works of famed directors before the acclaim arrived
Everyone’s Gotta Start Somewhere – The Singapore Edition (early works of Boo Junfeng, Liao Jiekai, Jacen Tan, Loo Zhihan, Sherman Ong, Wee Li Lin and Wesley Leon Arazoo), Pi (USA), Sepet (Malaysia), Delicatessen (France), Bound (USA)
Muppets, Music & Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy – Masters of puppets
Muppet History 101, Muppet Fairytales, Muppet Music Moments, Commercials & Experiments
International Shorts – Briefly, the best from around the world (Screened at Sinema Old School 17 and 23 September)
Shanghai Love Market (China), The Familiar (Canada), The Wonder Hospital (South Korea), The Father (Australia), Derelict (UK), The Mouse That Soared (USA), Den Draka (Czech Republic), Bian Zi (Taiwan), Paper Hearts (UK), Night Fishing (South Korea), Bread & Kisses (Canada), Shuffle (USA), Into Thin Air (Iran), Pinion (Australia), Savasana (USA), Aman (UK/Iran), Something Left, Something Taken (USA), A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation (Germany, screened before A Cat in Paris on 23 Sep), Whereabouts (China/Australia, screened before beside(s,) happiness on 20 Sep), Wow Film Festival Australian Shorts (Australia, screened on 16 Sep)
Closing Film - Senna (UK)
The Silver Screen Awards
Asian Feature Film
Best Film
beside(s,) happiness, Secret Reunion, Buddha Mountain, The Journals of Musan, Animal Town, Lao Wai
Best Director
beside(s,) happiness, Buddha Mountain, Chongqing Blues Floating Lives, Red Light Revolution
Best Cinematography
Floating Lives, One Day, I Have Loved, National Alley
Best Performance
Fachri Albar in The Forbidden Door; Kang Dong-won in Secret Reunion; Kim Young-pil in Rolling Home with A Bull, Zhao Jun in Red Light Revolution
Singapore Short Films (screening at Sinema Old School on 21 and 22 September from 9:30pm)
Best Film
Hello, Goodbye (Tay Li-Cheng), Hentak Kaki (James Khoo), Threads (Charmaine Ho), Sisters (Lincoln Chia)
Best Director
Big Feet (Jonathan Cockett/Brad Wilson), Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee), Hentak Kaki (James Khoo), Sisters (Lincoln Chia)
Best Cinematography
Left Hook (Muhammad Salihin bin Ramli), Window of Dreams (Nooraini Shah Sikkander), Blue Tide (Luo Min), Hello, Goodbye (Tay Li-Cheng), Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee)
Best Performance
Oon Shu An in Left Hook (Muhammad Salihin bin Ramli), Marc Gabriel Loh in First Breath After Coma (Logavel Balakrishnan), Sunny Pang in 3 Days Grace (Kenny Tan), Benjamin Chow in Band of Mischief (Kenneth Lee)
Finalists
Wild Dogs (Saravanan Sam), Spring (David Ee), Transit (Regina Tan), Play Pretend (Ellery Ngiam), Drawing Memories (Thom Chang/Jerly Chang/Dionisius Kartalaksana/ Yeo Bi Xia), The Red Veil (Chua Seng Yew), Father & Son (Natasha Rathod)
Animation Symposium
Happening on 24 September, big boys like LucasFilm, Blackmagic Design, Double Negative Visual Effects, One Animation and Infinite Frameworks will discuss animation in today's world of cinema in Beyond Limits: Expanding the Digital Horizon.
13 Little Pictures Workshop
From 19-23 September, aspiring filmmakers will collaborate under the watchful eyes of Liao Jiekai, among others, to produce a short film within five days.
Most films will be screened at Shaw Lido, Sinema Old School and The Arts House. For a full list of timings, visit www.siff.sg. Tickets will be available ($10-$30) from Sistic after 2 September.