(Left to right) Jury Chief Stanley Kwan, director Yeo Siew Hua, actress Luna Kwok, producer Fran Borgia, SGIFF Executive Director Yuni Hadi
A Land Imagined took home the main award on home soil yesterday at the 29th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) Silver Screen Awards. A Land Imagined kicked off its international film festival trail with winning the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Festival. This is also the first time a Singapore film has won Best Film in the SGIFF's Asian Feature Film Competition. Directed by Singaporean Yeo Siew Hua, his second feature film was unanimously selected by the jury out of a total of eight nominated
features from across Asia.
Director Yeo Siew Hua receiving the prize from Stanley Kwan
The Mandarin thriller is Yeo’s sophomore feature and tells the
tale of the disappearance of a migrant Chinese construction worker at a Singapore land
reclamation site. The jury found that the film “combined clear and original vision, strong storytelling, and
technical achievement in addressing an increasingly important issue not only to Singapore but to
the world”.
The honour of Best Director went to Pham Thu Hang for her feature documentary The Future
Cries Beneath Our Soil, a moving documentary that deftly captures the dark shadow of war and
death present in even everyday conversation and simple gestures, set in Vietnam’s Quảng Tri
province.
Manoranjoan Das took home the prize for Best Performance for his role of Suman in Bulbul Can
Sing by Rima Das. The jury commended his performance “for the courage and vulnerability he
infused in his character. Suman was brought to life with a subtlety and an innocence that moved
the entire jury”.
Dayan by Iranian director Behrouz Nooranipour, a compelling drama which delves into the horrors
of ISIS operations in Iranian Kurdistan, was accorded Special Mention at the awards this evening.
The winners of the Asian Feature Film Competition were decided by a panel of five jury members headed by lead figure of the Hong Kong New Wave, director Stanley Kwan. Joining him on the jury are Hollywood actor, director, and producer, Daniel Dae Kim; legendary Japanese
cinematographer, Akiko Ashizawa; acclaimed Canadian film producer, Sylvain Corbeil; and
Vietnamese-born French actress, costume, and production designer, Trần Nữ Yên Khê.
The Best Southeast Asian Short Film award from the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition this
year went to A Million Years by first-time director Danech San, which illustrates the story of a young
woman who enters a parallel riverfront with a stranger, and both recount stories of fear.
Aditya Ahmad was awarded Best Director for his short film Kado (A Gift), which the jury deemed
as “a sincere, deeply-felt film that does not provide easy answers but reveals the complexities of
gender identity in Muslim communities”. The film was also awarded the Youth Jury Prize through
the collective 15-member jury panel in the SGIFF Youth Jury & Critics Programme.
Luzon by Chiang Wei Liang, a flawlessly directed tale of two fishermen,
one radioactive barrel, and the South China Sea, was awarded Best Singapore Short Film. The
jury shared that the film is "a simple allegory that absurdly and succinctly highlights the socio-political tensions of the region”.
Thai director Korakrit Arunanondchai’s short film With History In A Room Filled With People With
Funny Names 4 was given the Special Mention award by the jury.
Legendary Director Rithy Panh receiving the Honorary Award
The Festival’s highest honour, the Honorary Award, was presented to one of the most
internationally acclaimed Cambodian filmmakers today, Rithy Panh. The award was presented
by Sebastian Tan, Chairperson, SGIFF, and Pimpaka Towira, Programme Director, SGIFF; in
recognition of his prolific cinematic works as well as his dedication towards
preserving Cambodia's film, photographic, and audio history through his cinematic and social
projects over the past three decades.
Cinema Legend Award recipient Joan Chen
Joan Chen was presented with the
Cinema Legend Award for her dedication to the entertainment industry, and her inspiring
contribution to cinema, having starred in over 40 film and television roles.
The Inspiring Woman in Film Award was awarded to celebrated Chinese actress, Luna Kwok.
The award presented in partnership with Swarovski honours outstanding women in film. A director-turned-actress, Luna Kwok was recognised for her outstanding performance and for her
non-conforming approach in her choice of acting roles, choosing the most challenging roles over
merely glamourous ones. She played a leading role in Yeo Siew
Hua’s A Land Imagined and won the Boccalino d’Oro Prize for Best Actress at the Locarno Festival.
The Young Critic Award was
presented to Ryan Lim from Nanyang Technological University. Never Been Kissed by Dao Thi Minh
Trang was awarded the Most Promising Project of the Southeast Asian Film Lab.
