★★★★★ Film Review: Vintage Violence dir. Eugene Kotlyarenko
A gloriously unhinged love letter to cinema, Japanese culture, connection and the internet and a guaranteed cult classic, best enjoyed as a midnight special with company. Duration: 105 minutes There are films that ask you to suspend your disbelief, and then there is Vintage Violence, which asks you to throw it out the window, hand it a livestreaming phone and chase it through Tokyo. Eugene … Continue reading ★★★★★ Film Review: Vintage Violence dir. Eugene Kotlyarenko
★★★★☆ Film Review: We Are Aliens (我々は宇宙人) dir. Kohei Kadowaki
Some friendships last a lifetime, while others leave scars that last just as long in this tender, affecting debut feature. Duration: 117 minutes Kohei Kadowaki’s feature debut is a remarkably assured and deeply affecting work of animation, one that announces an exciting new voice in the medium. It is also the kind of film best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible. What begins … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: We Are Aliens (我々は宇宙人) dir. Kohei Kadowaki
★★★★★ Film Review: Josephine dir. Beth de Araújo
A masterfully crafted reminder that the most terrifying thing about being a parent is knowing that love cannot protect a child from everything. Duration: 121 minutes Some of the most frightening monsters are the ones that exist in the real world, and some of the most devastating horrors are the ones that cannot be undone. Beth de Araújo’s Josephine is a masterful film that understands … Continue reading ★★★★★ Film Review: Josephine dir. Beth de Araújo
★★★☆☆ Film Review: Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut) dir. Edwin
Edwin’s attempt at horror is wonderfully camp and atmospheric, but collapses under a muddled mix of labour satire, uneven narrative and weak worldbuilding. Duration: 96 minutes With Sleep No More, Indonesian director Edwin makes his first foray into horror, following his earlier SGIFF 2021 opening film Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash with another story rooted in social realities. Here, he uses a wig … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Film Review: Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut) dir. Edwin
★★★★☆ Film Review: Four Seasons in Java (Empat Musim Pertiwi) dir. Kamila Andini
Part revenge thriller, part folk horror, Kamila Andini’s newest, ambitious work sees Putri Marino embroiled in a personal battle against her village’s systemic, violent misogyny. Duration: 137 minutes The opening of Kamila Andini’s Four Seasons in Java is deceptively peaceful. Pertiwi (Putri Marino) lies in a field of grass, looking entirely at ease with the world around her, until an elderly man interrupts her solitude … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: Four Seasons in Java (Empat Musim Pertiwi) dir. Kamila Andini
Dongpo – Life in Poems: Director Shen Wei on bringing the famous Chinese poet’s works to life onstage
The acclaimed choreographer talks about the poet, artist and restless traveller who inspired Dongpo: Life in Poems, making its Singapore debut this December. There is a piece of calligraphy written by Shen Wei’s father hanging in the choreographer’s New York apartment. It features the work of Su Dongpo, the legendary Song Dynasty poet who has occupied much of Shen’s thoughts in recent years. The connection … Continue reading Dongpo – Life in Poems: Director Shen Wei on bringing the famous Chinese poet’s works to life onstage
Film: Eugene Kotlyarenko, Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara talk ‘Vintage Violence’ at SGIFF 2026
As the closing film of the 2026 Singapore International Film Festival, Eugene Kotlyarenko’s latest chaotic feature brings together Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara in a delirious exploration of online identity, internet fandom and the strange ways we turn our lives into content. Vintage denim and livestreaming. Japanese genre cinema and American internet culture. Online fandom, urban exploration and organised crime. In the hands of most … Continue reading Film: Eugene Kotlyarenko, Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara talk ‘Vintage Violence’ at SGIFF 2026
★★★★★ Theatre Review: CATS The Musical (2026) by Base Entertainment Asia
An eccentric, otherworldly musical that embraces its own peculiarities, this latest production of CATS is a mesmerising showcase of theatrical imagination, feline physicality and musical grandeur. Duration: 150 minutes, including a 20 minute intermission There is perhaps no other musical quite like Cats. Even by the standards of Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is an unusual beast, with a premise that is difficult to explain, a … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: CATS The Musical (2026) by Base Entertainment Asia
Art: Yoo Hyun Mi – The Blank Puzzle (The Image Yet to Come) at STPI
From floating puzzle pieces to sculptures that look like stone but are made of paper, the Korean artist invites visitors to reconsider the boundaries between image, object and imagination. A jigsaw puzzle is usually an exercise in bringing things together. Each piece has its place, and the satisfaction comes from seeing the fragments resolve into a complete picture. For South Korean artist Yoo Hyun Mi, … Continue reading Art: Yoo Hyun Mi – The Blank Puzzle (The Image Yet to Come) at STPI
Design: Philanthropy that thinks outside the box with Lien Foundation’s ‘Radical Remedies’ first-aid kit
With its 2024/2025 biennial report, Lien Foundation turns a familiar first-aid kit into an unconventional portrait of radical philanthropy. In collaboration with Kinetic Singapore, the project explores how creativity can make difficult social issues more accessible, challenge established ideas of care and inspire new ways of thinking about impact. Annual reports are not usually objects people look forward to opening, let alone keeping within reach. … Continue reading Design: Philanthropy that thinks outside the box with Lien Foundation’s ‘Radical Remedies’ first-aid kit
