SGIFF 2025 draws to a close with 44 sold-out screenings and 33% increase in tickets sold

The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), part of the Singapore Media Festival 2025 hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), closed its 36th edition on a historic high on 7 December, setting a new festival record with 44 sold-out screenings. For the third consecutive year, SGIFF achieved a new box office record, with ticket sales rising 33% from 2024. This year, the festival also saw its strongest turnout with a 28.7% increase in participation compared to last year, marking the festival’s strongest … Continue reading SGIFF 2025 draws to a close with 44 sold-out screenings and 33% increase in tickets sold

SGIFF 2025: SGIFilmFeud and #SaveOurCinemas bring up urgent conversation on the state and future of cinema

In the era of the streaming wars and the grief from closure of major cinemas, this year’s Singapore International Film Festival raised the pertinent question of the now and future state of communal film culture in Singapore across two panel discussions. Though framed differently, one gamified and playful, the other urgent and elegiac, SGIFilmFeud and #SaveOurCinemas, converged and circled the anxieties, structural challenges, and diminishing … Continue reading SGIFF 2025: SGIFilmFeud and #SaveOurCinemas bring up urgent conversation on the state and future of cinema

SGIFF announces winners of the 2025 Silver Screen Awards, honouring excellence across Asian cinema

In a night shimmering with cinematic daring, the 36th Singapore International Film Festival unveiled the winners of its 2025 Silver Screen Awards, an event that once again affirmed Southeast Asia as one of the world’s most vibrant storytelling regions brimming with potential. First introduced in 1991 as the pioneering international competition devoted to Asian cinema, the Silver Screen Awards have long stood as a beacon … Continue reading SGIFF announces winners of the 2025 Silver Screen Awards, honouring excellence across Asian cinema

SGIFF 2025: An Interview with ‘Silent Friend’ director ldikó Enyedi and star Tony Leung

For Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi, her new work Silent Friend began as an instinct, an idea circling her for decades about how humans seek connection with the natural world. “I wrote this script very instinctively,” she says. “These topics were interesting to me for decades.” The film moves across three vastly different eras—1908, 1972, and 2020—each anchored by a centuries-old ginkgo tree and characters whose … Continue reading SGIFF 2025: An Interview with ‘Silent Friend’ director ldikó Enyedi and star Tony Leung

SGIFF 2025: An Interview with Girl 女孩 director Shu Qi, and stars Bai Xiao-Ying and 9m88

When Girl opened the 2025 Singapore International Film Festival at Marina Bay Sands, the theatre was filled to its edges, with filmmakers, industry regulars, influencers, and longtime fans gathered to witness one of Asia’s most beloved stars step into a bold new role. For Shu Qi, who has spent decades defining onscreen charisma, the packed house represented both the reputation she’d built up over the … Continue reading SGIFF 2025: An Interview with Girl 女孩 director Shu Qi, and stars Bai Xiao-Ying and 9m88

★★★★☆ Film Review: Girl 女孩 dir. Shu Qi

Shu Qi’s directorial debut is deeply personal, and teases out the pain and potential of girlhood in ’80s Taiwan. Adolescence is rarely tidy. It’s unruly, bewildering, and often defined by the kind of pain we only learn how to name years later. In Girl, her semi-autobiographical directorial debut, Taiwanese star Shu Qi turns that ache into cinema. Known primarily for her collaborations with Hou Hsiao-hsien … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: Girl 女孩 dir. Shu Qi

Film: An Interview with SGIFF General Manager Jeremy Chua and Programme Director Thong Kay Wee on the power and future of film

In a cultural landscape obsessed with certainties, guarantees, and KPIs, the Singapore International Film Festival is, in many ways, an act of defiance. Not loud, not rebellious, but simply the act of being utterly committed to the art of cinema and its continuity. As the festival prepares for its 36th edition, running for two weeks from 26th November to 7th December, the people behind it … Continue reading Film: An Interview with SGIFF General Manager Jeremy Chua and Programme Director Thong Kay Wee on the power and future of film

Film Fanatic: Celebrate the magic of French cinema as the French Film Festival returns this November

As November arrives, so does a touch of Parisian sparkle. The 41st vOilah! French Film Festival is returning to Singapore, ready to brighten everyday life with big-screen magic from 13 to 30 November 2025. It’s the perfect excuse to trade familiar routines for a little wonder, a little delight, and a whole lot of French flair. This beloved celebration of cinema feels like an annual … Continue reading Film Fanatic: Celebrate the magic of French cinema as the French Film Festival returns this November

Film Fanatic: SGIFF 2025 to open with Shu Qi directorial debut ‘Girl / 女孩’, reveals full programme

When the lights dim for this edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), the red carpet is set to shimmer with history in the making. Beloved screen icon Shu Qi will step into a new light as her award-winning directorial debut Girl / 女孩 opens the 36th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) on 26 November. Filmmaker Shu Qi, lead actor Bai Xiao-Ying and actor-singer … Continue reading Film Fanatic: SGIFF 2025 to open with Shu Qi directorial debut ‘Girl / 女孩’, reveals full programme

Film Fanatic: SGIFF 2025 set to put the spotlight on Singapore, championing local films in a changing world

For 12 days this November, cinema lovers will once again gather in darkened halls, to watch films together and feel alive in a shared moment of storytelling. The 36th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns from 26th November to 7th December 2025, and this year’s edition promises something special: a powerful, unapologetic spotlight on local Singaporean voices. More than 30 local films, including features, shorts, … Continue reading Film Fanatic: SGIFF 2025 set to put the spotlight on Singapore, championing local films in a changing world