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AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Makbul MUBARAK / Courtesy of SGIFF

SINGAPORE (December 5, 2022) — The 33rd Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) drew to a close on Sunday night after 11 days of film screenings and off-screen programmes that celebrated and showcased the best of independent cinema from across the region. More than 100 film titles from 55 countries were screened across 6 theatres, including a special Double-Bill Fundraiser with a screening of Singapore Panorama feature film ‘Baby Queen’ followed by a live performance by protagonist Opera Tang and her fellow Queens.

● Over 8,000 tickets were issued across 82 film screenings and VR sessions

• Silver Screen Awards, the prestigious regional ceremony’s 31st edition saw 14 prizes being given out, with Audience Choice Award being awarded to How to Save a Dead Friend by Marusya SYROECHKOVSKAYA
• Applications for SGIFF Film Fund open on 7 December, and aims to support 8 projects with the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation-SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary (SEA-DOC) Grant and the SGIFF Southeast Asian – Short Film (SEA-SHORTS) Grant

“This year marked the full return of the Singapore International Film Festival and it was my privilege to be a part of an event that brought the film community together,” says Emily J. HOE, Executive Director, SGIFF. “The need to showcase the diversity and richness of Asian storytelling to the world remains essential, and this year’s success would not have been possible without the dedication and tireless commitment of our wonderful team and volunteers as well as the never-ending support and camaraderie from the film community. I am delighted that this year’s festival was a colourful and enriching one and it is my hope that SGIFF continues to foster a deeper appreciation for cinema in Singapore while growing awareness for stories and experiences from all over the world.”

In a festival first, SGIFF opened with a Central Asian film, Assault by Kazakh director Adilkhan YERZHANOV, a testament to the festival’s dedication to showcasing remarkable films from the wider Asian region. The festival also saw an exceptional line-up of filmmakers and industry heavyweights participating in physical Q&A sessions and the Festival’s Forum programme, where the filmmaking community and the public interacted through a series of fascinating talks and discussions. Industry names such as Lav Diaz, award-winning Filipino auteur; Dennis LIM, Artistic Director of New York Film Festival; NAM Dong Chul, Program Director of Busan International Film Festival; and Elise JALLADEAU, General Director of Thessaloniki Film Festival, offered expert insights into the creative process and developments in cinema culture.

2022 Singapore International Film Festival winners

2022 Silver Screen Awards

This year, a total of 14 awards were presented across six categories: Asian Feature Film Competition, Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, Southeast Asian Film Lab, Youth Critics Programme, Audience Choice Award, and the Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema Award. This year’s ceremony was held at Hard Rock Cafe, with notable filmmakers in attendance including winners Laha MEBOW (Gaga) and Sorayos PRAPAPAN (Arnold is a Model Student).

The much-anticipated Audience Choice Award was presented to How to Save a Dead Friend by Russian director Marusya SYROECHKOVSKAYA, a coming-of-age story about two kindred spirits who find solace in each other amidst an alienating existence where hope at time feels out of reach as despair threatens to overwhelm. Against the backdrop of autocratic Russia and alienating social conditions, the documentary recounts their joys and struggles with bracing honesty and emotional intensity, through the careful editing of home videos and street footage.

The Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema Award went to In-Docs, a pioneering organisation that continues to platform the regional exchange of ideas and mutual support amongst a stalwart of Southeast Asia’s filmmaking communities – documentary filmmakers. Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, SGIFF wanted to recognise In-Docs’ considerable dedication to championing the region’s tireless spirit of documentary filmmaking.

Asian Feature Film Competition

Best Asian Feature Film

AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Makbul MUBARAK
The Best Film Award goes to a film that impressed with its control and clarity of vision. Autobiography is a vivid character study, a powerful allegory of national trauma, an urgent dissection of the fascist mindset and how it persists.

Best Director

Laha Mebow for GAGA
Best Director goes to a filmmaker who has made a drama of great warmth and sensitivity. Laha Mebow brings to life a world they know well and beautifully guides an ensemble cast of non-professional actors.

Best Performance

Zukhara Sansyzbay for CONVENIENCE STORE
The Best Performance goes to Zukhara Sansyzbay who brings restraint and enormous power to a character of great resilience and complexity.

Special Mention Award

ARNOLD IS A MODEL STUDENT by Sorayos PRAPAPAN
Arnold is a Model Student is a film that brings a fresh and unusual tone to political subject matter, approaching the theme of authoritarianism with wit and irreverence.

Southeast Asian Short Film Competition

Best Southeast Asian Short Film

VANIA ON LIMA STREET by Bayu Prihantoro Filemon
Vania on Lima Street broaches an important part of a country’s dark history in a powerful yet subtle way. By offering kindness and empathy, it suggests healing of social trauma through intergenerational hope.

Best Singapore Short Film

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES by Alvin Lee
Relevant and humorous, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes manages to explore how grief works, whether performative or real in a profound way.

Best Director

Le Lam Vien for FIX ANYTHING
A finesse of the craft and the mise-en-scene are clearly displayed in this stylish and chaotic adventure with a signature style of an exciting future blockbuster film director, Le Lam Vien.

Best Performance

Bopha Oul, female lead in FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY By Cambodian filmmaker, Polen Ly
Bopha Oul expressed the authenticity and strength in the face of unending uncertainty through her moving and intimate portrayal of a young woman in Further and Further Away, torn between memories of her past and the prospect of moving to the big city in search of a different future.

Special Mention Award

DIKIT by Gabirela Serrano
A film with sure-handed direction; Dikit was presented the Special Mention Award for its use of film form effectively to tell a feminist horror story in the manner of alluring female Southeast Asian monsters.

Southeast Asian Film Lab

Most Promising Project

Giovanni Rustanto for A BALLAD OF LONG HAIR
For a story that magically weaves together music, fantasy, youth resistance and politics, Giovanni’s storytelling displays sheer originality.

Fellowship Prize

• Gabriela Serrano for PLEASE BEAR FOR ME
• Rein Maychaelson for THE BURNING LAND

Special Mention Award

Gladys NG for EVERY MALL BURNS THE SAME
Gladys’ unique voice is distinct in previous works and the festival believes in the playful, poetic universe she can create in a feature project.

Youth Critics Programme

Youth Critic Award

Benjamin YAP Kee Siang
The winning essay this year is a beautiful and insightful exploration of disability in cinema. It responds to the empathetic treatment of deafness in Sho Miyake’s SMALL, SLOW, BUT STEADY. At the same time, it also critically points out that the film’s use of intertitles is often jarring and abrupt, exposing cinema’s fundamentally uncomfortable relationship with what is usually thought of as different, or “abnormal”, experiences of sight and sound.

The winning films for Audience Choice Award, Best Singapore Short Film, Best Asian Feature Film and Best Southeast Asian Short Film will be re-screened on 10th December, from 4.30pm onwards at Projector X: Picturehouse to mark the finale of the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival.

“There is an enormous pool of film talent in the region that deserve to have their works screened or be part of the festival’s capability development and networking programmes. Our role has always been important in galvanising the pipeline of new talent and supporting them on their cinematic storytelling journey. Likewise, the annual Silver Screen Awards honour the exceptional contribution of filmmakers who have helped shape regional cinema, and celebrate their achievements as they continue to illuminate and bring thought-provoking stories to life. Huge congratulations to all award winners and we hope to continue providing a safe and nurturing space for all filmmakers in the region to grow and shine on the international stage,” shared Thong Kay Wee, Programme Director, SGIFF.

SGIFF Film Fund 2023

Dedicated to supporting filmmakers with compelling stories to tell, SGIFF Film Fund offers two film grants for Southeast Asian film projects. Supported by C47 Investment and White Light Post, the SGIFF Southeast Asian – Short Film Grant (SEA-SHORTS) aims to fund the brightest upcoming names in filmmaking with four grants available. Each recipient will receive a cash amount of S$4,000 and post-production support worth S$4,000. The grant is open to all genres including drama, animation, and experimental short films.

The Tan Ean Kiam Foundation – SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary (SEA-DOC) Grant is awarded to four mid-length or feature projects annually, and champions important and compelling stories told through the art of documentary filmmaking in the region. The grant has been made possible by the support of the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation since 2018. For the first time this year, the grant is awarded to three production projects, with special consideration to fund an additional project in this category, with each recipient receiving S$30,000 in cash. One post-production project will also be awarded S$20,000 in cash.

“We appreciate the relentless pursuit of documentary filmmakers throughout the pandemic, telling stories from the region that illuminates, resonates and inspires local audiences. As they return in full force in this post-pandemic era, we have increased funding towards production projects, in a bid to elevate support for these filmmakers in capturing narratives unique to the region. We remain committed to assisting them in bringing their films to the big screen, driving necessary conversations while making positive impacts,” said TAN Keng Leck, Vice Chairman of the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation.

The 33rd edition of SGIFF includes selections from past Film Fund recipients: Further and Further Away by Polen LY (SEA-SHORTS 2020) and Divine Factory by Joseph MANGAT (Tan Ean Kiam Foundation – SEA-DOC Grant, Post-Production 2021). Applications for the annual film fund open on 7 December 2022 and close 31 January 2023. More information on submission guidelines can be found at SGIFF.com.

SGIFF is an event of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), hosted by Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).

About SGIFF

Founded in 1987, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is the largest and longestrunning film event in Singapore. It has become an iconic event in the local arts calendar that is widely attended by international film critics; and known for its dynamic programming and focus on ground-breaking Asian cinema for Singapore and the region. Committed to nurturing and championing local and regional talent, its competition component, the Silver Screen Awards, brings together emerging filmmakers from Asia and Southeast Asia while paying tribute to acclaimed cinema legends.

With its mentorship programmes, masterclasses and dialogues with attending filmmakers, the Festival also serves as a catalyst for igniting public interest, artistic dialogue, and culture exchanges in the art of filming. The SGIFF is organised by the Singapore International Film Festival Ltd, a non-profit organisation with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status.

For more information, visit SGIFF.com.

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