The 28th SGIFF commencing from November 2017, will present to the audience a plethora of movies from round the world. The routine has been prepared and the list of movies to be screened at the SGIFF will soon be out.
Winter signals the much awaited approach of the season of film fests. With the Toronto International Film Festival kick starting the much awaited phase for cinema lovers round the world, Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is not far behind in the race.
The Singapore International Film Festival founded in 1987 renders a global platform to not only Singaporean cinema but world cinema as well. An iconic event in Singapore arts calendar, the SGIFF focuses on innovative world and Asian cinema, reaching out to over 100,000 participants over an 11 day period.
Among the abundant brilliant movies waiting to be screened this year, here's an overview of the 10 best movies, screened in the past at SGIFF.
All We Had
Katie Holmes's directorial debut is an intimate and appealing coming-of-age story of a struggling mother and daughter pair. The film surfaces around the 2008 financial disaster that took America and the world economy by storm. Starring Katie Holmes and Stefanie Owen in the lead, the film, adapted from a novel by Annie Weatherwax illustrates beautifully the tale of Rita the single mother and Ruthie, her 14 year old daughter.
Their lives are anything but sturdy in between stealing from liquor stores, alcohol addiction and bad boyfriends. Life takes an u-turn for the mother-daughter duo when their disjointed car finally dies in front of a diner they had stolen food from. Their feud against finding a new home and aspiration in a small Midwestern town amid the financial mayhem is worth a watch.
Ariel & Olivia
A beautiful feature film on a getaway to Johor Bahru, parades the voyage of two best friends Ariel and Olivia. However, things take a completely different twirl when Jiawei, Olivia's boyfriend, decides to be a part of the journey. With Ariel's cousin Bob, tagging along with the trio, there is a hurly-burly of emotions.
Two time NETPAC award winning director Kan Lume subtly presents a period of transition and uncertainty that grabs hold of teenage lives. Insecurities surrounding teenage flames, love, relationships and desires, all taking place over one weekend, has been brought alive in Ariel and Olivia. Starring Koh Jiaying as Ariel, Mae Chu as Olivia and Sean Lee as Jiawei , Singapore's most prolific independent filmmaker, Kan Lume's presence alone is gripping.
Art through our eyes
The film, commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore is inspired by the Gallery's collection of Southeast Asian art. Five award winning directors, for the first time comes together to create this masterpiece. Joko Anwar, Ho Yuhang, Brillante Mendoza, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Eric Khoo have five variants of their experiences and interpretations of the 19th and 20th century art collections.
The realistic drama has a melancholic note to it. It is a Western-style noir, retro comedy, shadow play and a silent film. It was premiered at the 21st Busan International Film Festival this year.
An
The Japanese movie takes its prompt from its English translation "sweet red bean paste", the filling used in Doriyaki, a Japanese pancake. The melodrama whirls around Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase fromMystery Trainand The Hidden Blade), an isolated Doriyaki chef and his confrontation with Tokue, whom he hires as his assistant. She teaches Sentaro, her own recipe for the Doriyaki and in the process the two come closer, leading to the emergence of a strong bond. Their relationship meets with complications and contradictions.
Directed by Naomi Kawase, a well acclaimed documentary maker, "An" is based on Durian Sukegawa's novel, and has been shot in Tokyo, instead of her hometown in Nara. It has been hugely lauded worldwide after its premiere in Cannes.
All these sleepless nights
Director Michał Marczak's take on post-war Warsaw children is a mélange of documentary and fiction. Krzysztof and Michal, are least concerned with the curious situations surrounding them and the world after the destructive wars. Late night musings, endless musics and cigarettes, is what makes them hooked on to life and one another. However things turn topsy turvy when Michal's ex girlfriend Eva comes to their life. A lyrical take on Poland in the early 20s, having a sepia touch seems mesmerizing already.
Bangkok Nites
Katsuya Tomita's tale about Luck, an escort in Bangkok and Ozawa, the director himself, is a sing-song film on two individuals deeply in love with one another. Shot from Bangkok to Northern Thailand and Laos, this authentic take on the realities of life unveils the great dilemma we all live in. The film stars Subenja Pongkorn, Sunun Phuwiset, Chutlpha Promplang, Tanyarat Kongphu, and Sarinya Yongsawat.
Dearest Sister
This one is a call to all the horror movie lovers out there. Director Mattie Do presents the narrative about Nok, who moves to Vientiane, to take care of her cousin Ana, suffering from a strange disease. Strange events unfold while Nok's stay at the house when she discovers Ana's ability to talk to the dead. Starring Amphaiphun Phommapunya, Vilouna Phetmany, and Tambet Tuisk, the movie focuses on Laotian folklore, seen through female centric lens.
Dumplings
Fruit Chan's "Dumplings" starring Miriam Yeung, Bai Ling, Tony Leung Ka-Wai, portrays Mrs.Lee's quest for youth and beauty, with an ardent desire of having children. She visits chef Mei, whose dumplings work wonders on gradual ageing, keeping one's youth intact. However her dumplings have a hideous secret and the price she needs to pay for them is terrible enough. Another from the horror genre is set to tickle your skin.
Dark Skull
Bolivian director Kiro Russo's neo-realistic film, starring Julio Cesar Ticona, Narciso Choquecallata, and Anastasia Daza Lopez revolves around the life of a drug and alcohol addicted teen Mamami also involved in petty crimes. Mamami replaces his father's position in the mine after his demise. Things take a drastic turn when he discovers a dark secret related to his father's death down in the same mine.
Big Big World
Turkish director Reha Erdem, brings to the audience, the indestructible bond between orphaned siblings and how a secured refuge is necessary for their survival. Ali and Zuhal are detached after Zuhal is adopted by a foster family and Ali moves out of the orphanage. However, Zuhal's stepdad has doubtful motives, thus forcing Ali to commit a serious crime.The darkness of the materialistic world will surely grab the viewer's attention.
With such promising movies screened in the past, cinema lovers round the world are surely having a hard time, waiting for the 2017 Singapore Film Festival.
