Seven Malaysian titles spice up Singapore film fest

THE 28th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) 2017 is just around the corner, and the diverse line-up includes seven Malaysian titles.

Hot on the heels of nabbing two nominations at the 54th Taipei Golden Horse Awards, Malaysian filmmaker Tan Seng Kiat’s debut feature, Shuttle Life, is set to compete under the Asian Feature Film Competition category at the Silver Screen Awards.

Shuttle Life will be previewed by an international jury and screened to the public throughout the festival period, before the Silver Screen Awards is held on Dec 2 at the Grand Theatre of Marina Bay Sands.

The hard-hitting social drama stars local pop singer and actor Jack Tan, alongside Taiwanese actress-director Sylvia Chang, and centres around a young man who faces the destruction of the family he struggles to support.

Another Malaysian film that has been selected to show at the SGIFF 2017 is Aqerat by Edmund Yeo, which stars Daphne Low and Hon Ka Hoe.

Film festival-goers can also expect to see cross-country collaborations for films, such as The White Girl, which was co-directed by Jenny Suen and Christopher Doyle, involving collaborations with Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan.

Another one would be Mouly Surya’s Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, which involved collaborations across Indonesia, France, Malaysia and Thailand.

A movie by Liew Seng Tat, Flower In The Pocket, which premiered 10 years ago, will also be screened at the festival.

Two Malaysian films will be featured in the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, such as Kampung Tapir by Aw See Wee and Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu by Amanda Nell Eu.

Speaking more on the line-up, SGIFF programme director Pimpaka Towira said: “The demand for quality content has never been greater today.

“In the past one year, we have witnessed bold experimentation from film auteurs to showcase diversity in storylines, genres and styles as they push the envelope in filmmaking.

“This year’s festival line-up provides an insight into the talent that permeates the region and showcases the promise of the industry here in Asia.”

SGIFF 2017 is set to run from Nov 23 to Dec 3 across venues in Singapore, such as Marina Bay Sands, the National Gallery Singapore, National Museum of Singapore and Shaw Theatres Lido. For more information on ticketing, visit sgiff.com. By Syahirah Mokhtazar