Aamir Khan to receive special award at Singapore Film Festival
What's the story
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) will honor Bollywood actor, director, and producer Aamir Khan with its Screen Icon Award at its 37th edition. The award will be presented during a special screening of his iconic film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The festival will kick off with the South Korean thriller The Assassin(s), helmed by Hur Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho.
Festival highlights
Japanese filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu will also be honored
Apart from Khan's honor, SGIFF will also present its Cinema Honorary Award to renowned Japanese filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu. His film Look Back will be screened as part of the program.
The festival aims to showcase some of Asia's most respected talents and significant works, with a focus on new presentation formats and an intuitive ticketing platform, per Variety.
It will run from October 21 to November 1.
Festival details
Notable participants in this year's festival
The SGIFF's "In Conversation With" dialogue series will feature South Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung, filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun, and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong.
Korean New Wave director Yim Soon-rye has been announced as the jury head for the Asian Feature Film Competition.
Other notable participants include Fukada Koji, director of Nagi Notes, cinematographers Ashizawa Akiko and Tom Harari, and director Jacob Cheung.
Festival lineup
Highlights of Singaporean productions showcased at the festival
The festival will showcase more than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions that have received accolades at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice, and Melbourne.
Notable entries include Ah Girl star Ong Xuan Jing, who won Best Actress at the Hong Kong International Film Festival's Young Cinema Competition.
Director Ang Geck Geck bagged the Youth Jury Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam for her work.
Festival innovations
New initiatives introduced at SGIFF this year
The SGIFF Film Fund is making a comeback after a break. The Tan Ean Kiam Foundation will now also support the Southeast Asian Short Film Grant, alongside its existing support for the Southeast Asian Documentary Grant.
New this year are three programs under SGIFF Pro, the festival's industry arm: Parallax (free public program on filmmaking and immersive technology), Off Campus (initiative to connect classroom training with industry exposure), and Pitching Forum (to encourage co-production between Singapore and international partners).