Singapore International Film Festival Returns with Global Stars and More Local Cinema

The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) will return for its 37th edition from 21 October to 1 November 2026, bringing international filmmakers, screen icons and a growing slate of Singaporean productions to audiences across the city.

Supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), this year’s festival will open with South Korean thriller The Assassin(s), starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. Director Hur Jin-ho and supporting cast members Shim Eun-kyung and Park Sung-hoon will attend the festival opening.

SGIFF will also welcome several established names from international cinema. Aamir Khan will receive the festival’s Screen Icon Award and attend a Special Presentation and 25th anniversary screening of Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India with filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the Cinema Honorary Award, while his film Look Back will be screened as part of the festival programme.

The festival’s “In Conversation With” series will feature South Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung, Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong. Wong will take part in a post screening dialogue following a screening of My Name Ain’t Suzie, marking his first acting role.

Other filmmakers taking part include Yim-Soon Rye, Jury Head for the Asian Feature Film Competition, Japanese director Koji Fukada, cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, cinematographer Tom Harari and director Jacob Cheung.

While international cinema remains a key part of SGIFF, the 2026 edition will also highlight the growing presence of Singaporean filmmakers and productions on the global festival circuit. More than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions that have received recognition at festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice and Melbourne will be featured across the festival.

Among them is Ah Girl, directed by Ang Geck Geck and starring nine-year-old Ong Xuan Jing, who won Best Actress at the Hong Kong International Film Festival’s Young Cinema Competition. Ang also received the Youth Jury Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam, with the film subsequently travelling to festivals in Toronto and Melbourne.

Nelson Yeo’s The House on the Moon, which received development support in part through IMDA’s Virtual Production Innovation Fund, premiered in the main competition at the Locarno Film Festival.

Tan Si En of Momo Film Co. co-produced Nagi Notes, directed by Koji Fukada, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Daniel Hui edited two Singapore linked co-productions, Sleep No More, directed by Edwin, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, and The Burning Giants, directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, which premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival.

Anthony Chen of Giraffe Pictures co-produced Four Seasons in Java, directed by Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini, while Lai Weijie of E&W Films co-produced 9 Temples to Heaven, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes.

Ah Girl, 9 Temples to Heaven, The Burning Giants and Four Seasons in Java will also compete in SGIFF’s Asian Feature Film Competition, which showcases new cinematic voices from across Asia.

Singapore’s animation scene will also feature prominently in the short film programmes. The Southeast Asian Short Film Competition will include Singapore God by EXYL, RIP ME, LOL by Calleen Koh and A Tree by Mark Wee. Singapore Panorama will feature Everything’s Peachy by Nah Yee Chern and Kiss Me Climax by Shara Tay.

The SGIFF Film Fund will also return after a short hiatus. The Tan Ean Kiam Foundation will support both the Southeast Asian Short Film Grant and Southeast Asian Documentary Grant under the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation SGIFF banner, known as SEA SHORTS and SEA DOC.

SEA SHORTS has supported emerging Southeast Asian filmmakers since 2018, with previous recipients going on to screen at Cannes programmes including Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week. SEA DOC will focus on feature documentaries in late editing or finishing stages, particularly projects addressing sociopolitical issues and presenting a clear social impact plan.

Applications for both grants will open from 5 November to 5 December 2026.

The festival will also introduce new ways for audiences to experience cinema. Its first Junior Explorers section will feature relaxed, sensory friendly screenings for younger audiences, opening with the award-winning stop motion animation Brave Cat.

The Undercurrent section will present three live performances at Esplanade Annexe Studio, combining moving images with other art forms. These include Taiwanese puppetry in Corporeal Forms: Four Stories, live video gaming in The Compression Zone, and analogue film techniques and music performance in Imagination + The Rest Is My Ghost.

SGIFF Pro, the festival’s industry and talent development programme, will also expand with three new components. Parallax will feature talks and demonstrations exploring filmmaking and immersive technology and will be free for the public. Off Campus will connect students with the film industry, while Pitching Forum will provide a platform for Singaporean and international co-production.

Early bird presale for SGIFF 2026 begins on 25 September at 12pm, with general ticket sales opening on 28 September at 12pm.

Singaporeans can also use their SG Culture Pass credits for eligible local film programmes at SGIFF 2026 during the general ticket sales period. Further details will be announced through the SGIFF and SG Culture Pass websites.

The 37th Singapore International Film Festival will take place from 21 October to 1 November 2026, bringing together international cinema, emerging filmmakers and Singapore’s increasingly visible presence on the global film stage.