The Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) turns 21 and its coming of age promises another year of award-winning films, workshops and other related activities. Audiences can expect a wide genre of films, ranging from Arabic movies, Vietnamese cinema and award-winning documentaries. The Norwegian critically acclaimed film "The Art of Thinking Negative" is to be shown during the festival.
18/03/2008 :: Leading the festival, there is the critically-acclaimed "Tuya's Marriage" (Winner of the Golden Bear 2007) as well as fresh local films, such as Kan Lume's new film “Dreams From the Third World” and “Lucky7”, an anthology of seven Singapore directors to look out for. The Secret Life of Arabia makes a comeback with heart-wrenching stories of truth, grit and takes us deeper into the culture of South-west Asia otherwise known as the Middle East.
The popular Seeing Music, Hearing Films segment returns with the Singapore premiere of Todd Haynes' highly anticipated "I'm Not There", featuring a stellar cast including Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere, the actors portraying the life and times of Bob Dylan in this unconventional, breathtaking film.
Another must-see is the acclaimed documentary about the life and times of renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz ("Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens") directed by her sister Barbara, giving the
viewer a deeper insight into the woman who has produced some of the most iconic images of the last 30 years. Special mention must also be made of documentaries by other female directors such as The Truth Be Told (director :Pimpaka Towira). These women battle the insurmountable to bring us true stories of hope and intergrity.
As always, the Silver Screen Awards returns with prizes awarded for the Best Asian films, Singapore shorts, and the best actor/actress categories. Special guests this year include Dustin Nguyen (US), Wayne Wang (US), Wu Tianming (China) and Nicholas Saputra (Indonesia).
This year's event will run from March 28 (Free Programme begins March 28 – April 3) to April 14 and will showcase over 200 films from 40 countries.
For more information contact:
Jean Chua
Publicity Manager
Singapore International Film Festival 2008
Tel: 65-67387567