Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai is the latest addition to the star-studded lineup gracing the 36th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Singapore’s largest film event.
Leung will take part in a dialogue on Nov 28, and attend a screening of his latest film, Silent Friend, on Nov 29. The 63-year-old actor will be joined by Silent Friend’s Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi.
Silent Friend is an German-French-Hungarian film that explores three characters in the same German university across three epochs, in their quest for connection with nature and the people around them.
Leung plays a brilliant Hong Kong neurologist in the present, whose research on infant brainwaves is halted due to the Covid-19 lockdown. He then begins an experiment with a majestic gingko tree.
The film, which also stars French actress Lea Seydoux and Swiss actress Luna Wedler, premiered at the 82nd Venice Film Festival on Sept 5 to critical acclaim. Enyedi, 69, went on to win the FIPRESCI prize, a prestigious industry award at the festival.
Leung will also speak to fans at dialogue session In Conversation With Tony Leung, moderated by Mediacorp actress and returning festival ambassador Rebecca Lim at Marina Bay Sands’ Hibiscus Ballroom.
Tickets to the session, which will be conducted in English and Cantonese with English interpretation, will go on sale on Nov 10, 12pm, via the Sistic website.
SGIFF will feature 120 films from more than 45 countries and runs from Nov 26 to Dec 7, with Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Shu Qi gracing the red carpet on the opening night. Her directorial debut Girl will also screen for the first time in Singapore.
Other celebrities attending the festival include veteran South Korean actress and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung and Oscar-nominated Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta.
Schedules and ticketing information are available on sgiff.com. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
