The 36th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), which has broken ticket sales records, opened at Marina Bay Sands on Nov 26 with the Singapore premiere of Girl, the directorial debut of Taiwanese star Shu Qi.
The opening night red carpet at Sands Theatre featured Shu Qi and her stars from Girl, lead actress Bai Xiao-ying and actress-singer 9m88, who are Taiwanese.
They were joined by festival ambassador and Singaporean actress-host Rebecca Lim and guest of honour, Josephine Teo, Singapore Minister for Digital Development and Information, who officially opened the festival.
Other attendees from Singapore’s media industry included actors Chin Han, Tan Kheng Hua, Lim Kay Tong, Hong Huifang, Jack Neo, Qi Yuwu, Yvonne Lim, Tay Ping Hui, Jeanette Aw, Lim Yu-Beng, Irene Ang, Nathan Hartono and Benjamin Kheng, according to a statement from SGIFF.
Mediacorp artiste Rebecca Lim, a second-time ambassador, was “thrilled” that the festival is here again. “I am so excited about the line-up that we have this year,” she said.
Several screenings sold out quickly, including that of the drama Silent Friend, featuring Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu Wai. His In Conversation With Tony Leung dialogue session sold out within 10 minutes of release, according to SGIFF.
Singapore films, including the drama The Old Man And His Car and mockumentary Sandbox, sold out within a single day. All titles with Shu Qi’s involvement, including the coming-of-age drama Girl and science-fiction drama Resurrection, in which she stars, have sold out.
Girl is set in 1980s Taipei and follows Hsiao-lee (Bai Xiao-ying), a withdrawn 10-year-old with a difficult home life. She encounters the cheerful transfer student Li-li (Lin Pin-tung), whose influence alters the course of Hsiao-lee’s life.
Shu Qi has more than 90 acting credits, including three collaborations with Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien: The Assassin (2015), Millennium Mambo (2001) and Three Times (2005). As an actress, she has won two Golden Horse Awards and three Hong Kong Film Awards.
Girl premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the top prize of the Golden Lion.
Japanese films also sold quickly, with dramas Kokuho, Two Seasons Two Strangers and the drama-comedy Bring Me Down To Portable Size among the fastest-selling international titles.
As at Nov 26, the festival has recorded 33 sold-out screenings, four times the number from 2024 at the same point. Ticket sales have increased 52 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
Jeremy Chua, general manager of SGIFF, called the audience response in 2025 “truly overwhelming”.
“The energy we’ve seen from audiences emphasises the value of the collective experience of film. It has been a challenging year for the cinema landscape in Singapore, but what we are witnessing through SGIFF is proof that there is demand for cinema.
“This signals not only SGIFF’s growing stature as a cultural touchstone, but also a renewed appetite for the collective experience of film,” he said in the statement.
Festival organisers said the event is on track to achieve the highest box-office sales in the festival’s 36-year history. However, final figures will be available only after the festival concludes on Dec 7.
The 2025 edition features over 120 films from more than 45 countries and territories, including over 30 made-in-Singapore productions and co-productions.
The festival includes an In Conversation With series featuring Indian-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, recipient of the 2025 Cinema Honorary Award; South Korean Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, recipient of the Screen Icon Award; and Hollywood-based Singaporean actor Chin Han.
SGIFF is part of the Singapore Media Festival 2025 hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
