Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), one of Singapore’s landmark film festivals, will kick off its 27th edition on November 23, 2016 to showcase and promote local and emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia.This year, the event will spotlight three Singaporean filmmakers: K. Rajagopal, whose first feature film “Yellow Bird” has been shortlisted as one of the competition films in the Silver Screen Awards; the late independent filmmaker Abdul Nizam, who will be commemorated through a screening of 12 of his works; and SGIFF will also greet an up-and-coming talent, having commissioned a short film by Gladys Ng, which will have its world premiere at the festival’s opening.Festival-goers and international film critics will assemble across Singapore for the Festival, which will take place at venues including the city’s landmark building Marina Bay Sands, National Museum of Singapore Gallery Theatre, Shaw Theaters Lido, and National Gallery Singapore's auditorium, among others.K. Rajagopal’s “Yellow Bird” will be competing with nine other Asian feature films for the Silver Screen Awards. Co-produced between Singapore and France, the film made its world premiere this year during the International Critics’ Week, which coincided with the 69th Cannes Film Festival. “Yellow Bird” tells a “Taken”-like tale of a Singaporean ex-convict who returns to his mother only to discover that his ex-wife and daughter have vanished. Featuring Singaporean actor Sivakumar Palakrishnan, Chinese independent film star Huang Lu, and Bollywood actress Seema Biswas, the film will be released in local cinemas on December 8, 2016. SGIFF Programme Director Zhang Wenjie described the feature film as “one of the most visceral and powerful Singaporean feature films I have seen.”SGIFF will also celebrate the legacy of the late Abdul Nizam for his role as a catalyst in reviving Singaporean cinema in the late 90s. The renowned director is remembered for “Haura,” which was part of Singapore’s unprecedented digital-video feature film “Stories About Love” in 2000. He was also awarded Best Singapore Film for his graduate work “Datura” at SGIFF in 1999. All of these signature films will be screened during the Festival, along with other distinctive movies including “Keronchong for Pak Bakar” (2008) and “Breaking the Ice” (2014).Visitors will also be introduced to an emerging filmmaker as part of SGIFF’s new initiative to incubate up-and-coming talents. The festival has commissioned a short film by Singaporean filmmaker Gladys Ng, who was last year’s SGIFF winner for Best Singapore Short Film. Ng will inaugurate this new initiative by showcasing “The Pursuit of a Happy Human Life,” scheduled to be screened at the festival’s launch on November 23.The 27th Singapore International Film Festival will run from November 23 through December 4, 2016 at venues across Singapore.
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