Singapore – The 27th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) will open with Interchange, a noir fantasy thriller by one of Malaysia’s most celebrated filmmakers, Dain Iskandar Said. Making its Asian premiere at the SGIFF after successful receptions at Locarno International Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival, the film’s opening will be in November. Interchange brings together Dain Iskandar Said’s love of noir films and his fascination with folklore. An Indonesia-Malaysia collaboration, the film is based on a chain of events triggered by a true incident that took place a century ago, when Norwegian explorer Carl Lumholtz travelled through central Borneo between 1913 and 1917.
This is the third feature of Dain Iskandar Said, after his widely well-received feature five years ago – Bunohan: Return to Murder, which won eight, awards at the 25th Malaysian Film Festival – the second most awarded film on the Malaysian Film Festival of all time. It was also selected as Malaysia’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards.
Sharing his excitement to bring his film to straits shores for its Asian debut after its route in the festival circuit overseas, Dain Iskandar Said said, “It’s exciting to hear and be near the waters closer to home, where after all the story of Interchange took root; shaped by the voices and stories that we all share in the whole of the Nusantara region, from Borneo to Singapore. It is fitting for me to have our Asian Premiere in the Republic, who has had their fair share of great storytellers, talented directors and wonderful world class films. It is indeed high praise and recognition for the Singapore International Film Festival to invite my film Interchange as the opening film to their prestigious festival.”
The 27th edition of SGIFF, which runs from 23 November to 4 December 2016, will take place across various venues, including National Museum of Singapore Gallery Theatre, Shaw Theatres Lido, National Gallery Singapore Auditorium, The Arts House Screening Room, Filmgarde Bugis+ and Objectifs Chapel Gallery.
