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Singapore International Film Festival 2026 Opens with Strong Ticket Sales and 21 Sold-Out Sessions

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The 37th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) opened at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, with The Assassin(s), as strong ticket sales saw 21 sessions sell out within three weeks of public sales. The festival runs until 1 November 2026.

Cameras flashed and fans cheered as acclaimed international celebrities and filmmakers including The Assassin(s) director Hur Jin-ho, global icon Aamir Khan, and filmmaker Peter Chan joined Mediacorp Artiste and Festival Ambassador Rebecca Lim on the red carpet, alongside Singapore’s loved screen talents and filmmakers including Tan Kheng Hua, Rishi Budhrani, Benjamin Kheng, Nelson Yeo, and Ang Geck Geck, among others.

“The magic of opening night at SGIFF never gets old. This year’s line-up is bold, engaging and has something for everyone, but what makes SGIFF special is the chance to sit in the same room as the biggest names in cinema and hear their stories first-hand. With the line-up and sessions planned this year, audiences are truly in for something unforgettable,” said Boo Junfeng, Chairperson, SGIFF.

Audience Appetite Stays Strong for the 37th edition
Following a record-breaking 2025, SGIFF’s box-office takings are ahead of last year, with ticket sales volumes continuing to show growth momentum. Twenty-one sessions have sold out, including two screenings each of All of a Sudden, Possible Love, Minotaur and La Bola Negra.

Look Back sold out within a single day of public sales, while additional seats released for La Bola Negra were snapped up in 15 minutes.

Demand also extends to the festival’s conversations with filmmakers and actors. Two talks — In Conversation With Hirokazu Koreeda, recipient of this year’s Cinema Honorary Award, and In Conversation with Aamir Khan, this year’s Screen Icon Award recipient — are both sold out.

Singapore Cinema Takes a Bow at Home
The festival features more than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions this year, including films recognised at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice and Annecy film festivals.

Among the standouts is Ah Girl, whose 30 October screening has already sold out. Nelson Yeo’s The House on the Moon, which premiered in the main competition at Locarno Film Festival, opens the Foreground section with its Singapore premiere on 24 October.

Local short films are also drawing audiences, with two of the three Singapore Panorama short film programmes already sold out

Ah Girl, 9 Temples to Heaven, The Burning Giants and Four Seasons in Java are also competing in the festival’s Asian Feature Film Competition.

“The response after a record-breaking year shows that audiences’ appetite for cinema remains strong and is here to stay. Asian stories are reaching audiences around the world, and it is encouraging to see that unwavering support here  at home, too. This year, we are giving everyone more ways to experience the festival, from live performances and talks on immersive technology to programmes for our youngest audiences. The return of the SGIFF Film Fund also allows us to extend our support for filmmakers beyond the festival,” said Jeremy Chua, Executive Director of SGIFF.

SGIFF 2026: What not to miss

The festival, supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), continues through 1 November, with highlights including:

  • Aamir Khan in Singapore: Screen Icon Award recipient Aamir Khan joins filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker for a Special Presentation and 25th anniversary screening of Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India on 23 October at GV VivoCity.

  • Undercurrent: Three live performances and 7 screenings blend moving images with other art forms, taking the festival experience beyond conventional screenings.

  • Junior Explorers: Children and families can discover cinema together through selected relaxed screenings and post-screening activities.

  • Parallax: A free series of talks and demonstrations explores the intersection of filmmaking and immersive technology.

  • A Grand Finale with Vintage Violence: SGIFF presents its first dedicated Festival Closing since 2014 with the Asian premiere of Vintage Violence on 1 November at Capitol Theatre. Director Eugene Kotlyarenko and stars Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara will attend the premiere. They will also take part in an In Conversation With on 31 October at 11am at the National Museum of Singapore.

As SGIFF 2026 unfolds, it continues to affirm the power of film to bring people together. From sold-out sessions to intimate encounters with some of cinema’s most celebrated names, this year’s festival celebrates the very best of contemporary Asian cinema, and the audiences who keep coming back to it.