Singapore – The 27th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) will welcome a stellar ensemble of filmmakers and professionals to Singapore to share their expertise and lend clout to the yearly silver screen affair. They will form the jury panel of its much-anticipated Silver Screen Awards at Marina Bay Sands, receive recognition from the SGIFF, and engage festival goers during master classes, forums, talks and In Conversation sessions. The Silver Screen Awards marks the first Asian film competition in the international film festival circuit, and aims to create awareness of the rich filmmaking talents in Asia. The awards include two main categories – Asian Feature Film Competition and Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, and will take place in December 2016 at Marina Bay Sands.

This year, the jury panel of the Asian Feature Film Competition will be led by Japanese director and Cannes Film Festival regular Naomi Kawase, with support from veteran Hong Kong director of the well-received film Ip Man, Herman Yau, Lebanese director and the organiser of the Cultural Resistance International Film Festival, Jocelyne Saab, and versatile Singaporean actor Sunny Pang. They will be judging four categories – Best Film, Best Director, Best Performance and Special Mention. Indonesian director Mira Lesmana who revitalised the country’s film industry in the early 2000s will lead the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition jury panel this year. She will be joined by Programming Director of the Hawaii International Film Festival, Anderson Le and Singapore filmmaker, Bertrand Lee in judging four categories – Best Southeast Asian Short Film, Best Singapore Short Film, Best Director and Special Mention.

The SGIFF will also recognise Hong Kong film director Fruit Chan for his tenacious dedication and passion in portraying Hong Kong and its colloquial culture authentically in his films by presenting him with the Honorary Award this year. The Honorary Award recognises individuals who have made exceptional and enduring contributions to Asian cinema, especially within their own country, and will be presented during the Silver Screen Awards. From the urban underclass in the city obsessed with business in Little Cheung (1999) to the daily life of a prostitute in Durian Durian (2000), Fruit Chan always strives to provide resonance to these neglected personal stories with intense political commentary through the silver screen. Five of Fruit Chan’s significant works, including these two films will be screened under a special tribute to Fruit Chan. SGIFF presents the screening of some of these directors’ films at the festival, including Yau’s latest film The Mobfathers that stars Anthony Wong and Chapman To. Some of these renowned directors and producers including Kawase, Chan, Yau and Le will be speaking on their craft and experiences at master classes, forums, talks and In Conversation sessions that are open to the public.

The 27th edition of SGIFF, which runs from 23 November to 4 December 2016, will take place across various venues, including Marina Bay Sands, National Museum of Singapore Gallery Theatre, Shaw Theatres Lido, National Gallery Singapore Auditorium, The Arts House Screening Room, Filmgarde Bugis+ and Objectifs Chapel Gallery. Ticket sales for SGIFF will begin on 28 October 2016.