Into its 27th year, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) that is happening from 23 November to 4 December this year, will be graced upon by well-known celebrities along the lines of James Marsden (Westworld), Darren Aronofsky (Jackie) and A-list stars such as Michelle Yeoh and Simon Yam.
The impressive list this year includes 161 feature and short films from 52 countries, with 16 world premieres, 9 international premieres and 18 Asian premieres. As part of the annual Singapore Media Festival (SMF), SGIFF's role as the leading international film platform in Southeast Asia, showcases universal themes and untold stories in the work of the internationally acclaimed directors alongside the emerging filmmaking talents from Asia. The 12-day event will also feature post-show discussions, masterclasses and talks by industry professionals and guest curators.
The world premiere of South Korean Director Lee Sang-woo's latest feature film, Walking Street, will be screened as part of the film line-up. The cast Baek Sung Hyun, Lee Si-Kang and Lee Song Lee together with the director will be visiting Singapore for the World Premiere during the festival. The film tells the story of 3 Korean misfits who find themselves in Thailand in search of a home within a ruthless world.
Hot on the heels of the recent successful run of Korean drama, Doctors, Korean heart throb Baek Sung-hyun stars as a mute, Tae-sung who escapes with his brother Tae-gi to Pattaya after the later commits a crime. Being in a foreign land, the brothers live moment by moment, meeting a Korean prostitute, Jee-na who is exploited by her own mother, executing all business transactions against her will. The brothers eventually fall in love with her, leading to a love triangle that threatens the family ties.
Walking Street marks a new development in the director's prolific provoking style, exploring the tensions and tenderness of familial bonds and romance with a raw, yet impressionistic cinematic quality. It's a film where the characters tragically search for their salvation in unfamiliar territories.
Biography of director:
Lee Sang-woo graduated from UC Berkeley, majoring in film. His debut, Tropical Manila (2008), was invited to the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and his second feature, Mother is a Whore (2009), gained attention at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. His feature Dirty Romance (2015) competed at SGIFF's Silver Screen Awards.
Singapore International Film Festival will run from 23 Nov to 4 December. For more details, log on to https://sgiff.com/
