Singaporean actors Sheela Sim, Sunny Pang, and Shane Marjoki were among the distinguished guests who graced the opening ceremony of the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival, at the dedicated art-house cinema.
Directed by the Boi Kwong trio, Geylang is a suspenseful and action packed crime thriller set in Singapore’s infamous red light district. The film is shown in the “Singapore Panorama” sidebar of the festival by local directors.
“I am delighted that local films make up a quarter of this year’s total collection at the festival. It is a strong showing and testament to the achievements of our local talents.” said Josephine Teo, Minister of Communications and Information. “We welcome and appreciate good films from around the world. At the same time, we will always support local filmmakers through platforms like Singapore Media Festival and SGIFF and help them shine brighter on the international stage.”
Kazakh actors Berek Itzanov and Daniyar Elchinov were two of the few foreign dignitaries who walked the red carpet, in support of their film Assault, the festival’s opening film.
Opera Tang, a drag performer and the hero of the “Baby Queen” documentary, also walked the red carpet. Joining fellow drag performers Ada Heart and Femme Fartale, Tang brought a pop of color with her Teochew opera-inspired makeup and gold flapper dress from Singaporean designer Dennes Prive.
“Baby Queen,” directed by Singaporean Lee Yuan Bin, was a late addition to the lineup and follows Tang’s life and relationship with her 90-year-old grandmother. The film’s LGBT subject matter strikes a poignant note in light of recent LGBT-friendly political developments. The city state recently voted to repeal a British-era law that decriminalized sexual relations between men.
Notably, the cast and crew of the banned movie #Lookatme were notably absent, though actor Shane Marjoki wore a T-shirt with the movie’s logo. The film will not be shown at the festival after authorities deemed its depiction of a revenge plot by a Christian priest violated race and religious guidelines. However, it remains on the festival lineup. Director Ken Quick’s 2012 film Sex.Violence.FamilyValues also ran against similar guidelines. It was banned in neighboring Malaysia due to scenes of “insult to local cultures”.
The festival runs from November 24 to December 4.
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