SGIFF 2026 to open with Korean film The Assassin(s), with Bollywood star Aamir Khan among guests

Running from Oct 21 to Nov 1, SGIFF 2026 brings international film stars to Singapore alongside acclaimed local films, audience talks and new ways to experience cinema.

SGIFF opens with the South Korean thriller The Assassin(s), starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. (Photo: Hive Media Corp)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

Film buffs have plenty to look forward to when the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns for its 37th edition from Oct 21 to Nov 1 – including appearances by Bollywood star Aamir Khan, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong.

The festival will open with South Korean political thriller The Assassin(s), starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. Director Hur Jin-ho and cast members Shim Eun-kyung and Park Sung-hoon will attend the opening.

Among this year's biggest guests is Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who will receive SGIFF's Screen Icon Award. The Indian actor and filmmaker will also attend a special 25th-anniversary screening of his Oscar-nominated 2001 film Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India alongside its director Ashutosh Gowariker.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, known for films including Nobody Knows; Like Father, Like Son; Monster and Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters, will also receive the festival's Cinema Honorary Award.

His latest film, Look Back, will make its Southeast Asian premiere at SGIFF. Adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto's one-shot manga, the live-action film follows two girls whose shared passion for drawing manga develops into a friendship as they grow up.

Film fans will also have opportunities to hear directly from some of the visiting stars and filmmakers through SGIFF's In Conversation With series.

This year's speakers include Khan and Koreeda, alongside South Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung, Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong.

Other filmmakers and industry figures attending include South Korean filmmaker Yim Soon-rye, Japanese director Koji Fukada, cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa and Hong Kong filmmaker Jacob Cheung.

Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, or Lagaan, is a 2001 sports drama film starring and produced by Aamir Khan. (Photo: Aamir Khan Productions)

SINGAPORE FILMS COME HOME

The festival will also spotlight more than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions that have travelled to major international film festivals.

Among them is Singapore director Ang Geck Geck's Ah Girl. Ang won the Youth Jury Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, while nine-year-old lead actress Ong Xuan Jing subsequently won Best Actress in the Young Cinema Competition at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The film also travelled to festivals in Toronto and Melbourne.

Nelson Yeo's genre-blending wuxia feature The House On The Moon premiered in the main competition at the Locarno Film Festival, while Singapore producer Tan Si En co-produced Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada's Nagi Notes, which premiered in competition at Cannes. Anthony Chen's Giraffe Pictures is also represented through Four Seasons In Java, directed by Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini.

SGIFF programme director Thong Kay Wee told CNA Lifestyle that bringing such a wide range of international cinema to Singapore involves coordinating filmmakers, schedules and licensing across countries.

"We are driven by our ambition to bring as broad a spectrum of cinema as possible to Singapore so our local audience gets the rich exposure they deserve," he said. "Coordinating across time zones, tight schedules, and complex licensing isn't just a logistical puzzle – it's a labour of love."

Singapore International Film Festival 2026 will run from Oct 21 to Nov 1. (Photo: SGIFF)

NEW HIGHLIGHTS THIS FESTIVAL

This year's festival is also introducing Junior Explorers, a section designed for younger audiences that includes relaxed, sensory-friendly screenings.

It opens with stop-motion animated film Brave Cat, directed by Oscar winner Gabriel Osorio and produced by Punkrobot Studio.

SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua told CNA Lifestyle that he was particularly looking forward to introducing younger viewers to the festival.

"I watched everything as a child, blockbusters, nature documentaries, cartoons, without knowing I was building a database of references and eventually a point of view," he said. "That's where self-expression and the confidence to defend your own opinions take shape. This is tomorrow's audience whom we wish to cultivate."

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Look Back will make its Southeast Asian premiere at SGIFF 2026. (Photo: K2 Pictures)

Cinema won't be confined to conventional screenings either.

SGIFF's Undercurrent section will open with three live performances combining moving images with other art forms. These include Taiwanese puppetry in Corporeal Forms: Four Stories; live video gaming in The Compression Zone; and analogue film and live music in Imagination + The Rest Is My Ghost.

SGIFF Pro, the festival's industry and talent development programme, is also expanding this year.

Additions include Parallax, a free public programme of talks and demonstrations exploring filmmaking and immersive technology; Off Campus, which connects students with the film industry; and the Pitching Forum for Singapore and international co-productions.

The SGIFF Film Fund is also returning after a hiatus, with two grants supporting Southeast Asian filmmakers.

SEA-SHORTS will support emerging short-film filmmakers, while SEA-DOC will focus on feature documentaries that have reached the later stages of editing or post-production. Applications for both run from Nov 5 to Dec 5.

For Chua, part of the festival experience remains what happens when filmmakers and audiences are in the same room.

"A film is finished the first time an audience meets it," he told CNA Lifestyle. "The part I look forward to most is the live encounters: the forums, the dialogue sessions, the Q&As after screenings. That's when a film stops being a private experience and acquires substance."

"An international festival isn't just about screening great films, it’s about creating a shared space where our audience grows alongside our programming, discovering new artistic perspectives together," Thong added.

Early-bird presales for SGIFF begin at noon on Friday (Sep 25), with general ticket sales starting at noon on Sep 28. Singaporeans can also use SG Culture Pass credits for eligible local film programmes during general ticket sales. More information is available on the official SGIFF website .

A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.

2026 年新加坡国际电影节 (SGIFF ​​2026) 将于 10 月 21 日至 11 月 1 日举行，届时将有国际电影明星来到新加坡，同时还将放映备受赞誉的本地电影，并举办观众交流会，以及提供全新的观影体验方式。

新加坡国际电影节以韩国惊悚片《刺客》拉开帷幕，该片由刘海镇、朴海日和李敏镐主演。（图片：Hive Media Corp）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡国际电影节（SGIFF）将于10月21日至11月1日举行第37届，届时影迷们将有很多值得期待的内容，其中包括宝莱坞明星阿米尔·汗、日本电影导演是枝裕和以及香港演员黄秋生的亮相。

电影节将以韩国政治惊悚片《刺客》拉开帷幕，该片由柳海镇、朴海日和李敏镐主演。导演许镇浩以及主演沈恩京和朴成勋将出席开幕式。

今年最受瞩目的嘉宾之一是宝莱坞明星阿米尔·汗，他将获得新加坡国际电影节的银幕偶像奖。这位印度演员兼导演还将与导演阿舒托什·戈瓦里卡一同出席他2001年获得奥斯卡提名的电影《印度往事》25周年特别放映会。

以《无人知晓》、《如父如子》、《怪物》和荣获戛纳电影节金棕榈奖的《小偷家族》等影片而闻名的日本电影导演是枝裕和也将获得电影节的电影荣誉奖。

他的最新电影《回望》将在新加坡国际电影节（SGIFF）上进行东南亚首映。这部真人电影改编自藤本树的短篇漫画，讲述了两个女孩因共同热爱漫画而逐渐发展成友谊的故事。

影迷们还可以通过SGIFF的“对话系列”直接聆听一些来访明星和电影制作人的发言。

今年的演讲嘉宾包括可汗和是枝裕和，以及韩国女演员沈恩京、香港电影导演陈可辛和香港演员黄秋生。

其他出席的电影制作人和业内人士包括韩国电影制作人任顺礼、日本导演深田浩二、摄影师芦泽明子和香港电影制作人张家辉。

《印度往事》（Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India，简称 Lagaan）是一部2001年上映的体育题材剧情片，由阿米尔·汗主演并担任制片人。（图片：阿米尔·汗制片公司）

新加坡电影回家

电影节还将重点展示超过 25 部曾参加过国际主要电影节的新加坡制作和合拍影片。

其中包括新加坡导演洪基奇执导的《阿嬷嬷》。洪基奇凭借此片荣获鹿特丹国际电影节青年评审团奖，而年仅九岁的女主角王璇玑随后斩获香港国际电影节青年电影竞赛单元最佳女演员奖。该片还参加了多伦多和墨尔本的电影节。

尼尔森·杨执导的武侠融合片《月之屋》在洛迦诺电影节主竞赛单元首映；新加坡制片人陈思恩联合制作了日本导演深田晃司的《凪笔记》，该片在戛纳电影节主竞赛单元首映。陈秋生的长颈鹿影业也推出了由印尼导演卡米拉·安迪尼执导的《爪哇岛四季》。

新加坡国际电影节节目总监唐凯伟告诉亚洲新闻台生活频道，将如此广泛的国际电影带到新加坡需要协调各国电影制作人、日程安排和授权事宜。

他说：“我们致力于将尽可能多的电影类型带到新加坡，让本地观众获得他们应得的丰富观影体验。跨时区协调、应对紧张的日程安排和复杂的版权许可问题，不仅仅是后勤上的难题，更是一项充满热情的工作。”

2026年新加坡国际电影节将于10月21日至11月1日举行。（图片：SGIFF）

本届电影节全新亮点

今年的电影节还推出了“少年探险家”单元，这是一个专为年轻观众设计的单元，其中包括轻松、感官友好的放映活动。

影片以定格动画电影《勇敢的猫》开场，该片由奥斯卡奖得主加布里埃尔·奥索里奥执导，朋克机器人工作室制作。

新加坡国际电影节执行董事蔡杰里米告诉CNA生活频道，他尤其期待将电影节介绍给年轻观众。

“我小时候什么都看，大片、自然纪录片、动画片，当时并没有意识到自己正在积累知识，最终形成自己的观点，”他说。“自我表达和捍卫自身观点的自信就是从那时开始形成的。这正是我们希望培养的未来观众。”

是枝裕和的《回望》将于2026年新加坡国际电影节（SGIFF）举行东南亚首映。（图片：K2 Pictures）

电影也不会局限于传统的放映方式。

新加坡国际电影节（SGIFF）的“暗流”（Undercurrent）单元将以三场融合影像与其他艺术形式的现场表演拉开帷幕。其中包括融合台湾木偶戏的《形体：四个故事》（Corporeal Forms: Four Stories）；现场电子游戏表演《压缩地带》（The Compression Zone）；以及模拟电影与现场音乐的《想象+其余皆为幽灵》（Imagination + The Rest Is My Ghost）。

新加坡国际电影节的产业和人才发展计划 SGIFF ​​Pro 今年也将扩大规模。

新增项目包括 Parallax，这是一个免费的公共项目，通过讲座和演示探索电影制作和沉浸式技术；Off Campus，它将学生与电影行业联系起来；以及面向新加坡和国际合拍片的提案论坛。

新加坡国际电影节电影基金在中断一段时间后也重新回归，将提供两项资助，支持东南亚电影制作人。

SEA-SHORTS 将支持新兴短片电影制作人，而 SEA-DOC 将专注于已进入后期剪辑或后期制作阶段的长篇纪录片。两项活动的申请时间均为 11 月 5 日至 12 月 5 日。

对于蔡来说，电影节体验的一部分仍然是电影人和观众在同一个房间里发生的事情。

“一部电影在观众第一次观看时就完成了，”他告诉CNA Lifestyle。“我最期待的是现场互动：论坛、对话会、放映后的问答环节。那时，电影不再只是私人的体验，而是有了实质内容。”

“国际电影节不仅仅是放映优秀的电影，更重要的是创造一个共享空间，让我们的观众与我们的节目一起成长，共同发现新的艺术视角，”Thong补充道。

新加坡国际电影节（SGIFF）早鸟预售将于周五（9月25日）中午12点开始，正式售票将于9月28日中午12点开始。新加坡公民在正式售票期间也可使用SG Culture Pass抵用金购买符合条件的本地电影。更多信息请访问SGIFF官方网站。

每天一篇，我们精心挑选一篇您不容错过的精彩故事。