All the Glitz and Glamour of SGIFF 2025’s Opening Night
It’s a record-breaking start for the island’s biggest film event championing local and regional cinema.
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returned on 26 November with one of its buzziest openings in years, commencing its 36th edition with the Singapore premiere of Girl at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Theatre — the long-anticipated directorial debut of Taiwanese film icon Shu Qi.
The red carpet was a full-blown who’s who of Asian cinema. Shu Qi arrived with her cast, including lead actors Bai Xiao-Ying and 9m88, to a roar of fans, joined by Festival Ambassador Rebecca Lim and Guest of Honour Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information. Singapore’s familiar screen veterans also turned up in full force to grace the occasion, from Tan Kheng Hua to Jack Neo and Qi Yuwu.
Beyond the carpet, this year’s festival isn’t just glitzy, it’s breaking records. Ticket sales are up 52 percent from 2024, with 33 sold-out screenings so far — four times last year’s count. And as you might have guessed, beloved actor Tony Leung (star of cult classics Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love) plays a huge part in that. Both the Special Presentation of Silent Friend and his fireside session, In Conversation With Tony Leung, sold out in under ten minutes.
Tony Leung in Silent Friend
Singapore film-making is having its moment at SGIFF too. Local titles are holding their own, with tickets to The Old Man and His Car and Sandbox wiped out in just one day. As expected, Japanese films remain perennial crowd-pleasers here — keep an eye on Kokuho, Two Seasons Two Strangers and Bring Me Down to Portable Size. And unsurprisingly, anything Shu Qi is an instant hit, from Girl to Resurrection, in which she stars as the main protagonist.
The Old Man and His Car Still
The festival’s In Conversation With series is also shaping up to be a highlight with discussions on storytelling and the evolution of female and Asian representation on the big screen. It features filmmaker and this year’s Cinema Honorary Award recipient Deepa Mehta, Oscar and Screen Icon Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, and Singapore’s own Hollywood mainstay, Chin Han.
Running from now till 7 December, SGIFF 2025 brings together more than 120 films from over 45 countries, including 30 Singapore-made productions and co-productions. At a time when cinemas in Singapore continue to grapple with a tough exhibition landscape, SGIFF proves that the communal experience of film still matters. If its opening night is any indication, this year’s edition is on track to be a standout — one that marries global star power with the growing confidence and maturity of Southeast Asia’s filmmaking scene.
Tickets for select SGIFF events are available at sgiff.com/ticketing and via SISTIC.