Chinese superstar actor and producer Fan Bingbing will be the 2023 recipient of the Singapore International Film Festival‘s (SGIFF) Cinema Icon Award.
The festival will screen three of Fan’s films, curated by her – the recent “Green Night,” “Buddha Mountain” and “Double Xposure” – and the star will walk the red carpet on opening night, Nov. 30. As previously announced, Malaysian Cannes winner and Oscar contender “Tiger Stripes” will open SGIFF.
The Cinema Icon Award and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award are being reintroduced. They were last part of the SGIFF Silver Screen Awards in 2019 and 2006 respectively. Past winners of the Icon Award include Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia), Simon Yam (Hong Kong), Koji Yakusho (Japan), Joan Chen (U.S./China) and Yao Chen (China).
This year, the outstanding contribution to Southeast Asian cinema award is awarded to White Light Post in recognition of its award-winning achievements in post-production work.
The 2023 edition of SGIFF sees the highest number of films selected in competition by Singaporean directors since 1997. Nominations for the Asian feature film competition include Jow Zhi Wei’s “Tomorrow is a Long Time,” Nelson Yeo’s “Dreaming and Dying” and Nicole Midori Woodford’s “Last Shadow at First Light.”
The Asian feature film competition jury is led by Chinese auteur Zhang Lu. Other jury members include Bina Paul (India), Janice Koh (Singapore), Ayşe Polat (Germany) and Kong Rithdee (Thailand). The FIPRESCI jury members are V.K. Joseph (India), Müge Turan (Turkey) and Joyce Yang (Hong Kong). Southeast Asian Short Film competition jury includes Cho Hyun Jin (Korea-U.K.), Shai Heredia (India) and Tan Bee Thiam (Singapore).
“This recognition not only propels the works of producers onto the global stage but also significantly influences consumers’ film choices. We are honoured that SGIFF has served as the premier platform for over three decades, fostering a space where filmmakers, cinephiles, and film enthusiasts can converge over shared interests. Simultaneously, it has played a pivotal role in elevating the contributions of the independent Asian film industry,” said Emily J. Hoe, executive director, SGIFF.
“This is an exceptionally strong year for Singapore’s feature filmmaking with two Singapore co-productions and three Singaporean debuts nominated for the Asian Feature Film competition. I have no doubt that in the years to come, SGIFF will continue to be one of the luminary film festivals in an industry that propels the endeavours of cinephiles and creators to greater heights as we navigate through the rich tapestry of the Southeast Asia film industry,” said Thong Kay Wee, program director, SGIFF.
The 34th edition of SGIFF will be held from Nov. 30 – Dec. 10.
