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.

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

25 Sep 2026 10:19AM (Updated: 25 Sep 2026 10:23AM)

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.

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."  

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."  

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.