The Singapore International Film Festival is shaking up its signature Asian Feature Film Competition for its 36th edition, expanding eligibility beyond emerging filmmakers while enlisting acclaimed Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel to lead the jury.
The fest, running Nov. 26-Dec. 7 as part of the Singapore Media Festival 2025, has revealed that the competition — previously limited to helmers presenting their first through third features — will now welcome filmmakers at any career stage.
“SGIFF marks both a celebration and a call to action: that stories must continue to be told, communities must continue to gather, and art must continue to thrive, even in uncertain times,” organizers said in a statement.
Martel, whose “Zama” screened at SGIFF 2017, returns with her latest work “Nuestra Tierra” (Landmarks), her first foray into non-fiction. The film will be featured in the fest’s Standpoint section, which showcases 10 films exploring urgent social and political issues.
The Salta-born filmmaker behind “La Ciénaga,” “La Niña Santa,” “La Mujer Sin Cabeza” and “Zama” has had retrospectives mounted at Harvard, MoMA, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou. She holds multiple honorary doctorates and continues to work across mediums including art installations, television and shorts.
This year’s competition slate spans the region’s creative diversity, from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s genre-bending Thai satire “A Useful Ghost” — co-produced by Singapore — to Chen Deming’s documentary “Always,” a meditation on childhood and change from China.
Singapore’s own Tan Siyou competes with coming-of-age portrait “Amoeba,” while India’s Rohan Parashuram Kanawade offers Sundance winner “Cactus Pears,” exploring queer intimacy in rural India. Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri brings Tajik-language mystery “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit,” and Japanese comedian Yuriyan Retriever makes her directorial debut with horror-comedy “Mag Mag.”
Rounding out the lineup are Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “Human Resource” (Thailand), Lalith Rathnayake’s “Riverstone” (Sri Lanka), Tribeny Rai’s “Shape of Momo” (India) and Sho Miyake’s “Two Seasons, Two Strangers” (Japan).
The Singapore International Film Festival is backed by the country’s Infocomm Media Development Authority.
