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Singapore director Chiang Wei Liang and co-director Yin You Qiao’s “Mongrel,” a portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan, won Best Asian Feature Film at the 35th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF).
The jury praised the film’s “dense, shadowy and violent world” and its innovative approach to depicting contemporary issues of forced migration. The film has previously won awards at the Cannes and the Golden Horse festivals and at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Lou Ye‘s “An Unfinished Film” won the newly-revised Audience Choice Award. The docufiction drama follows a director attempting to complete a decade-old project during the COVID-19 pandemic, blending footage from Lou’s previous films with new material. The film previously won Golden Horse and Tokyo FILMeX awards.
In the Asian Feature Film Competition, Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy received Best Director for “Viet and Nam,” a queer love story about two coal miners facing separation. Li Rongkun won Best Performance for his debut role in “The Great Phuket,” with a Special Mention going to the ensemble cast and Nature from “The Adamant Girl.” Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili secured Best Screenplay for “April,” while Liu Yaonan received a Special Mention for “The Great Phuket.” The film also received the FIPRESCI Award.
Popular on Variety The Southeast Asian Short Film Competition saw multiple winners. Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s “Spirits of the Black Leaves” won Best Southeast Asian Short Film, while Singaporean animation filmmaker Calleen Koh’s “My Wonderful Life” was named Best Singapore Short Film. Vietnamese filmmaker Dam Quang Trung’s “Elephants by the Roadside” earned both Best Director and the inaugural ARRI Award For Best Cinematography, with the latter going to cinematographer Vu Hoang Trieu.
Movement artist Sasa Cabalquinto won Best Performance for “Vox Humana,” with a Special Mention to Seen En Qi for “Spelling Test.” Pom Bunsermvicha’s “The Nature of Dogs” received Best Screenplay in the short film category.
The festival honored Singaporean visual arts center Objectifs with the Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema award for their work in promoting regional photography and film. The Screen Icon Award went to Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei, marking the first double recipient in the festival’s history. Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, recently freed from a 14-year travel ban, received the Cinema Honorary Award.
The festival, which showcased 105 films from 45 countries with 80% from Asia, reported record attendance figures, marking a 13% revenue growth and 10% rise in ticket sales compared to 2023. Encore screenings of the winning films will be held on Dec. 14.
