Since its start in 1987, the Singapore International Film Festival has become a key regional film event, despite being held in a city state that produces only a handful of feature films annually.
As SGIFF executive director Yuni Hadi explained to me in an interview at the 28th edition, held from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, the festival not only screens films from Southeast Asia, but also serves as a training-networking nexus for local filmmakers. "We're about community and sharing," she said.
While the world was well represented on the program, I was more interested in seeing regional films, beginning with the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, a section of 15 shorts by young directors.