The Singapore International Film Festival will move its 37th edition to an earlier calendar slot, running from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1, 2026, while elevating Jeremy Chua to the role of executive director.
The festival, which has traditionally taken place between late November and early December, is repositioning itself to avoid direct competition with year-end Hollywood tentpoles. The 36th edition ran Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2025.
“The shift to October positions SGIFF within an optimal window for theatrical releases of independent film in Singapore, allowing films to reach local audiences without competing directly with the year-end slate of major Hollywood blockbusters,” according to the festival. “This strategic move reaffirms SGIFF’s commitment to enhance visibility for independent world cinema, while supporting distributors and filmmakers in boosting audience engagement.”
The 2025 edition saw ticket sales rise 33% from 2024, and a 28.7% increase in audiences.
“The decision to reposition the festival reflects our intention to place greater emphasis on the distribution and exhibition needs of independent and auteur cinema,” said Chua. “By collaborating more closely with distributors during a more suitable release period, we aim to strengthen reach and engagement beyond the festival itself.”
The new dates could place SGIFF in direct overlap with the Tokyo International Film Festival, which is expected to run Oct. 25 to Nov. 5. SGIFF will also run simultaneously with the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in the Czech Republic (Oct. 23 to Nov. 1).
The positioning creates a potential Asian festival circuit flow, with SGIFF launching just six days after the Busan International Film Festival concludes on Oct. 15. Industry professionals and filmmakers could attend Busan before continuing to Singapore and Tokyo in rapid succession. However, the compressed timeline may challenge films seeking multiple Asian festival premieres, with programmers at both Singapore and Tokyo competing for the same titles.
The date change also takes SGIFF of the annual Singapore Media Festival celebrations, which also encompasses Singapore Comic Con and the Nas Summit.
Chua, previously the festival’s general manager, brings producing credits including “Filipinana” by Rafael Manuel, which won a Special Jury Prize in Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition earlier this year. His other credits include “Some Rain Must Fall” by Qiu Yang, which earned a Special Jury Prize at Berlinale Encounters 2024, and “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” by Pham Thien An, winner of the Cannes Camera d’Or in 2023.
SGIFF chair Boo Junfeng praised Chua’s industry knowledge and filmmaker perspective in the appointment announcement. “As a producer whose films have competed in and won our Silver Screen Awards, Jeremy brings a filmmaker’s perspective and a strong commitment to championing independent filmmakers while caring deeply about how their films can engage wider audiences,” Boo said.
The festival also announced that its Film Fund, which supports Southeast Asian documentary and short film production, will take a temporary hiatus for strategic restructuring. Established in 2018, the fund has distributed S$885,000 (approximately $700,000) to nearly 50 regional films through its SEA-Doc Grant and SEA-Shorts Grant programs.
Recipients have included documentaries “Aswang” by Alyx Ayn Arumpac (Philippines, 2019) and “Monisme” by Riar Rizaldi (Indonesia, 2023), along with shorts “Mulberry Fields” by Nguyễn Trung Nghĩa (Vietnam, 2024) and “Bleat!” by Ananth Subramaniam (Malaysia, 2025).
“This short hiatus gives us the necessary space to work closely with our partners to strengthen the SGIFF Film Fund for the long term,” Chua said. “Our commitment to filmmakers and the regional industry remains unchanged, and we look forward to relaunching the Fund later this year with a renewed framework that responds meaningfully to today’s production and distribution realities.”
The festival receives support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority. Additional programming details and the return of the film fund will be announced at a later date.
Submissions for Asian feature films and Southeast Asian short films will open April 9, 2026.
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