12 Short Films you shouldn’t miss at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival

By Asian Film Festival on November 19, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

These are 12 short films you shouldn’t miss at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival which will take place onsite and online from November 26th until December 6th, 2020 in Singapore.

About the Festival:
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is the largest and longest running ﬁlm event in Singapore. Founded in 1987 by Geoffrey Malone and L. Leland Whitney, the Festival focuses on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an iconic date in the Singapore arts calendar. With its focus on groundbreaking Asian cinema, this prestigious event is known for its dynamic programming and commitment to the development of a vibrant local film culture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are promoting on-site screenings. Please be advised on the local guidelines to prevent COVID-19 infection. Please be extra careful and stay safe.

Recommended Films:

**A Trip to Heaven** by Duong Dieu Linh – Vietnam | 2020 – 15 minutes

Fifty-year-old Mdm Tam joins a bus tour to the Mekong Delta with a friend. On the trip, she bumps into her high school sweetheart and embarks on a mission of reconciliation.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | Oldham Theatre | 3:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

**And They Roamed** by Joshuah Lim En – Singapore | 2020 – 14 minutes

Two schoolgirls encounter the ghost of a former student in an abandoned school. Enlisting their help to pass into the afterlife, the ghost brings them around the building, reliving painful and joyous memories.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – December 1st, 2020 (Tuesday) | Bugis+Filmgarde Hall 3 | 6:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on December 1st, 2020 (Tuesday) | 6:30 pm

Trailer:

**Filipiñana** by Rafael Manuel – Philippines, UK | 2020 – 24 minutes

At a dream-like golf course on an idyllic day, Isabel, the new ‘tee girl’, struggles to understand her role on the greens, from social hierarchy to staving off her youthful curiosity.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | Oldham Theatre | 3:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

**Flower Shadow Serenade** by Goh Lin Yuan – Singapore, Australia | 2020 – 11 minutes

In this ode to memory and loss, a familiar song leads a grandmother’s spirit back to her family during the Chinese ghost month.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – December 1st, 2020 (Tuesday) | Bugis+Filmgarde Hall 3 | 6:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on December 1st, 2020 (Tuesday) | 6:30 pm

Trailer:

**Holding On, Letting Go** by Lionel Seah – Singapore | 2020 – 14 minutes

After the death of her beloved grandmother, Ting struggles to cope with the loss, unsure of the lively funeral rituals. But, beneath strong appearances, everyone copes with grief differently.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – December 3rd, 2020 (Thursday) | Bugis+Filmgarde Hall 3 | 6:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on December 3rd, 2020 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm

Trailer:

**How To Die Young in Manila** by Petersen Vargas – Philippines | 2020 – 12 minutes

An allegory for distraction, a teenage boy roams Manila looking for an anonymous hookup. The men he eyes end up dead, and he must now find his true desire.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | Oldham Theatre | 3:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

**Nursery Rhymes** by Michael Kam – Singapore, Malaysia | 2020 – 10 minutes

Drawing inspiration from his memories of his grandmothers, Michael Kam imagines their childhood spent under different imperialist rule.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – December 3rd, 2020 (Thursday) | Bugis+Filmgarde Hall 3 | 6:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on December 3rd, 2020 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm

Trailer:

**Pulang** by Kin Wai Yam – Malaysia, Taiwan | 2020 – 25 minutes

Yao-Wei takes his girlfriend home to Malaysia for the first time. In the midst of a monsoon, he tries to find the right time to tell his parents of his engagement.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | Oldham Theatre | 3:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

**Sunrise in My Mind** by Danech San – Cambodia | 2020 – 14 minutes

A young beautician working late at night in a salon tentatively gives in to her desires for a young delivery driver who cruises the streets of Phnom Penh on his motorbike.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | Oldham Theatre | 3:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

**The Smell of Coffee** by Nishok Nishok – Singapore | 2020 – 12 minutes

In the wake of his grandfather’s passing, Raga accompanies his grieving grandmother. A faint yet familiar smell piques his curiosity, leading him on a journey of self-discovery in the fading apartment.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | Oldham Theatre | 1:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm

Trailer:

**The Unseen River** by Phạm Ngọc Lân – Vietnam, Laos | 2020 – 23 minutes

Along the Mekong River, a woman reunites with her ex-lover at a hydroelectric plant. Meanwhile, a young man travels downstream to a temple in search of a cure for his insomnia.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | Oldham Theatre | 1:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 28th, 2020 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm

Trailer:

**To Calm the Pig Inside** by Joanna Vasquez Arong – Philippines | 2020 – 19 minutes

Myths and memories meet in this contemplation of a typhoon’s devastation on a seaside city.

Screening Dates:
IN CINEMAS – November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | Oldham Theatre | 1:30 pm
ONLINE – Available to view on November 29th, 2020 (Sunday) | 1:30 pm

Trailer: