The third edition of Singapore South Asian International Film Festival (Sg.SAIFF) started with on a high note with the premiere of Tamil feature film ‘Om’ by veteran director, P. Bharathiraja. Bharathiraja, who is also an actor and writer, is regarded as one of the pillars of the Tamil film industry. Born on July 17, 1941, he is known for his versatility and simple narration with strong messages. He has been bestowed seven National Awards and honoured with the Padma Shri Title in 2004 for his films and contribution to the film industry.

This year, the Sg.SAIFF has grown exponentially to include films from countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Singapore, Bangladesh and Iran. As many as 45 movies will be screened between August 30 to September 7, 2019 at various venues in Singapore. From India itself, there will be acclaimed films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali Assamese and Ladakhi that will be showcased in various sections at the film festival.

“Films, as they say, have universal language and our aim at Sg.SAIFF is to screen films from all over South Asia to help connect people across the globe through cinema,” said Abhayanand Singh, Chairman, Sg.SAIFF.

The 3^rd edition of the festival will have world premieres of some critically acclaimed films such as While Slow Burn (Ranj) directed by Sunit Sinha, Kathaah directed by Shilpa Krishnan, Oththa Seruppu Size 7 directed by R. Parthiban and Space MOMs directed by Radha Bharadwaj. It will also host films directed by national award-winning directors like Jahnu Barua, Dr. Biju, Priya Krishnaswamy, and Anant Mahadevan.

There will also be a section where films helmed by the jury members will be screened. The list includes Khamosh Pani from Pakistan directed by Sabiha Sumar, My Second Year in College from Iran directed by Rasoul Sadr Ameli, Sindhu Bhairavi and Sarvam Thaala Mayam from India directed by K Balachander and Rajiv Menon respectively and Samanala Sandhawaniya from Sri Lanka directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri.

“Sg.SAIFF takes pride in showcasing world-class cinema by talents from the South Asian region and we have been meticulously working towards building a global platform to screen such movies. This year we are extremely fortunate to have a jury panel of vast experience and honour and screening their films is our privilege. The audience will get to cherish the variety of films that represent cultures from all over South Asia”, said Piyush Singh, Co-Chairman, Sg.SAIFF.

“Cinema reflects life; real, imagined or dreamed. Film-makers weave this life in all its aspects on screen as they perceive for the audience to view, enjoy, interpret and reflect. The Sg.SAIFF team has carefully selected the best of films from South Asia to ensure it satiates film lovers. The idea is to try and reach the next higher level with each passing year when it comes to the quality of films screened at Sg.SAIFF.” concludes Srinivasan Narayan, Festival Director of Sg.SAIFF

The highlight of the festival will also be some of the highly lauded regional films from India in the competition sections where Malayalam films like Veyilmarangal (Trees Under The Sun) directed by Dr. Biju, Marathi films Dithee directed by Sumitra Bhave, MAI GHAT:CRIME NO 103/2005 directed by Anant Mahadevan, Tamil films KD directed by Madhumita Sundararaman and above mentioned Oththa Seruppu Size 7 directed by R Parthiban and will be screened.