Aamir Khan will be presented with the Screen Icon Award at the 37th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), while South Korean director Hur Jin-ho’s political thriller The Assassin(s) has been selected as the opening film. The festival runs from October 21 to November 1, 2026, marking a shift from its traditional late-year dates.
The announcement was made on September 24 at a press conference held at Temasek Shophouse in Singapore, with the full lineup revealed the following day. This edition brings together some of Asia’s most recognised filmmakers and actors, alongside a strong showing of Singaporean cinema.
Aamir Khan Honoured Alongside 25 Years of Lagaan
Khan’s Screen Icon Award recognises his lasting impact on Asian cinema as an actor, director and producer. The honour comes as his Oscar-nominated 2001 film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India marks its 25th anniversary.
A special presentation screening of Lagaan is planned for the festival, with director Ashutosh Gowariker joining Khan for the event. The two will also take part in SGIFF’s In Conversation With dialogue series, where they are expected to discuss the film’s journey and its continued relevance.
Lagaan, set in 1893 during British rule in India, tells the story of villagers who challenge colonial authorities to a cricket match to escape heavy taxes. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2002 Academy Awards and remains one of Indian cinema’s most internationally recognised titles.
Khan previously reflected on the film during a screening at the London Indian Film Festival in July, saying the team made Lagaan with passion and belief without anticipating the lasting response it would receive.
The Assassin(s) Opens the Festival
SGIFF 2026 opens with The Assassin(s), directed by Hur Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. The film is a dramatised account of the 1974 assassination attempt on then South Korean President Park Chung-hee, which resulted in the death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo.
Hur Jin-ho will attend the opening alongside supporting cast members Shim Eun-kyung and Park Sung-hoon. Shim is known for roles in Mad Concrete Dreams and Fabricated City, while Park has appeared in Squid Game and Queen of Tears.
The film follows detective Cheol-gu (Yoo Hae-jin), who begins questioning the official version of events after a shooting at the National Theater of Korea on August 15, 1974. He works with a young reporter (Lee Min-ho) and a newspaper editor (Park Hae-il) as the government attempts to suppress dissent.
Variety’s review described the film as “a riveting South Korean popcorn thriller,” comparing its approach to Oliver Stone’s JFK. The film was named runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and has topped Korean advance ticket sales for the Chuseok holiday, accounting for 31 percent of presales with more than 238,000 tickets sold.
Kore-eda Hirokazu Receives Cinema Honorary Award
Japanese filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu will receive SGIFF’s Cinema Honorary Award, the festival’s top prize for lasting contributions to Asian cinema. His latest film, Look Back, will have its Southeast Asian premiere at the festival, just before its theatrical release on October 29, 2026.
Look Back is a live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga about two girls whose shared love of drawing manga develops into a friendship as they grow up. Kore-eda’s filmography includes Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son, Monster and the Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters.
Kore-eda will also take part in the In Conversation With series alongside Khan, Shim Eun-kyung, Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong.
Anthony Wong and Asian Cinema Lineup
Wong will participate in a post-screening dialogue tied to his first acting role in My Name Ain’t Suzie (1985). South Korean filmmaker Yim Soon-rye will serve as jury head of the Asian Feature Film Competition.
Other attendees include Japanese director Koji Fukada, cinematographers Akiko Ashizawa and Tom Harari, and Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung. The festival’s industry programme has also been expanded into a resource centre for artists, technicians and storytellers.
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Singapore Cinema Takes the Spotlight
This year’s programme highlights more than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions that have earned recognition at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice, Locarno, Berlin and Melbourne.
Ah Girl director Ang Geck Geck won the Youth Jury Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, while its nine-year-old lead actress Ong Xuan Jing won Best Actress in the Young Cinema Competition at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Nelson Yeo’s The House on the Moon premiered in competition at Locarno.
Producer Tan Si En of Momo Film Co. co-produced Nagi Notes, which premiered in competition at Cannes. Daniel Hui edited Sleep No More and The Burning Giants, which premiered at Berlin and Venice respectively. Anthony Chen of Giraffe Pictures co-produced Four Seasons in Java, and Lai Weijie of E&W Films co-produced 9 Temples to Heaven, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.
SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua said the edition brings “some of the most respected talents and consequential work being made across Asia” to Singapore. The festival will also introduce a new free-to-attend section focused on creativity and technology.
SGIFF programme director Thong Kay Wee said Singapore’s film industry is enjoying its hard-earned recognition on the world stage, adding that this year’s selection reflects an increasingly diverse creative ecosystem producing internationally competitive work.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on the Singapore International Film Festival, Aamir Khan’s Screen Icon Award and the full SGIFF 2026 lineup.
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