Sandcastle Screened to Full Houses at Cannes Film Festival
Sandcastle, directed by Boo Junfeng, made its world premiere at the 49th International Critics’ Week (ICW) at the Cannes Film Festival, enjoying full houses at all its screenings.

Its selection marked the sixth consecutive year that a Singapore film has been featured at Cannes, reinforcing the growing traction of local film in the international festival circuit.

The feature is also the first local film to be featured in the ICW, the oldest parallel competitive section, with a highly selective programme of only seven feature films and seven short films. The ICW was the platform where world-renowned film talents such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Bernardo Bertolucci and Wong Kar Wai were first discovered.

Said Junfeng: “It’s a dream come true for me to have my first film presented at Cannes International Critics’ Week. I’ve always heard that it’s the best place to be for first-time directors.”

Mr Kenneth Tan, Director of the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) and Film, Animation and Publishing at the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), said: “Film festivals such as Cannes are important platforms for local filmmakers to launch their international film careers. Junfeng’s passion and skills are clearly shown through his achievements thus far. From being one of the top graduates of his cohort in film school to showcasing his short films at numerous festivals around the world, his growth in filmmaking is remarkable and continues to earn praise from many industry practitioners. The SFC is proud to have supported Junfeng in his feature film directorial debut and we encourage him to continue making movies that resonate with audiences both in Singapore and overseas.”

A co-production by Singapore’s Zhao Wei Films, Akanga Film Asia and Infinite Frameworks, Sandcastle was supported by SFC’s New Feature Film Fund (NFFF). The fund aims to nurture the next generation of local filmmakers by providing them with the opportunity to direct their first feature film in partnership with experienced production companies. The film was picked up by Fortissimo Films in February this year for worldwide distribution outside Singapore.

Gurushetram Promoted at Cannes Film Market
Another New Feature Film Fund (NFFF) recipient project that was showcased at Cannes was Gurushetram – 24 Hours of Anger.

The film’s director TT Dhavamanni, producer Manoj Prabhoda Chandran and two of their crew were at the Cannes Film Market under the Singapore Pavilion. The film’s debut at Cannes came hot on the heels of a successful month-long theatrical release in Singapore. Gurushetram is the second film from the inaugural batch of selected NFFF projects that have been completed and screened theatrically.

Cannes proved to be a fruitful and eye-opening experience for the filmmakers, who had the opportunity to meet festival programmers and potential production partners. They are looking forward to participating in more film festivals and competitions around the world.

Read about Singapore’s participation in the Cannes Film Market and Festival.

For more news on Singapore films, visit the SFC website.