If you were going to “wait and see” on the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) 2026, you’ve waited too long for a few of the big ones. 21 sessions sold out within three weeks of public ticket sales, and Look Back was gone in a single day. The good news is that the 37th edition opened on 21 October and runs until 1 November, so free talks, an Aamir Khan anniversary screening and the festival’s first dedicated closing night since 2014 are still to come.
Here is what has already sold out and what is still coming up, based on SGIFF’s release.
Already Gone in Minutes
Look Back sold out within one day of public sales. When SGIFF released extra seats for La Bola Negra, they disappeared in 15 minutes.
Two screenings each of La Bola Negra, All of a Sudden, Possible Love and Minotaur are now full. The talks have gone the same way. The In Conversation With sessions featuring Hirokazu Kore-eda, this year’s Cinema Honorary Award recipient, and Aamir Khan, the Indian actor and filmmaker receiving the Screen Icon Award, are both sold out.
SGIFF describes this as following a record-breaking 2025. The 36th edition wrapped on 7 December 2025 with 44 sold-out screenings, and SGIFF’s own figures put ticket sales up 33% on 2024.
Opening Night Brought the Stars
The festival opened at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, with The Assassin(s). Mediacorp artiste Rebecca Lim, this year’s Festival Ambassador, joined the red carpet at the opening.
The international names on the red carpet included Korean director Hur Jin-ho, who made the opening film, alongside Aamir Khan and Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan.
The local contingent was out in force too. Tan Kheng Hua, Rishi Budhrani, Benjamin Kheng, Nelson Yeo and Ang Geck Geck all walked the carpet.
SGIFF chairperson Boo Junfeng summed up the appeal: “…what makes SGIFF special is the chance to sit in the same room as the biggest names in cinema and hear their stories first-hand.”
Seats Worth Chasing Now
First up is the 25th anniversary screening of Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India on 23 October at GV VivoCity. With Aamir Khan’s talk sold out, this Special Presentation is the other way to see him in person, and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker joins him.
Next is the festival finale. SGIFF is staging its first dedicated Festival Closing since 2014 with the Asian premiere of Vintage Violence on 1 November at Capitol Theatre, and director Eugene Kotlyarenko and stars Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara will attend. If the premiere is out of reach, the trio sits down for an In Conversation With on 31 October at 11am at the National Museum of Singapore.
Then there’s Parallax, a free series of talks and demonstrations on the intersection of filmmaking and immersive technology.
Families can try Junior Explorers, which offers selected relaxed screenings and post-screening activities for children and families, and we covered it in our guide to 3 kids’ films and free VR demos at SGIFF 2026. Undercurrent pairs three live performances with seven screenings that blend moving images with other art forms.
Singapore Films on Home Turf
More than 25 Singapore productions and co-productions are in the line-up, including films recognised at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice and Annecy. Local audiences have noticed. Two of the three Singapore Panorama short film programmes have sold out, and the festival says Ah Girl‘s 30 October screening has also sold out.
Ah Girl is competing in the Asian Feature Film Competition alongside 9 Temples to Heaven, The Burning Giants and Four Seasons in Java. Nelson Yeo’s The House on the Moon premiered in the main competition at Locarno Film Festival, and it opens the Foreground section with its Singapore premiere on 24 October.
The SGIFF Film Fund is also returning. Executive director Jeremy Chua said its return “allows us to extend our support for filmmakers beyond the festival.”
🗓️ Date: 21 October to 1 November 2026
📍 Location: Venues include GV VivoCity, Capitol Theatre and the National Museum of Singapore
🎟️ Tickets: On sale now; Parallax talks are free
🔗 Details: sgiff.com
Tickets and screening details are on the SGIFF website. Still to come are the free Parallax talks, Aamir Khan at VivoCity and the Festival Closing at Capitol Theatre, before the festival wraps on 1 November.
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Singapore International Film Festival.
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