Six Malaysian films have been selected for SGIFF

The line-up includes the Asian premiere of SGIFF's opening film at Marina Bay Sands, Interchange (2016), a noir fantasy thriller by one of Malaysia's most celebrated filmmakers Dain Iskandar Said.

Other noteworthy Malaysian works as part of the line-up comprise Malaysian filmmaker Bradley Liew's Singing in Graveyards (2016); the international premiere of Voyage to Terangganu (2016) by one of the pioneering filmmakers of the Malaysian New Wave, Amir Muhammad and Badrul Hisham Ismail; Absent Without Leave (2016) by Malaysian filmmaker Lau Kek-Huat; and Art Through Our Eyes (2016), an omnibus that gathers five Southeast Asian filmmakers including Malaysia's Ho Yuhang.

In a statement here, SGIFF Programme Director, Zhang Wenjie, said: "This year we are thrilled to present Southeast Asian filmmakers such as Dain Iskandar Said and Ho Yuhang who are forging bold new paths and ways of making films in our region."

"These films expand the possibilities of Southeast Asian cinema and are testament to the vitality of our regional cinema," said Zhang.

SGIFF, which is part of the annual Singapore Media Festival (SMF), brings together a rich mix of independent filmmaking talent to showcase the region's stories through film, throughout Asia and beyond.

This year's SGIFF will present 161 feature and short films from 52 countries, 16 world premieres, nine international premieres and 18 Asian premieres.

The 27th SGIFF will also welcome Malaysian director Ho with his new film Mrs K (2016) as a Special Presentation Film after its recent world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival 2016 with a sold-out reception.

Malaysian actor Faizal Hussein was among the cast member of Mrs K while others include iconic Hong Kong martial arts actress Kara Wai, Hong Kong veteran actor Simon Yam, and Taiwanese rocker Wu Bai.