The Singapore International Film Festival has named Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda as the recipient of its Cinema Honorary Award for its 37th edition. The event, scheduled to run from 21 October to 1 November 2026, presents the prize as its top individual recognition for creators who leave an enduring legacy across Asian cinema.
Festival organisers confirmed that Kore-eda will attend an official dialogue session on 24 October 2026 to accept the trophy. That same evening, the festival will host the Southeast Asian premiere of his latest feature, Look Back, five days ahead of its commercial cinema release on 29 October 2026.
Adapting Acclaimed Manga
Look Back represents the first live-action feature adaptation of work by manga artist Fujimoto Tatsuki. Fresh from competing for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the story tracks the turbulent artistic relationship between two schoolgirls.
Fujino, an ambitious primary school student accustomed to acclaim as her classroom’s best cartoonist, finds her confidence shaken when a reclusive peer named Kyomoto demonstrates superior drawing ability. Their initial competition develops into an intense artistic partnership, until an opportunity to publish a serialised title alters the direction of their lives.
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The project adds to a decorated career defined by patient family portraits and social observation. Kore-eda won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018 for Shoplifters, becoming the first Japanese director to take the festival’s highest honour in over twenty years. He followed that achievement with international productions including Broker in South Korea and Monster in Japan, building on earlier touchstones such as Nobody Knows and Like Father, Like Son.
Korean Industry Leader Heads Competition Jury
South Korean director Yim Soon-rye will chair the jury for the festival’s Asian Feature Film Competition.
Educated in cinema at the University of Paris 8, Yim debuted in 1996 with Three Friends before directing prominent box-office successes including Waikiki Brothers, the sports drama Forever the Moment, The Whistleblower, and the rural culinary hit Little Forest.
Alongside directing, Yim has led advocacy work as president of an animal rights association for twelve years and co-leads the Korean Centre for Gender Equality in Film. She will deliver an industry keynote on 27 October 2026.
Expanding The Singapore Film Market
The festival’s professional wing, SGIFF Pro, has widened its schedule to four full days of industry programming.
Cinematographer Ashizawa Akiko, who received the 2026 Pierre Angénieux Tribute at Cannes, will lead masterclasses alongside director Fukada Koji, who brings his Singapore co-production Nagi Notes to the festival’s Horizon strand.
New initiatives for 2026 include Off Campus, a programme connecting film students directly with active directors, and a Pitching Forum designed to anchor international co-productions in Singapore.
The festival has also introduced Parallax, a dedicated public strand studying the growing role of artificial intelligence and immersive software in modern screen production, featuring contributors from Amazon MGM Studios, SM Entertainment, and Adobe.
