The Singapore International Film Festival launched its 36th edition with international star Shu Qi‘s first feature as director, marking the event’s most successful opening in its history.

The festival opened on Nov. 26 at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, with Shu Qi’s “Girl,” a semi-autobiographical drama set in 1980s Taipei. The director attended alongside lead actor Bai Xiao-Ying and actor-singer 9m88, joining festival ambassador Rebecca Lim and guest of honor Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information.

Ticket sales surged 52% compared to the same period last year, with 33 sold-out screenings to date — four times the number from 2024. The festival is on track to achieve the highest box office sales in its 36-year history.

Much of the buzz centered on Hong Kong cinema icon Tony Leung’s appearance at a special presentation of “Silent Friend.” Both that screening and his “In Conversation With Tony Leung” session sold out within 10 minutes of tickets going on sale, ranking among the hottest tickets in SGIFF history.

Local productions also drew strong interest. Singaporean films “The Old Man and His Car” and “Sandbox” sold out within a day. Japanese titles including “Kokuho,” “Two Seasons Two Strangers” and “Bring Me Down to Portable Size” were among the fastest-selling international films. All titles connected to Shu Qi, including “Girl” and “Resurrection,” have sold out.

“This year’s response has been truly overwhelming,” said Jeremy Chua, general manager of SGIFF. “The energy we’ve seen from audiences emphasizes the value of the collective experience of film. It has been a challenging year for the cinema landscape in Singapore, but what we are witnessing through SGIFF is proof that there is demand for cinema.”

The festival runs through Dec. 7, showcasing over 120 films from more than 45 countries, including over 30 made-in-Singapore productions and co-productions. The lineup focuses on stories of identity, resilience and rediscovery.

This year’s “In Conversation With” series features filmmaker Deepa Mehta, recipient of the Cinema Honorary Award; Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung, who receives the Screen Icon Award; and Hollywood-based Singaporean actor Chin Han.

Marina Bay Sands continues its partnership with the festival, hosting the opening film and two “In Conversation With” sessions. Paul Town, chief operating officer of Marina Bay Sands, said the integrated resort’s venues provide an ideal setting for celebrating art and film.

A frequent collaborator with Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, Shu Qi embarked on filmmaking at his suggestion. “Girl” premiered at Venice and won her the best director award at Busan International Film Festival. The film follows 10-year-old Hsiao-lee in 1980s Taipei as she navigates domestic dysfunction and forms a friendship with a precocious transfer student.

As an actor, Shu Qi has appeared in over 90 films, including three collaborations with Hou: “The Assassin,” “Millennium Mambo” and “Three Times.” She has won two Golden Horse Awards and three Hong Kong Film Awards.

The opening night red carpet drew prominent figures from Singapore’s entertainment industry, including Chin Han, Tan Kheng Hua, Lim Kay Tong, Hong Hui Fang, Jack Neo, Qi Yuwu, Yvonne Lim, Tay Ping Hui, Jeanette Aw, Lim Yu Beng, Irene Ang, Nathan Hartono and Benjamin Kheng.

The Singapore International Film Festival is part of the Singapore Media Festival 2025, hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

At least 36 people were killed and hundreds are missing after a fire engulfed several high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district Wednesday.

John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said at a press conference that 279 people are missing, and 29 people have been hospitalized, including seven in critical condition.

“Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire,” Lee told reporters.

Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department said it received reports of a blaze breaking out at the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a district in the northern New Territories, around 2:50 p.m.

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The fire was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the most severe rating in Hong Kong, by 6:22 p.m.

In a government statement, the department said nine people were taken to the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Tang Ping-keung, the secretary for security of Hong Kong, said one fireman died after sustaining injuries while battling the blaze.

“I am profoundly grieved at the passing of Mr Ho, who lost his life in the course of an operation. I offer my deepest condolences to his family members,” Tang said.

Photos from the scene showed the bamboo scaffolding of the towers engulfed in flames and thick, dark smoke pouring out of multiple floors.

Firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze, and one man was photographed in visible distress, saying his wife was trapped inside.

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Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree living in the community, told The South China Morning Post that the fire alarms failed to go off when the blaze broke out, even though the buildings were equipped with them.

“If someone was sleeping then, they were done,” he said.

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Tai Po’s former district councillor, Herman Yiu Kwan-ho, also told the outlet that residents reported not hearing the fire alarms go off even after they detected the smell of smoke. He said they were only warned when a security guard knocked on their doors, giving them little time to get out.

The Tai Po District Office opened temporary shelters for people in need at the Kwong Fuk Community Hall and the Tung Cheong Street Community Hall.

United States President Donald Trump has taken to social media to announce that South Africa will not be allowed to attend next year’s Group of 20 (G20) intergovernmental forum in Miami, Florida.

In Wednesday’s post, Trump renewed false claims that a white “genocide” was unfolding in the African country.

He also repeated his threat that South Africa would no longer receive funding from the US, a policy he put in place earlier this year.

“South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere,” Trump wrote. “We are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”

The message on Truth Social was the latest escalation in Trump’s ongoing feud with South Africa, a country he has accused of “shocking disregard” for the rights of white Afrikaners.

Human rights experts agree there is no basis for Trump’s claims of an Afrikaner genocide.

Yet, Trump has repeatedly cited such claims as he puts pressure on the government of his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. He has also blamed the media for failing to carry his message.

“The South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human Right [sic] Abuses endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers,” Trump wrote on Wednesday.

“To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them. Perhaps, worst of all, the soon to be out of business New York Times and the Fake News Media won’t issue a word against this genocide.”

Passing the gavel

Trump’s latest comments come after an awkward diplomatic incident over the weekend, one that highlighted the increasingly fractious nature of US-South African relations.

In recent decades, the two countries have enjoyed largely amicable ties.

The US is South Africa’s second largest single-country trading partner, behind China, and business between the two countries is valued at approximately $26.2bn, as of 2024.

But last weekend’s G20 summit in the South African city of Johannesburg signalled how dramatically the relationship between the two countries had changed.

The summit was a big deal for Africa as a whole: It was the first time the continent had hosted the G20 leaders.

But while the US is typically a major presence at the G20, this time, the Trump administration decided to boycott the proceedings. Not only did Trump refuse to attend, but he also declined to send any top officials from Washington, DC, to the event.

“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” he wrote in a post on November 7.

“No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.”

The G20 has traditionally been a meeting ground for leaders from the European Union, the African Union and other major world economies to discuss technology, environmental initiatives and shared financial growth.

Next year, the summit is scheduled to take place in Miami. Traditionally, the host of the G20 summit closes the meeting by banging a gavel and then passing the little wooden hammer to officials from the next country to hold the meeting.

But on Sunday, Ramaphosa did not pass the gavel to anyone.

Trump confirmed reports on Wednesday that he had offered to send a member of the US Embassy to accept the gavel, but that the offer had been rejected by Ramaphosa’s administration as a slight.

“At the conclusion of the G20, South Africa refused to hand off the G20 Presidency to a Senior Representative from our U.S. Embassy, who attended the Closing Ceremony,” Trump wrote. “Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20.”

Heightened tensions

Ramaphosa largely avoided addressing the US absence during the G20 conference, instead underscoring his push for global unity and efforts to combat inequality.

“Our G20 Presidency has been rooted in the conviction that the world needs more solidarity, equality and sustainability,” Ramaphosa wrote on social media on Tuesday.

“While some have sought to create division and polarisation between nations, we have reinforced our shared humanity. We have fostered collaboration and goodwill. Above all, we have affirmed that our shared goals outweigh our differences.”

The increasingly hostile relations between South Africa and the US began early in Trump’s second term as president.

On February 7, Trump issued an executive action denouncing South Africa for alleged human rights abuses against white Afrikaners and saying that all aid and assistance to the country would stop.

As of fiscal year 2023, US assistance to South Africa totalled approximately $441.3m, according to government statistics. In fiscal year 2024, which is only partially reported at present, the total rose to approximately $581m.

In February’s order, Trump also directed US government agencies to assist in the resettlement of Afrikaners as “refugees” in the US.

He doubled down on that call in late October, when he set the lowest cap on refugee admissions in US history.

Of the 7,500 available refugee slots, the Trump administration called for the majority to be “allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa” and other “victims of illegal or unjust discrimination”.

In May, Trump also hosted Ramaphosa at the White House, where he attempted to confront the South African leader with accusations of genocide in his country. Some critics have compared the meeting to an “ambush”.

Ramaphosa, for his part, has repeatedly denied the accusations. When asked by reporters about the US boycotting the G20 this year, he said bluntly, “Their absence is their loss.”