Local film Stranger Eyes shortlisted for prestigious Golden Lion award at Venice International Film Festival

Local director Yeo Siew Hua's new film Stranger Eyes is set to premiere at the main competition of the Venice International Film Festival 2024 and has been shortlisted for the Golden Lion award.

It's the first Singaporean film to be nominated for the top honour at the festival.

Stranger Eyes is a thriller following Darren, played by Wu Chien-ho (Days We Stared at the Sun, The Last Thieves) whose baby daughter has gone missing. He receives voyeuristic videos from someone who has been filming their daily life and suspects that his neighbour Goh, played by Lee Kang-sheng (Stray Dogs, What Time Is It There?) is behind the disappearance.

It also stars Anicca Panna and Xenia Tan.

Stranger Eyes faces steep competition against 20 other titles including Joker: Folie a Deux directed by Todd Phillips, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, a sequel to the 2019 film which won the Golden Lion that year.

Other shortlisted films include Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino starring Daniel Craig and Maria, directed by Pablo Larrain and starring Angelina Jolie.

Siew Hua, 39, previously won the Golden Leopard Award with his second feature film A Land Imagined (2018) at the Locarno Film Festival and Best Asian Feature Film at the Singapore International Film Festival.

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Don't Cry Butterly, produced by Tan Si-En of Momo Film Co and directed by Duong Dieu Linh, is also headed to Venice to compete in the independent Venice Critics' Week, which showcases debut films from up-and-coming directors.

It follows a housewife, Tam, who discovers her husband's infidelity on national television and turns to magic to regain his affections.

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Both films received support from the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)'s Long-form Content Grant - Go Global and Southeast Asia (SEA) Co-Production Grant under the Media Talent Progression Programme.

According to Variety, France's Aide aux Cinemas du monde (CNC), the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), and Purin Pictures (Thailand) also provided support to Stranger Eyes.

It also won the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) Fiction Award 2020.

 

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drimac@asiaone.com

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