Mumbai, Sep 25: Superstar Aamir Khan is set to be honoured with the Screen Icon Award at the 37th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), where he will also attend a special 25th-anniversary screening of his Oscar-nominated film “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India”.
The actor-filmmaker will attend the screening of the 2001 period sports drama alongside its director Ashutosh Gowariker. He will also be among the speakers at the festival’s “In Conversation With” series, reported Variety.
Set in 1893, when India was ruled by the British, “Lagaan” followed the residents of a small village who, crushed under oppressive taxes imposed by a ruthless British officer, stake their fate on an unlikely game of cricket to escape the burden.
The movie, which broke all the rules of mainstream commercial cinema with its unconventional storyline, period setting of colonial India and lengthy runtime, was a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for best foreign language film at the 2002 Academy Awards but lost to Bosnian movie “No Man’s Land”.
The SGIFF, which will be held from October 21 to November 1, will feature appearances by several prominent Asian filmmakers and actors, including Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda and Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong.
The festival will open with South Korean political thriller “The Assassin(s)”, starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. Director Hur Jin-ho and cast members Shim Eun-kyung and Park Sung-hoon will attend the opening.
Kore-eda, known for films including “Nobody Knows”, “Like Father, Like Son”, “Monster” and Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters”, will receive the festival’s Cinema Honorary Award for his contribution to Asian cinema.
His latest film, “Look Back”, will have its Southeast Asian premiere at SGIFF. Adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga, the live-action film follows two girls whose shared passion for drawing manga develops into a friendship as they grow up.
The festival’s “In Conversation With” series will also feature Kore-eda, Shim, Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan and Wong.
Other filmmakers and industry figures attending the festival include South Korean filmmaker Yim Soon-rye, Japanese director Koji Fukada, cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa and Hong Kong filmmaker Jacob Cheung. (PTI)
