5 Oct – What better place to celebrate the 15th anniversary of two iconic Singaporean films than at the 28th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)? Announced through SGIFF's Facebook, this year's festival will honour Jack Neo's "I Not Stupid" and "Talking Cock the Movie", by husband and wife Colin Goh and Joyceln Woo, by showcasing both movies under the Singapore Panorama section. Released in 2002, both timeless classics cleverly captured their originality and confidence as they poke good-natured fun at Singaporeans, their obsessions and local politics – an uncommon cinematic approach at that time. A major box office success with international praises, "I Not Stupid" focuses on the lives of three Primary 6 boys in the academically inferior EM3 stream, while "Talking Cock the Movie" is based on its titular website and features a compilation of short stories, each satirising local affair and politics.
The festival this year will also feature a Classics program titled "Secret Spies Never Die!", showcasing Asian spy-genre movies between 1950s and 1980s. Its lineup include "The Hand of Fate" from Korean director Hang Hyeong-mo, Singapore's "Gerak Kilat" by Jamil Sulong and the first Australian-Hong Kong co-production "The Man from Hong Kong". SGIFF 2017 will take place from 23 November till 3 December across various venues such as Marina Bay Sands, Shaw Theatres Lido, and National Gallery Singapore.