National Gallery Singapore’s annual film festival returns with restored classics, new commissions and Southeast Asian gems

National Gallery Singapore’s annual film festival, Painting with Light, returns for its sixth edition with over 45 feature-length and short films. Dedicated to international cinema with a strong emphasis on the arts, this year’s festival presents newly commissioned works, restored classics, and a debut Festival Lounge.

Opening the programme is Magellan (2025) by Filipino director Laz Diaz. Premiered at the Festival de Cannes and chosen as the Philippines’ official submission to the 2026 Oscars, the film follows Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and is set to provoke reflection on dominant historical narratives and the enduring legacies of colonialism.

The festival is organised into several sections. “Artist Films” highlights independently produced feature-length works and experimental documentaries by Southeast Asian artists from the 1960s and 70s. In “Art History, co-authored.” attention shifts to lesser known films in Southeast Asia, including Turang (1957) by Bachtiar Siagian — an Indonesian classic long thought lost until a digital copy was discovered in a Russian film archive in 2023. Its screening will be followed by a dialogue with the director’s daughter, Bunga Siagian.

“Special Focus” shines a spotlight on pioneering women filmmakers and artists advocating for politics of care, while “Southeast Asian Shorts” presents daily free screenings of regional short films for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Complementing this is “Movement Pieces,” a free series of short, wordless films exploring storytelling beyond language.

The programme also features Exhibition Readings, where films in dialogue with the gallery’s ongoing exhibitions are screened. To deepen these connections, visitors can join specially curated tours designed to bridge on-screen narratives with the artworks on display.

Additionally, this year the festival also debuts a Festival Lounge at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer. Festival attendees are encouraged to spend time in the lounge and connect with other cinephiles and industry professionals.

Closing the festival is We Are Toast (2025), a live cinema performance by Singaporean artists Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen. Using film loops treated with coffee, pandan leaves, and coconut milk, the work reimagines the image of kaya toast as a meditation on culture, identity, and evolving social realities.

Carefully curated to inspire reflection and dialogue, the festival aligns with the Gallery’s mission to connect Singapore art with global perspectives.

“This year’s festival continues the Gallery’s mission to reimagine Southeast Asian art by exploring the many ways film can spark fresh perspectives on the region and the world,” said Seng Yu Jin, Senior Curator and Director, Curatorial, Research & Exhibitions at National Gallery Singapore. “Our line-up features outstanding works by regional filmmakers that draw on Southeast Asia’s art history and reflect on the social and political issues shaping our time.”

“We invite audiences to discover the moving image as an inspiring, accessible and powerful way to reflect on our shared experiences and connect with each other.”

The festival runs from Sep 4 – 14.