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The 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) opened on the evening of 28 November, setting the stage for a vibrant celebration of Asian cinema. Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, the evening saw the Southeast Asian premiere of Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua‘s award-winning psychological thriller Stranger Eyes, marking the first of 105 films from over 48 countries — 80% of which are from Asia — to be showcased during the festival.

The evening’s red carpet was graced by Guest of Honour President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Distinguished Guest Minister Josephine Teo, as well as Stranger Eyes director Yeo Siew Hua and cast members Lee Kang-sheng, Wu Chien-ho, and Xenia Tan. Lee was also honoured with the festival’s Screen Icon Award, which pays homage to an actor’s exceptional contributions to bringing Asian stories to life on screen.

Other stars, including Sgiff’s inaugural festival ambassador Mediacorp Artiste Rebecca Lim, and the Small Hours of the Night team,...

This article contains discussions of sexual assault.

If there's one thing Stephen King knows pretty well, it's villains. The prolific horror author has been writing basically nonstop since he released "Carrie," his debut novel, back in 1974, and his work has been endlessly adapted for both the big and small screen. In 2009, he even compiled a list of his favorite villains that he didn't create, and it's a pretty solid rundown — which certainly isn't surprising.

From literary icons to on-screen favorites to a villain with a confusingly familiar name — I'll clarify that whole thing when we arrive at that point — here are Stephen King's top ten villains of all time, whom he ranked for Entertainment Weekly at the close of the aughts. King ranked his top 10 from "least villainous" to "most villainous," apparently, so we've preserved that order here.

Read more: The 50 Scariest Horror Movie Monsters Ranked

Max Cady From Cape Fear...

The 35th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup, which features 105 films from 45 countries, with 80% of the selections hailing from Asia.

Held from 28 November to 8 December, the festival will hold special gala presentations for two films, The Fable and The Unseen Sister, with selected talents from each film in attendance.

International highlights this year include the horror-comedy Nightbitch featuring Amy Adams, The Shrouds by David Cronenberg, Grand Tour by Cannes-award winning director Miguel Gomes, and a newly restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s debut feature Barking Dogs Never Bite, which will have its international premiere at Sgiff.

The festival will also present the Screen Icon Award, which recognises exceptional Asian talents, to Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng.

For the first time, each festival section will have an opening film that embodies the spirit of its category, with all of them hail from the Asian region.

Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has unveiled the full programme for its 35th edition, which includes honorary awards for Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei, and the launch of a Sgiff Industry Days conference.

Set to run from November 28 - December 8, the festival will continue to champion local and regional voices, with Asian cinema representing 80% of the line-up. The full selection comprises 105 films from 45 countries and features recurring themes of migration and displacement as well as the influence of technology on the medium of film.

The Asian Feature Film Competition, the festival’s main competition section, showcases nine features by promising directors across Asia,...

Nine years after making “Thithi,” one of my favorite Indian films of the 2010s, Raam Reddy is back with “The Fable,” set in a place that couldn’t be further away from the setup of his first film. Nestled deep in the Himalayas, formally set in 1989, “The Fable” retains the timeless nature in its setup, which is typical of the fables. It is shot in film, which only helps to further the cause. The magnificent opening scene sets the tone of the magic realism which is set to follow. Using fireflies as a constant motif, which in many cultures has a supernatural significance, only heightens the sense of magic realism.

But beyond the surface of magic realism, “The Fable” very meticulously examines the underlying tension between different classes in the village. Dev’s (Manoj Bajpayee) family are the owners of the apple estate, handed to them by the colonial rulers of the country.

Indian powerhouse producer Guneet Monga Kapoor has boarded Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai’s short film “Anuja” as executive producer. The film recently qualified for Academy Awards consideration after winning Best Live Action Short at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival.

The film centers on nine-year-old Anuja, who must choose between education and factory work alongside her sister – a decision that will shape both their futures. Adding authenticity to the narrative, lead actress Sajda Pathan draws from her own experiences of surviving on the streets of old Delhi before finding support through the Salaam Baalak Trust (Sbt), a nonprofit founded by Mira Nair’s family.

The project brings together an unique creative team. Writer-director Graves, a philosopher-turned-filmmaker with a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, collaborated with his wife Mattai, an established visual artist whose works are featured in major museums including Crystal Bridges and the Denver Art Museum.

“Filmmakers Adam J.

Amit Dutta’s hand-drawn animation “Rhythm of a Flower” (Phool Ka Chand) has won the Mami Mumbai Film Festival’s Golden Gateway Award, the event’s top accolade.

The film is a biopic chronicling the twilight years of Indian classical singer Kumar Gandharva. Dutta is an auteur whose works have been frequently shown at the Venice, Rotterdam, Berlin and Jeonju film festivals.

Anupama Srinivasan and Anirban Dutta’s documentary on Himalayan moths, “Nocturnes,” won the festival’s Silver Gateway Award. The film previously won awards at Sundance and Thessaloniki.

Raam Reddy’s “The Fable,” starring Manoj Bajpayee, which chronicles the unravelling of a family after a series of mysterious fires, won the festival’s Special Jury Prize. The film debuted at the Berlinale and is on a global festival run that also includes Valladolid’s Seminci.

Another Sundance winner, Shuchi Talati’s coming-of-age drama “Girls Will Be Girls,” headlined by Kani Kusruti,...

On Day 3, spectacular films and hidden gems from World Cinema, Restored Classics, South Asia Competition, Gala Premieres, and other sections were screened. The highlights of the day were:

There was a special screening of Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial Arth at Mami, honoring Shabana Azmi for her 50 glorious years in cinema. During the opening ceremony, she received the Excellence in Cinema Award.

Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a fashionable filmmaker, is married to Pooja (Shabana Azmi) when he starts an affair with film star Kavita (Smita Patil). Pooja leaves him and experiences the social insecurities of a single working woman. Her dilemmas are highlighted by the parallel story of her cleaning lady (Hattangadi), Arth is the story of this woman’s search for her identity.

The Fable, directed by Raam Reddy and starring Manoj Bajpayee, premiered at the Mami Mumbai Film Festival. Manoj Bajpayee, Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, and Raam Reddy attended the screening.

Acclaimed Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee is experiencing continued success with a variety of widely acclaimed projects. He currently stars in the thriller film “Despatch” and the popular Prime Video series “The Family Man,” which enters its third season. Additionally, Bajpayee’s latest film “The Fable” has screened at several prestigious international film festivals.

“The Fable” tells the story of a family living on an orchard estate in the Himalayas. Strange fires start occurring and call into question the family’s true identities. Bajpayee plays the lead role of Dev, who finds himself internally conflicted between material and spiritual goals. He said the character’s struggle resonated deeply with him during a time of personal spiritual transition. Bajpayee faced the difficult task of conveying Dev’s emotional journey through silence and facial expressions alone.

In “Despatch,” Bajpayee portrays a tabloid journalist grappling with digitalization and a mid-life crisis. He praised the...

Manoj Bajpayee, known as one of India’s finest actors, is riding high on the festival circuit with “The Fable,” which debuted at the Berlinale and is now heading to Valladolid’s Seminci and the Mami Mumbai Film Festival.

The film follows a happy family led by Dev (Bajpayee), who live as owners of a vast Himalayan orchard estate until a series of mysterious fires bring into question who they really are. Directed by Raam Reddy (Locarno winner “Thithi”), the film resonated with Bajpayee during a time of personal transition.

“This was the film that happened to me just when I was transitioning into a more spiritual realm of life, and my mind was in no mood to get stuck into this ambition mode and the goal mode,” Bajpayee tells Variety. “It is something that I have been searching for for many years.”

The actor found an immediate connection to his character,...

Mumbai Film Festival has announced the 11 titles selected for its South Asia competition, the main competitive section of the festival, which includes the UK’s Oscars submission, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, making its South Asian premiere.

The line-up also includes Nepal’s Oscars submission, Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala, along with one other Nepali title – Deepak Rauniyar’s Pooja, Sir – and Bhutanese title Agent Of Happiness, directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo.

Indian titles in the competition include Rima Das’ Village Rockstars 2, which recently won a Jiseok award at Busan International Film Festival; multiple award-winner Girls Will Be Girls, by Shuchi Talati; Raam Reddy’s The Fable and Midhun Murali’s Kiss Wagon (see full line-up below).

The non competitive Focus South Asia section is screening ten features and 13 shorts, including a title from Afghanistan – Roya Sadat’s The Sharp Edge Of Peace – and a short film from Myanmar,...

Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “All We Imagine as Light” will kick off the Mami Mumbai Film Festival’s 2024 edition, while Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or recipient “Anora” will close the festival.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio is no longer the title sponsor and, consequently, this year’s edition is a shortened version running from Oct. 19-24. The festival is led this year by renowned archivist and filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

The festival issued an open letter stating: “This year marks a period of transition for us, where Mami has no title sponsor. While we have had to adjust to the challenges that come with such a shift, we are proud to announce that we’ve put together an exciting edition of the festival.”

“Now more than ever, we need the goodwill and encouragement of our audience. We ask for your patience and understanding as we bring...

In recent years, anime as a genre has grown tremendously and is considered to be the new cool. With tons of shows to choose from that will make you laugh, cry, or something that will make you sit at the edge of your seat whilst biting your nails in anticipation, the choices are just endless.

A still from My Hero Academia. Credits: Studio Bones

It looks like Disney has finally understood that people have grown bored of superhero fever and have decided to jump into the trend of making anime. The organization had shared a title that surely added to its popularity. After all, it was based on a best-selling manga.

The project is called The Fable, and it is based on the manga of the same name that has taken the world by storm. Safe to say, the project is a success for it helped them capture the Asian...

Akira Satou is no ordinary man. Under the alias “Fable,” he’s spent years moving stealthily through the shadows of the Japanese underworld. Few can match his lethal efficiency and calm precision. When targets need eliminating without a trace, international kingpins know to call on Fable. But after his latest mission pushes his body count too high, even those hidden puppet masters decide it’s time for a change.

Fable’s boss tells him to disappear for a year, shedding his notorious identity. In Osaka, Akira will pose as an everyday citizen under police watch. Any slip that reveals his real work means death for him and his partner, Yoko. It’s an unthinkable task for a man so talented at ending lives. Can someone trained since childhood to thrive in danger truly blend in as plain old Akira? And will the streets of Osaka remain quiet if this “killer whale” swims their waters unchecked?...

As the hitman drama series heads into its secound cour, the official website and accounts for The Fable anime revealed a brand-new trailer and visual, along with incoming cast members and theme song details. As previewed below, Umeda Cypher performs "Switch" for the next opening theme and Ali performs "Beyond feat. MaRI" for the ending theme. Main Visual The newly announced cast members are as follows: Rei Utsubo voiced by Shinsu Fuji Hinako Saba voiced by Chika Anzai Hiroshi Suzuki voiced by Takehito Koyasu Tsutomu Isaki voiced by Yoshihiro Kanemitsu The Fable Cour 2 cast Related: The Fable Anime Releases Creditless Opening Theme Video Based on the manga by Katsuhisa Minami, The Fable is directed by Ryosuke Takahashi ( Armored Tropper Votoms ) at studio Tezuka Productions, with series composition by Yuya Takashima, character designs by Kyuma Oshita and Saki Hasegawa and music by Shuichiro Fukuhiro. Disney+ is streaming the series worldwide and...

During recent years, an effort in the Japanese movie industry to come up with action movies of quality have become quite intense, with films like “Baby Assassin” and “The Fable” being some of the most notable. Isao Yukisada attempts his hand in probably the entry with the biggest budget in the category, with “Revolver Lily” also implementing the current favorite of ‘girls-with-guns' trope.

Revolver Lily is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The story is based on the homonymous novel by Kyo Nagaura, and takes place in 1924. Yuri, an ex-assassin who seems to have carried out 57 assassinations in the past, has now gone underground and runs a small bar in Tokyo. While there, she stumbles upon Shinta, an orphan whose family has been murdered, and his father has employed him to find her, just before he died. The teenage boy seems to hold the key to a large sum of...

Forget loud jokes, The Fable's dry humor and sharp dialogue are a hit with adult comedy fans. Crime setting meets deadpan delivery in this anime, making it a stand-out in the genre. The Fable's unique comedic flair blends absurdity with restraint, creating a sleeper hit for anime fans.

Comedy fans shouldn't sleep on The Fable, the deadpan crime tale currently streaming on Hulu. While other anime tend to focus on loud exclamations or exaggerated expressions to sell their jokes, these misadventures of a hitman-in-hiding rely on sharp dialogue and good timing instead. This matches perfectly with its origins as a seinen manga: being aimed at an older audience, The Fable shows a mastery of adult comedy.

Many anime have a particular cadence to their jokes, none of which are found in The Fable. Instead, the understated artwork and delivery of the punchlines take full advantage of its crime setting.

Finishing the job with a bang(er), a creditless version of The Fable 's ending theme sequence featuring "Odd Numbers" by hip-hop group Umeda Cypher is now available to watch below. Related: The Fable Anime Releases Creditless Opening Theme Video Based on the manga by Katsuhisa Minami, The Fable is directed by Ryosuke Takahashi ( Armored Tropper Votoms ) at studio Tezuka Productions, with series composition by Yuya Takashima, character designs by Kyuma Oshita and Saki Hasegawa and music by Shuichiro Fukuhiro. Disney+ is streaming the series worldwide and describes the story: How is the most talented genius assassin ever not supposed to kill anyone? Specially trained since he was a child to be a hitman, the invincible killing genius known as Fable can eradicate any opponent in six seconds or less. But then, one day, the boss of the organization suddenly orders him not to kill anyone for a year, and to live an ordinary life.