‘Ah Girl’ Wins Best Film at Singapore’s Silver Screen Awards as Shahrbanoo Sadat Takes Director Prize
Singaporean director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s debut feature “Ah Girl” won best film in the Asian Feature Film Competition at the Silver Screen Awards. The win recognises a film about a seven-year-old growing up in 1990s Singapore after her parents separate, and marks a major festival prize for a project first developed at SGIFF’s Southeast Asian Film Lab in 2015.
Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat won best director for “No Good Men”, set in Kabul shortly before the Taliban returned to power. The performance prize was shared by Pushpa Thing Lama for “Elephants in the Fog” and Putri Marino for “Four Seasons in Java”; Japan’s “Burn” received the Special Jury Prize. Other awards included Arief Budiman’s “Golden Island” for best Southeast Asian short and Exyl’s “Singapore God” for best Singapore short. The 37th SGIFF runs through 1 November.
In short
- “Ah Girl” won best film at Singapore’s Silver Screen Awards.
- Shahrbanoo Sadat took best director for “No Good Men”.
- The ceremony also honoured films from Nepal, Japan and Indonesia.
Explained simply
The Silver Screen Awards are part of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), which showcases films from Asia and beyond. Its Asian Feature Film Competition recognises films from across the region, while separate awards highlight Southeast Asian and Singaporean short films.
“Ah Girl” is the first feature by Singaporean director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla. It follows a seven-year-old in 1990s Singapore as she grows up after her parents separate; the project began at SGIFF’s Southeast Asian Film Lab, which supports film development.
The other named filmmakers and performers come from several countries, reflecting the festival’s regional reach. The awards recognise work in different roles, including directing, acting and short-film making.