Entertainment News | Singapore Submits Yeo Siew Hua Directorial 'Stranger Eyes' as Oscar Contender for Best International Feature

Singapore City [Singapore], September 19 (ANI): Singapore has selected 'Stranger Eyes' as its official submission for the 98th Academy Awards' best international feature film category, the Singapore Film Commission has revealed, reported Variety.

The surveillance thriller, written and directed by Yeo Siew Hua, made history as the first Singaporean film selected for the main competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it world premiered at the 81st edition, according to the outlet.

Also Read | Bigg Boss 19: Amaal Mallik Breaks Down After Nomination Task Strains Bond With Baseer Ali, Tanya Mittal Turns Counsellor.

The atmospheric psychological drama explores themes of surveillance, grief and identity. This marks Yeo's second Oscar submission following 'A Land Imagined,' which won the Golden Leopard at Locarno and represented Singapore in 2018, reported Variety.

"It's a real honour to represent Singapore again for a second time since my previous film," said Yeo.

Also Read | 'Why Am I Not in This Photo': Ananya Panday Reacts As Shanaya Kapoor Shares Candid Moment With Suhana and Aryan Khan at 'The Ba*ds of Bollywood' Premiere.

"Thank you to all who have given me this opportunity to explore how we are looking at each other through this film. It is important to keep our stories alive and to continue to tell stories that matter," added Yeo as quoted by Variety.

According to the outlet, 'Stranger Eyes' is an international co-production involving companies from Singapore, Taiwan, France and the U.S., including Akanga Film Asia, Volos Films, Films de Force Majeure and Cinema Inutile.

Following Venice, the film opened both the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival in 2024. Playtime handles international sales, while Film Movement is releasing in the U.S.

Producer Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia said: "We started developing 'Stranger Eyes' 10 years ago and couldn't have achieved this great privilege to be Singapore's Oscars representative without the belief and support of the IMDA and SFC as well as our coproduction partners. We're proud that a multinational film like 'Stranger Eyes,' reflecting Singapore's precious diversity, can showcase our nation's plurality on the world stage," as quoted by Variety.

Yvonne Tang, assistant chief executive at IMDA, highlighted the film's international reach, noting it has screened in over 10 territories and reflects the growing strength of Made-with-Singapore productions alongside nine other films that premiered at major festivals including Cannes, Toronto and Busan this year. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)