Painting with Light

Step into a world where art meets film at Painting with Light National Gallery Singapore’s signature film festival dedicated to the study and showcase of moving image art in Singapore Southeast Asia and beyond. Returning in a biennial format across 11 days the festival’s 6th edition will present over 50 features and shorts ranging from powerful artist films to newly restored classics. Audiences are invited on a cinematic journey through key moments in art history as they dream connect and better understand one another through the evolving language of moving image art across the region. 

From 4 to 14 September 2025 visitors can immerse themselves in thought provoking cinema thematically curated across genres and formats. Don’t miss the debut of newly commissioned and rediscovered works including We Are Toast a live cinema performance by Singapore artists Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen and a rare 4K restoration of Footages (1978) a long-lost film by pioneering Philippine artist Pandy Aviado recovered in collaboration with award-winning film laboratory L’Immagine Ritrovata. This year’s festival will also open with the Singapore premiere of Magellan (2025) a critically-acclaimed historical epic by renowned Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz. Visitors may catch screenings of the film during the opening weekend and visit the website for more details. 

The public can also mingle over free films at the Painting with Light’s very own Festival Lounge where an assortment of light bites and drinks will be available for purchase. Tickets for Painting with Light start from $10 with concession rates available. General Admission or All Access Pass is required for selected screenings including the daily screenings of Southeast Asian Shorts. Closing night tickets are priced at $20 and include drinks and light bites.

From bold experimental films and thoughtful social commentaries to critically-acclaimed films making their Singapore premiere Painting with Light promises an unforgettable glimpse into the multifaceted world of moving image art through the lens of Southeast Asia.

*Tickets will be available from 11 August onwards

Host or Publisher National Gallery Singapore