Singapore International Film Festival co-founder Geoffrey T. Malone has died

Geoffrey T. Malone, the co-founder of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), has died.

Per a Straits Times report, Malone died on Thursday (February 17) after a long illness at the age of 79. Besides co-founding the SGIFF, Malone was the architect behind Singapore’s first multiplex, the Golden Village Yishun 10.

Prior to starting the SGIFF, the Australian architect and actor starred in two Australian New Wave films in the ‘70s – acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir’s debut feature Homesdale (1971) and The Cars That Ate Paris (1974).

Geoffrey T. Malone was inspired to start the SGIFF back in 1986 after attending the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Francisco, in order to give audiences “a chance to watch films that they wouldn’t usually be able to see in a cinema here,” he told the Straits Times that year.

The inaugural SGIFF – then known as SIFF – took place in February 1987, led by the organisers of the Mill Valley Film Festival, with Malone helming a local committee and self-funding a portion of the project in subsequent years.

The SGIFF has now hosted 32 editions, becoming the longest running film festival in Singapore. Its latest edition took place in November and December 2021, showcasing over 100 films from over 40 countries.

Following the news of Malone’s passing, several of Malone’s colleagues and friends have paid tribute to the late film festival pioneer.

The SGIFF wrote on Facebook: “May Geoff rest in peace knowing his light still shines with the festival as it continues to hold steadfast to ignite deeper appreciation of cinematic culture as he had once envisioned.”

In a statement to the Straits Times, local filmmaker Eric Khoo said: “He was truly passionate when it came to cinema and was very supportive of Singapore film-makers. As a film buff, I owe a lot to the father of the festival. Without the festival, I doubt I would have become a film-maker.”

SGIFF chairman and filmmaker Boo Junfeng added:”It’s never easy starting something out of nothing. Geoff and the other founding members of the film festival created a platform from which so many film-makers have benefited. I feel indebted to what he has helped make possible.”

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