The competition section of this year's Singapore International Film Festival, known as the Silver Screen Awards, has rounded up a broad cross-section of Asian cinema including Fruit Chan's Hollywood Hong Kong, South Korea's popular festival runner Camel(s), Seafood from China, the three hour epic from the Philippines Batang West Side and A Woman's Work from Japan's Otani Kentaro.

The main festival programme runs from April 11 when it opens with Kandahar until What Time Is It There closes the festival on April 27. More than 390 films from over 40 countries will be screened over the 17 days.

Highlights of the World Programme include The Man Who Wasn't There, Hotel, No Man's Land and One Fine Spring Day. The Singapore film TalkingCock - The Movie produced in collaboration with Singapore's satirical website www.talkingcock.com, will have its world charity premiere on April 19.

Other special events are: a special focus on animated films including the veteran Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka, and a tribute to the 1960's Thai director Ratana Pestonji.