THE Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) gave a hint of its delectable line-up this year with the announcement of its first two offerings. Both Eric Khoo's Mee Pok Man and Yonfan's Bugis Street will make a comeback to the big screen under the fest's Classics segment.

"Mee Pok Man and Bugis Street are two classics that not just tell a Singapore story, but also reflect a milestone of an era for our filmmaking industry," says SGIFF executive director Yuni Hadi. Both works incidentally celebrate their 20th anniversaries this year and were made during a time when the industry was undergoing a resurgence after a decade of lull in the eighties.

Ms Hadi adds the films have also been instrumental in paving the way for the "rich cinematic culture" local filmgoers enjoy today. "They have inspired bolder voices since their premieres in 1995 and are exemplary of the quality storytelling our filmmakers are capable of."