Singapore/Jakarta. This year's Singapore Media Festival or SMF, held from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, gathered more than 20,000 media and creative industry professionals and attracted record-breaking attendance and transactions in its constituent events.

The 28th Singapore International Film Festival, also held under SMF, drew more than 14,000 festival goers to watch 112 feature and short films from 42 countries.

Another success marked the Asian TV Forum and Market and ScreenSingapore, which this year showcased 24 official pavilions representing different countries.

Both events ended with an estimated $289 million in deals, a significant increase from last year's $244 million.

Indonesian Highlights

Indonesia became the festival's first country of focus, as this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Indonesia-Singapore diplomatic ties.

More than 120 Indonesian delegates and 50 companies participated in the festival, and many of them received recognition during the event.

Award-winning Indonesian actress Marsha Timothy sat on the jury for the Silver Screen Awards of the  Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, and pop singer Afgansyah Reza performed during the Asian Television Awards.

Makbul Mubarak's "The Malediction" won the Special Mention Award in the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, while legendary filmmaker Garin Nugroho received the Honorary Award for his contribution to the Southeast Asian cinema.

Sports television host Pangeran Siahaan won the Best Sports Presenter/Commentator Award, while media tycoon Chairul Tandjung was recognized in the Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television category.

A key partnership reached during the event was an agreement between the Indonesian Film Council (BPI) and the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) to jointly promote the film and entertainment, digital and media production industries in the region and abroad.