Vision International Film Festival

Happening in Singapore and Malaysia

Dates: 20 August 2026 to 5 September 2026

Spirituality, Humanity, Virtues, Moral Characters, and Universal Values.

“Finding Courage” pulls back the veil on the much overlooked, misunderstood, and under-reported Falun Gong community, whose unexpected persistence for religious freedom in China has become the sharpest thorn in the side of the world’s largest dictatorship. Falun Gong (also Falun Dafa) is a Buddhist-based spiritual discipline that includes meditation and stretching exercises, and adherence to the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. Falun Gong was reportedly practiced by 100 million people in 1999.

During World War II, the sailor Anatoly and his captain, Tikhon, are captured by the Germans when they board their barge and tugboat, which is carrying a shipment of coal. The German officer leading the raid offers Anatoly – who is terrified of dying – the choice to be shot or to shoot Tikhon and stay alive, which Anatoly takes; he shoots, and Tikhon falls overboard. The Germans blow up the ship but Anatoly is found by Russian Orthodox monks on the shore the next morning. He survives and becomes a stoker at the monastery but is perpetually overcome with guilt.

Saving Mes Aynak follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition. A Chinese state-owned mining company is closing in on the ancient site, eager to harvest $100 billion dollars worth of copper buried directly beneath the archaeological ruins. Only 10% of Mes Aynak has been excavated, though, and some believe future discoveries at the site have the potential to redefine the history of Afghanistan and the history of Buddhism itself. Qadir Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists face what seems an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and local politics to save their cultural heritage from likely erasure.

BREAKING BREAD is a documentary that explores the A-Sham Festival, a groundbreaking food festival where Arab and Jewish chefs work in tandem to create mouthwatering dishes in order to foster social change. Founded by microbiologist Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the first Muslim Israeli to win Israel’s television cooking competition, MasterChef, the action unfolds in the city of Haifa, a model of multicultural coexistence. The chefs put personal spins on traditional recipes handed down over generations - including kishek (a Syrian yogurt soup) and qatayef (a dessert served during Ramadan) - transforming flavors while political and religious differences melt away. A treat for the senses, this delectable showcase of culinary heritage gives hope to the idea that collaboration in the kitchen could be a bridge to mutual understanding and, perhaps, a first step toward a lasting peace.

“The Holy Archipelago” is the large scale film narration about the life of Solovki cloister. This land has been marked with spiritual, historical and cultural events which left a deep trace in the history and the memory of people. In this film there are regarded profound purports of existence, faith, hope and love – the questions which are so essential for every person. What is spiritual life of a man? What is religious tradition and how is it reflected in contemporary world? How does faith affect the life of people? Located on a far edge of Russia, this archipelago as fate willed has become one of the most powerful symbols of Russian spirit.

Matthew Passion is a 2023 Russian coming-of-age romantic comedy drama written and directed by Sergey Ilin. Young stars Denis Vlasenko and Valeriia Zoidova in a touching love story between a young altar boy and a daring artist.