“ Stranger Eyes ,” a feature film by Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua that examines contemporary surveillance culture, has been licensed by Playtime to several territories in advance of its global debut at the Venice Film Festival .

The film, which is in contention for the Golden Lion at Venice, centers on a young couple who are grappling with the mysterious disappearance of their baby daughter. They begin receiving strange videos, realizing that someone has been recording their daily life. The police set up surveillance around their home to catch the voyeur, but the family starts to unravel as secrets emerge under the scrutiny.

In the run up to its premiere on the Lido, the film has been sold by Playtime to Italy (Europictures), Spain (La Aventura), Baltics (A-One), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes) and Benelux (September Films).

In the film's press notes, Yeo described Singapore as the perfect setting for his story, citing its status as a “small island-state” (…) “where there is no escape from the grid, watching and being watched becomes a daily occurrence.” He also emphasizes the relevance of “Stranger Eyes” themes due to our ongoing desire for “visual consumption” which “feels both endless and isolating.”

Yeo, who previously directed the Locarno award-winning film “A Land Imagined,” shared with Variety in an interview his interest in the theme of voyeurism, explaining that “cinema has always been captivated by the concept of the voyeur, and we see many examples of this throughout film history, from Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ to Haneke and Lynch.”

“Stranger Eyes” is a collaborative effort between Singapore, Taiwan, France and the U.S. Production credits go to Fran Borgia for Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia (“A Land Imagined”, “Tiger Stripes”); Stefano Centini for Taiwan’s Volos Films (“Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” “The Settlers”); Jean-Laurent Csinidis for France’s Films de Force Majeure (”Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege,” “A Holy Family”); and Alex C. Lo for the U.S.-based Cinema Inutile (“Club Zero,” “The Settlers”).

The cast features acclaimed Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-Sheng (“What Time Is It There?”, “Days”) and Wu Chien-Ho (“A Sun”), up-and-coming actors Anicca Panna and Xenia Tan, and veterans Vera Chen (“Boluomi”) and Pete Teo (“Barbarian Invasion”).

Venice Film Festival is also featuring “The Quiet Son,” the third film by French directors Delphine and Muriel Coulin, which is in competition for the Golden Lion award.

“Stranger Eyes” premieres on Sept. 5 at Venice.