The 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) officially began on July 23rd, with a 7-day film showing at GSC MyTown from July 24th to July 30th. The opening ceremony was staged in magnificent style at LaLaport BBCC, MIFFest’s supporting venue partner.
Various intriguing film festival activities were announced at the ceremony. Apart from film screenings, MIFFest is organizing two masterclasses for director Johnnie To (1:30 PM on July 29th) and director Ryuichi Hiroki (July 25th at 2:00 PM), to impart their insightful knowledge to the audience, film enthusiasts and aspiring filmmakers through the masterclasses.
The most anticipated lineup every year is undoubtedly the selection of screening films of the year, MIFFest has curated 40 superb and excellent films from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Iran, France, India, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey, and other regions for the festival audience. The lineup is impressive and splendidly which included ‘My Small Land’ by Emma Kawawada, ‘Let the Dance Begin’ by Marina Seresesky, ‘Snow and the Bear’ by Selcen Ergun, ‘The Sunny Side of the Street by Lau Kok Rui, ‘Plan 75‘ by Chie Hayakawa, ’Iron Mask’ by Kim Sung Hwan, ‘Hong Kong Family’ by Eric Tsang, and ‘2 Women’ by Ryuichi Hiroki. Whereas the Malaysian local film lineup was represented by ‘Eraser’, ‘Adoiii Jiwaku!’ and ‘Shuttle Life’. MIFFest has also invited the film team to attend the post-screening sharing sessions to interact and meet with the audience to share their filmmaking journey and experience. The screening tickets of the 6th MIFFest are on sale now either at GSC MyTown ticketing counter or via the cinema’s official website https://www.gsc.com.my/film-festival/2023-miffest.
The detailed screening schedule can be found on the film festival’s official website and official social media.
The founder and president of MIFFest, Joanne Goh said, “The Malaysia International Film Festival has entered its sixth edition this year. I am very grateful and appreciative to all of you who have been with us all the way. It makes me feel extremely gratified and delighted as there are more people getting to know about MIFFest”. She also mentioned that the submission of films has increased significantly compared to the previous years, with a total of 40 films being selected to screen. In addition, Bront Palarae has served as the festival ambassador for four editions. Bront expressed his excitement that many new activities were added to MIFFest this year that raised his anticipation towards the festival programme.
MIFFest is collaborating with Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) this year for film screenings and forums. The BIFAN forum will be conducted by Kim Sung Hwan (director of ‘Iron Mask’) and Ellen Kim (Programmer of BIFAN). Additionally, the forum co-organized by TECO will be conducted by six directors: Lau Kok Ru, Jovi Lee, Fiona Roan, Chong Keat Aun, Laha Mebow, Chan Ching-Lin, and curated by Kuo Ming-Jung (the Southeast Asia and Taiwan programmer for the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight). The forum will take place on July 29th and 30th at Eslite Bookstore. In terms of film selection, TECO has selected 6 feature films and 4 short films for the festival screenings. Among them, the most anticipated Taiwanese heartwarming film of the year, ‘Day off’ is also selected in the lineup.
In addition, through the collaboration of MIFFest and BMW Shorties, BMW Shorties announced at the previous press conference that this year’s submissions have reached a record-breaking of 113 short film entries, from which they have selected 10 captivating finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be screened during the festival at GSC MyTown and MIFFest Open Air Cinema.
Moreover, in line with this year’s theme ‘NEW TAKE’, MIFFest has introduced new and diverse activities, such as the MIFFest Open Air Cinema which will be held at LaLaport Rooftop Garden, to deliver the captivating stories of local films in a lively atmosphere. The five films to be showcased at the Open Air Cinema are all the outstanding works directed by Malaysian filmmakers, including ‘Year Without a Summer’, ‘Flower in the Pocket’, ‘One Two Jaga’, ‘The Tiger Factory’ and ‘Jagat’. Audiences can catch up with these five acclaimed local films from 24th to 28th July at LaLaport Rooftop Garden. To enhance the enjoyment of the outdoor cinema experience, the festival has also co-organized the first ever MIFFest Marketplace, taking place from 22nd to 30th, which has attracted diverse vendors to join the festival. The detailed screening schedule is available on the film festival’s official website and official social media.
‘Eraser’ marks the opening of the film festival, while ‘See You at the Rally’ serves as the closing film
This year, the Malaysia International Film Festival proudly presents the film ‘Eraser’, directed by Malaysian director, Mark Lee See Teck. It serves as the opening film of the year and holds a significant tribute and commemorative value as it also marks the final work of the late actress Adibah Noor. The film depicts the journey of a broken family surviving in a situation of different cultural beliefs. This film will make its premiere at a film festival and on cinema screens. Director Mark Lee See Teck, along with the casts including Namron, Angela Chan, Alyssa Lee and Dhiya Ariffin attended the screening and shared their filming experiences. The director also shared about how the film started as a short film and it developed into a feature film. Additionally, one of the main cast members, Namron revealed his most memorable scene during the filming and shared some interesting moments.
Beside, ‘See You at the Rally’ directed by a Taiwanese director, Kanny Chang, will be screened as the closing film of the festival. The movie tells the story of middle-aged lame father Zhou Da Long, his 10-year-old son Dong Dong, and the former champion racer Ah Jun, who enters their lives by chance. Director Kanny Chang skillfully takes us into the thrilling world of racing, where passion and determination collide in the film. The captivating story emphasizes values of resilience, perseverance, and never giving up on dreams. In a world where dreams are challenged, ‘See You at the Rally’ serves as a powerful value to never surrendering. The lead actors James Wen and Jack Tan will also participate in the post-screening sharing session, to share their unforgettable moments at the filming set.
Lastly, the 6th Malaysia Golden Global Awards ceremony will take place on 29th July at Zepp Kuala Lumpur, at 8 PM. The ceremony will be live-streaming on RTM TV2 channel, MIFFest’s official Facebook page, and MIFFest TikTok account, and a delayed broadcast on Viu TV HK.
Please visit the festival’s official website miffest.com.my , official Facebook and Instagram pages for further details about the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival.