It seems the film festival dry spell has passed—between Indignation’s queer film festival and Films at the Fort, there’s just not enough time to watch everything. But having more options never hurt anyone, we think. If your September calendar is looking sparse, mark it down to attend Malaysian Film Festival happening from Sep 28-30 at The Arts House to celebrate the very best of Malaysian cinema, here in Singapore.
Returning after it’s inaugural run last year, the festival’s lineup is curated by veteran Malaysian filmmaker Hassan Muthalib, fondly recgonized as the Father of Malaysian Animation. This year, the six films featured have a good mix of action, comedy, horror and drama. Award-winning drama film You Mean The World To Me follows the life of filmmaker Sunny, whose filmmaking ends up becoming a cathartic exercise to purge his anger and guilt as he discovers the true meaning of love and family. Another strongly family-oriented film is Aasaan (The Professor), whose title character gives his all to ensure the survival of his daughter, after a tragic car crash caused the death of his wife. Wanna learn more about the history of one of Singapore’s (or Malaysia’s) favorite dishes? Comedy film Nasi Lemak 2.0 will also be playing—depicting a struggling chef who, with the help of a hawker stall lady, has a self-enlightening experience to re-discover the real hidden message of Nasi Lemak.
Adrenaline junkies will appreciate the short lineup of action movies; Mrs K is a housewife forced out of her sheltered life to save her daughter who’s become entangled in her past (think the Taken franchise) while Leburaya Ke Neraka is centered around a group of bikers who go on a high-speed, cross-country road trip to Bentong Siam; only to find themselves in the underworld of hell instead. Continuing the season of halloween horrors, Haunted Hotel will satisfy your appetite for a tourists-unknowingly-stay-in-a-haunted-house-and-try-to-escape type of film.
Malaysian Film Festival will be happening from Sep 28-30 at The Arts House. You can purchase tickets here and find more information here.
