Just when we thought we’ve rounded up all the film festivals you should catch in the coming weeks, this happens. Not that we’re complaining. Happening at the end of August is the inaugural Malaysian Film Festival, held over four days from Aug 31-Sep 3 at the Old Parliament House to celebrate some of the best in Malaysian cinema.
Curated by veteran Malaysian filmmaker Hassan Muthalib, who has been in the industry for the past 50 years and highly regarded as the father of Malaysian animation after directing the popular Sang Kancil & Silat Legenda, the festival will showcase a total of seven feature films and nine animation shorts.
Highlights include the lauded and hard-hitting Tamil film Jagat, which uncovers the situation of Indian Malaysians during the early ’90s through the story of a 12-year-old boy and his relationships with his dad and two uncles (a former drug addict and a local gangster); Redha, a moving depiction of parents who are having a tough time raising their only son who happens to be autistic; and Adiwiraku, which is based on the true story of a teacher and her struggles and success of teaching in a rural school in Kedah, underlining various social problems and poverty that ultimately rob young Malaysians from getting a proper education.
Like most festivals, this one’s not just about the films. There’ll also be a host of post-screening talks, panel discussions about the future of cinema in both Singapore and Malaysia, workshops, a movie poster exhibition and even a video installation. Tickets are $13 a pop. More info here.
