Screening of award-winning films at this year’s festival
KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Eco Film Festival (BEFF) enters its 8th edition this year, with its mainstage event taking place at Suria Sabah from November 2-4.
BEFF is a non-profit programme of activities organised by Melapi – the Society for Holistic Outreach, Research and Environmental Action. During the mainstage event, the festival will be screening a total of 17 films and entrance is free for the public.
“Once again this year, we are proud to bring a series of award-winning and thought-provoking environmental films from around the world, some of which will be Asian and Southeast Asian premieres right here in Kota Kinabalu,” said Melissa Leong, Programme Director of BEFF.
In partnership with UNICEF-Malaysia, the opening film for this year will be Girl Rising (2013, USA, 101 mins) on Friday, November 2 at 2:30pm.
The film features stories of nine girls from developing countries, who struggle and overcome great obstacles to obtain an education and change their fates.
The screening will be followed by a forum on girls’ rights and children marriage, moderated by UNICEF-Malaysia. The evening continues at 8pm with the Southeast Asian premiere of The Last Honey Hunter (2017, USA/Nepal, 36 mins) which tells the story of Maule Dhan Rai, a honey hunter – a profession bestowed upon by ancestors through dreams in a remote village in Nepal.
The first night of BEFF ends with Water Warriors (2017, USA/Canada, 22 mins), an award-winning film about a community who protected their water and way of life against an oil and gas company.
“In terms of film programming, we try our best to cover as many relevant environmental themes as possible with regards to Sabah. This includes spotlights on wildlife and human connection, islands and oceans, consumers and waste, climate change and, of course, community filmmaking,” said Melissa, adding that most films would be followed by a Publika panel session or talk by experts on the themes presented.
Among the film highlights this year is the Asian premiere of Plastic is Forever (2017, USA, 19 mins) on Saturday, Nov 3 at 10:30am.
The short film made by 13-year old Dylan D’Haeze that looks into where our plastic waste ends up and offers solutions on our plastic dependency. Also notable is the film Blue (2017, Australia, 75 mins). The film brings us on a provocative journey into the ocean realm, witnessing a critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice.
This will be followed by insights from Reef Guardian’s Archier Chung and Marine Research Foundation’s Dr. Nick Pilcher. The film will be screened on Saturday, Nov 3 at 4pm.
Also not to be missed is the powerful look into the killing of African rhinos and elephants in a sweeping and sobering expose of an underreported crisis, through the film The Last Animals (2017, USA/UK, 92 mins).
This will be followed by a panel discussion by leading wildlife conservationists and experts in Sabah. Screening takes place on Day 2 of the festival at 7:30pm. Due to the graphic nature of the film, viewer discretion is advised.
On Day 3 at 1pm, BEFF brings the audience a heart-warming tale of Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story (2018, USA, 76 mins).
The screening will be followed by a talk by elephant expert, by Dr. Farina Othman of Seratu Aatai and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and a representative from the Telupid Community Elephant Ranger Team (CERT).
“As always, all screenings during the festival weekend is free for the public. Post-festival, BEFF continues its free screenings through BEFF 365 at selected locations. For updates on the screening times, please visit our website at www.beff.org.my,” Melissa concluded.