The best of ASEAN films
AFTER the first ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) in 2013, in Kuching, Sarawak, the event has made the city its permanent home. A biennial threeday get-together, AIFFA sees the attendance of key people in the film industry from ASEAN countries.
This year, AIFFA takes place from April 9 to 11, with confirmed attendance from The Giuterrezz family (Philippines), Zay Yar Aung (Burma), Pongsatorn Jongwilas (Thailand), Chy Thmor (Cambodia), Siu Pham (Vietnam), Hanung Bramantyo (Indonesia), Tony Kern (Singapore) and our own Datuk Yusoff Haslam, U-Wei Saari, and actress Nur Fazura.
Eleven directors from Korea are also gracing it. During a press conference to announce the dates, Minister of Tourism Sarawak, Datuk Amar Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari informed us that a production team from the Korean series Running Man will also be going to Bakun Dam as a possible location for the popular reality show.
Amar reiterated that Sarawak is a great place as a filming location. He said: “Thanks to the Lord Of The Rings movies, New Zealand has shifted from agricultural to tourism. Likewise, thanks to shows like Winter Sonata, Korea is now a tourist attraction. (Films) are an invisible pull factor for tourism.”
Chinese filmmakers Xu Zheng and Song Ghang Cheng are also making their way to Kuching next month. Amar hoped this would lead to potential collaborations between China and Malaysia.
“If we work together, we can develop local talents and the standard of our film industry can also be increased,” he said.
The three-day festival will include a seminar, a movie marathon, and an awards night. One of the topics which will be discussed at the seminar is the ASEAN-China Film and Television Co-Production Forum and among the speakers taking part in various sessions include Mritunjay Pandey (India), Stephen Sewell (Australia), Thierry Bleu (France), Yasu Tanaka (Japan) and Rezal A. Rahman (chief executive officer of Pinewood Iskandar).
Meanwhile, a 12-hour film marathon will take place at the Sarawak Cultural Village. The screening starts at 6pm on April 10 and goes on until 6am, April 11. Making its premiere there is local movie Pilot Cafe, directed by Osman Ali.
Finally, there will be the Gala Night held at Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching on the last night. Fourteen awards will be given out, one of which is the Spirit of ASEAN Award, awarded to a film that embodies the best of ASEAN. Datuk Michelle Yeoh was the inaugural recipient of AIFFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.