South Korean film director Lee Chang-dong will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), where the full program lineup was announced in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
The festival will be held from July 18th to 25th and will screen 65 films from 35 countries and regions in 27 languages, including 2 world premieres, 1 international premiere, 3 Asian premieres, 12 Southeast Asian premieres, and 28 Malaysian premieres.
MIFFest President Joanne Goh described the director as “a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate across cultures and generations through his honesty, compassion, and deep understanding of humanity.” Two of Lee’s films will be screened at the memorial event. One is “Peppermint Candy,” a reverse-chronological drama that examines personal and national trauma, and “Oasis,” a romance centered on love, solitude, and human dignity.
Chinese actor and director Wu Jing will receive the film festival’s Best Film Award. In conjunction with this honor, Yuen Woo-ping’s “Blades of the Guardians: The Wind Rises in the Desert” will also be screened.
The 9th edition will open with the world premiere of the Malaysian feature film BAGA: Tomorrow Belongs To No One, directed by Arif Zulkarnain. Set in the conservative fishing village of Kuala Terengganu, the film tells the story of a boatman struggling with addiction and a batik artisan whose lives intersect when she becomes pregnant unexpectedly. The final film at the festival will be “Yellow Letters,” directed by Ilker Chatak, which won the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin Film Festival. The film follows a Turkish artist couple whose lives fall apart when their new work comes under state scrutiny.
The International Competition category is reserved for directors with three or fewer stories and will feature 10 films. The entry from Malaysia is “The Waves Will Carry Us” by Lau Kekuwat. Other titles include “Ah Girl” (Singapore), directed by Ang Geck Geck Priscilla. “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” (Egypt/France/Germany), directed by Morad Mostafa. “Becoming Human” (Cambodia), directed by Polen Lee. “Broken Voices” (Czech Republic), directed by Ondrze Provaznik. “Girl” (Taiwan), directed by Shu Chi. “Lucky Lu” (USA/Canada), a survival drama set in New York, directed by Lloyd Lee Choi. Sri Lankan movie “Riverstone” directed by Lalith Rathnayake. “Silent Rebellion” (Switzerland/Belgium/France), directed by Marie-Elsa Sguardo. “The Red Hangar” (Chile/Argentina/Italy) directed by Juan Pablo Salato.
The jury will be chaired by Indian film director Anurag Kashyap, Taiwanese film director Midi Z, Thai actor and producer Ananda Everingham, Hong Kong production designer Man Limchun, and Malaysian actress Sharifah Amani.
Two new programs will make their MIFFest debut this year. Korean Film: Culture in Motion will screen “Bluefish” by director Lee Sang-hoon and “Mr. Kim Goes to the Movie Theater” by director Kim Dong-ho, founder of the Busan International Film Festival and honorary chairman of MIFFest for nine years. Organized by the Russian Ministry of Culture and Roskino, Russian Film Week will screen five titles, ranging from Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Andrei Rublev” and Mikhail Kalatozov’s “The Cranes Are Flying,” to contemporary works such as “Sidney Lumet’s Birthday” and “Family Happiness.”
Returning productions include ASEAN on Screen, which presents six films from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, now in its second year. The Hong Kong movie “Flux” stars “Ciao UFO”, which won multiple awards at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards. and “New Rhythms of Indian Cinema,” which combines Ramesh Sippy’s “Shorai” and Kashyap’s “Black Friday” with three contemporary regional films.
The open air cinema is back at Sunken Garden, MyTown Shopping Center in Kuala Lumpur, screening a selection of Malaysian films and nine short films screened at the Raintown Film Festival. The festival also showcased the second season of the K-Style micro-drama series “Impian Di Soul” produced with Korean lifestyle partner Nongshim.
complete program
opening film
“BAGA: Tomorrow Belongs To No One” (Malaysia) – Director. Arif Zulkarnain
closing film
“Yellow Letters” (Germany/France/Türkiye) – Director. Ilkel Chatak
competition
“Ah Girl” (Singapore) – Director. Ann Geck Geck Priscilla
“Aisha Can’t Fly Away” (Egypt/France/Germany/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/Sudan) – Director. morad mostafa
“Becoming Human” (Cambodia) – Director. Pollen Lee
“Broken Voices” (Czech Republic) – Director. Ondrze Provaznik
“Girl” (Taiwan) – Director. Shu Qi
“Lucky Lou” (USA/Canada) – Director. Lloyd Lee Choi
“Riverstone” (Sri Lanka) – Director Lalith Rathnayake
“Silent Rebellion” (Switzerland/Belgium/France) – Director. Marie-Elsa Sguardo
“Red Hangar” (Chile/Argentina/Italy) – Director. Juan Pablo Sarato
“The Waves Will Carry Us” (Malaysia/Taiwan) – Director. Lau Kekuwat
A-lister
“Sham” (Japan) – Director. Takashi Miike
“Sirāt” (Spain/France) – Director Oliver Lucks
“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” (Japan) – Director. Sho Miyake
neon
“Dancing with the Rainbow” (Taiwan) – Director. Li Yishan
“AnyMart” (Japan) – Director. Yusuke Iwasaki
“Calle Málaga” (Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium) – Director. Mariam Touzani
“June” (China/Hong Kong) – Director. Wang Yang
manifesto
“Anti-Heroes of Bahia” (Brazil) – Director. Enrique Dantas
“Shanghai Girl” (China) – Director. Agnis Shen Zhongmin
Dispatch to Malaysia
“Finding Ramley” (Malaysia) – Director. Megat Shalizal
“Her Second Act” (Malaysia) – Director Joey Lee Che Kin
“Poron” (Malaysia) – Director. Zulkarnain Azhar
Work expert: Lee Chang-dong
“Peppermint Candy” (Korea) – Director. Lee Chang Dong
“Oasis” (Korea) – Director. Lee Chang Dong
Featured actor: Woo Jin
“Blades of the Guardians: Desert Wind Rises” (China) – Director. Yuen Woo Ping
ASEAN on screen
“Bury us in the lonely desert” (Vietnam) – Director. Nguyen Le Hoang Phuc
“Dopamine” (Indonesia) – Director. Teddy Soelia Atmaja
“Phra Luang: The Rise of an Empire” (Thailand) – Director. Chaat Chai Ketnath
“Republic of Pipolipinas” (Philippines) – Director Renay Dimura
“Tears of Kuala Lumpur” (Malaysia) – Director Ridwan Saidi
“The Sandbox” (Singapore) – Director. james to
Fluidity of Hong Kong Cinema
“Birds of Paradise” (Hong Kong) – Director. Joey Woo
“Ciao UFO” (Hong Kong) – Director. patrick leon pakkin
“Dog Day Evening” (Hong Kong) – Director. Mak Tin Xu
“The Dating Menu” (Hong Kong/China/Taiwan) – Director. Amos Why, Frankie Chan
“Unidentified Murder” (Hong Kong) – Director Kwok Ka-hei, Lee Chun-kit
russian film week
“Andrei Rublev” (USSR) – Director. Andrei Tarkovsky
“Family Happiness” (Russia) – Director. Stasha Tolstaya
“Lefty” (Russia) – Director. Vladimir Besedin
“Sidney Lumet’s Birthday” (Russia) – Director. Raul Gaydarov
“The Crane is Flying” (USSR) – Director. Mikhail Kalatozov
New rhythm of Indian cinema
“Black Friday” (India) – Director. Anurag Kashyap
“Mayilaa” (India) – Director. Semlal Annam
“Parikrama: The Journey” (India/Italy) – Director. goutam goth
“Shape of Momo” (India) – Director. Triveni Rai
“Sholay” (India) – Director. Ramesh Sippy
Korean film: moving culture
“Bluefish” (Korea/Malaysia/Indonesia) – Director Lee Sang-hoon
“Mr. Kim Goes to the Movie Theater” (Korea) – Director. Kim Dong Ho
outdoor movie theater
“Baik Punya Cilok” (Malaysia) – Director. Afdrin Shauki
“Munafik” (Malaysia) – Director. Shamsul Yusof
“Polis Evo 2” (Malaysia) – Director. Joel So, Andre Chu
“Pusaka” (Malaysia) – Director. Razaisham Rashid
“Simple Manusan” (Malaysia) – Director. Haran Kaveri, Shobhan
“Sometime, Sometime” (Malaysia) – Director. Jackie Yeap
Open Air Cinema: Raintown Film Festival Short Film Showcase
“Chili, Garlic, Onion” (Malaysia) – Director. Kent Tan
“Drip by Drip” (Malaysia) – Director. Liang Shuang
“Hadia Dari Hujan” (Malaysia) – Director. Aei Ra
“Hujan Di Tengah Hari” (Malaysia) – Director. Faris Nabil
“Kuala Lum” (Malaysia) – Director. Adam Tawfik Suharto
“Madeleine” (China/Malaysia) – Director. Go Ziwei
“Racun Di Nadi” (Malaysia) – Director. Najib Yaakov, Muhammad Amin
“Thulir” (Malaysia) – Director. Kuhanraj Rajasingham
“Where the Fish Looked Up” (Malaysia) – Director. Yeo Jun Yoo
