The 7th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFEST) was the biggest edition to date, boasting a record-breaking line-up of 50 films, the longest duration over eight days (July 21-28) and many sold-out screenings.
“The festival has come a long way over the last seven years. We were pretty much finding our way in the dark in the beginning,” says festival founder Joanne Goh, who admitted she did not have any film festival background prior to MIFFEST. “It’s been a fantastic journey. Seeing MIFFEST grow and attract esteemed guests is truly fulfilling.”
“Last year we made huge improvements and reached out to new audiences and communities. That we’re able to attract heavyweight guests to attend our festival gives us motivation to do even better going forward.”
Among the notable guests were acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To who served as jury president last year, and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who received this year’s lifetime achievement award.
Goh was inspired by Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Festival chief Wen Tien-hsiang to start an international event in Malaysia and transform the country into a key location in Southeast Asia for global cinema and cultural exchange.
She chose to name the festival after the country as she has the vision to encompass not just the capital city of Kuala Lumpur but also the entire country when welcoming the world and sharing its culture and stories with the global audiences.
Realising that starting up an international film festival was a huge endeavour, she slowed down her lucrative concert business including organising K-pop tours in the US and spent time learning the ropes at Golden Horse while travelling to as many film festivals worldwide as possible to gain experience. She has also earned the support of Busan film festival co-founder Kim Dong-ho, who serves as honorary chairman of MIFFEST, with Wen as advisor.
Key elements
“According to Mr Wen, the three most important elements for a film festival are the organiser, the programme and the audiences,” Goh recalls, adding that she has solid experience with her strong track record as a veteran organiser of music concerts and events through her Malaysia-based company Jazzy, which was established in 1997.
Her entire company and 20-strong staff were enlisted to support MIFFEST, including Audrey Leong for marketing and sponsorship, Wyman Ng for creative communications and Chia Yu Ern who has been heading programming since last year.
The first few editions of MIFFEST were not plain sailing as she and her team ran into various difficulties, including a lack of support from local audiences. The festival aims to build a pool of festival and arthouse cinemagoers and one way is keep the ticket price low. The festival tickets are priced at just $2 (RM10), making it more attractive for the public to experiment with films of which they may not be familiar.
This year, the seats for most of the screenings filled up fast, with many sold-out screenings. The A-Lister – a showcase of auteur films such as Evil Does Not Exist, Perfect Days and Anatomy Of A Fall – was so popular that local exhibitor GSC is eager to pick up some of the titles and re-screen them after the festival.
Popular masterclasses
The masterclass and forum series were also well-attended with the live audience showing great enthusiasm during Q&As.
These included Shoplifters director Kore-eda and Better Days director Derek Tsang, both Oscar nominees; The Goldfinger director Felix Chong and popular Malaysian actor Zul Ariffin, both on the jury panel of MIFFEST’s Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA); and iconic Indonesian actress Christine Hakim, who has a celebrated career of over 50 years.
A large portion of the festival’s funding comes from brand partners and corporate sponsors such as Mercedes Benz, Foodpanda, EU Delegations, the Japan Foundation and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO). Jazzy is also among one of the major funding sources, while the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) and national broadcaster RTM also provide support.
This year, the MGGA ceremony took place for the first time at Auditorium Seri Angkasa, which is located at RTM’s new media hub Angkasapuri Mediacity in Kuala Lumpur.
Goh has also ventured into film investment, following the launch of MIFFEST in 2017. Through Jazzy Pictures she has backed 2018 Malaysian crime film Crossroads: One Two Jaga by Nam Ron and Midi Z’s Taiwanese film Nina Wu, which premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2019. Her latest film project is Pia Marais’ Transamazonia, which is set to premiere in the international competition of Locarno in August.
