KKIFF 2015 set to be biggest film feast

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KOTA KINABLU: The Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) 2015, which will be held in June, will be offering the biggest feast of films for movie-lovers since it first started in 2009.

KKIFF 2015 festival director Jude Day disclosed that more than 50 movies from 14 different countries covering comedy, drama, animation, shorts, documentaries and true stories will be screened during the week-long event.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Jude said that among the countries participating are Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil, Georgia, France, Germany, Spain and the United States of America.

Jude added that the popularity of KKIFF had grown to a level where some of the foreign embassies had called to ask if award winning films from their respective countries could be screened in the festival.

Jude said that the screening has been divided to DOCS+ and World Movie nights on June 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 and World Movie Day on June 6.

“DOCS+ is an opportunity for filmmakers in the ASEAN region to screen their films. This year, we have a fantastic selection of shorts and feature-length films, showing on June 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 at 6pm.

“These include the award-winning documentary Nick and Chai, which is about a couple who lost all their children in Typhoon Haiyan. This film was able to be completed with funding that one of the directors got at the KKIFF 2014, so we are delighted to be screening it at this year’s festival,” she said.

According to Jude, the director, Cha Escala, will be present at the screening to answer questions afterwards.

Another award-winning film that will be shown is Children’s Show, directed by Roderick Cabrido, she said, adding that the director had the idea for this fiction film after he had made a documentary about the same topic, where children were being trained to take part in bare-fist fighting as part of a gambling racket.

“This is something that really happens in Manila! Roderick will be at the screening of Children’s Show to take any questions that you might have about this shocking story. The directors of another film will also be coming for the screening of their film: ‘What’s So Special About Rina?’ Made in Brunei, this comedy is the first feature-length film from our small neighbour since 1968! The DOCS+ programme also features short films from Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia,” she pointed out.

Jude said that a special feature of the DOCS+ screenings will be the premiere of ‘Heaven is not a place’ on June 5 and 11 at 6pm.

This short film by Adiyanto Dewo from Indonesia is funded by SEDIA and shot in Kota Kinabalu. It tells a story of loss and letting go of the past and is also aimed at promoting Sabah as a film location.

World Movie Nights, Jude said, are also screening on June 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11, starting at 8pm.

“Our opening night film is from Germany and is called Jack. It is a movie that makes us think about the relationship between parents and children, the responsibilities that children can take on themselves, and is told from 12-year-old Jack’s point of view.

“The theme of children and their parents continues with our films from Brazil, Georgia and Romania. But Cell 211 from Spain is a completely different story, dealing with a prison riot, power and authority,” she said.

Jude also announced that there is a new development in the KKIFF 2015 which is World Movie Day that will be held on Saturday, June 6 from 10am to 10pm.

Movies from Argentina and Colombia, as well as France and the USA will be screened for the first time, she said, adding that this will be an interesting day with an animation set in West Africa, a story about a Jewish-Roman Catholic wedding in Argentina, the tale of a woman who is looking for fulfilment in her life and a documentary from the USA.

“The director of the award-winning documentary, Forgetting Dad, will be present for Q&A after the screening. His name is Rick Minnich and he is one of the mentors on the Sabah Film Academy.

“Another award-winning special gem that we are screening on World Movie Day is My Daughter. This is the first feature-length film by Charlotte Lim and is set in Melaka. We hope that Charlotte will be able to attend the screening. She is one of the judges for the KKIFF 2015 Rolling10 Filmmakers’ Competition,” she said.

Jude also said that KKIFF 2015 programme booklets will be distributed at selected points around KK in May. Tickets are priced at RM10 for two screenings and will be on sale at BreadBoss (Damai), as well as at the door (JKKN). All the screenings will take place at the JKKN Auditorium on June 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

For more information, please go to the website: www.kkiff.com or call Jude – 014 3514298 or Hazli – 016 5522435. Please also check for updates on Facebook.