KOTA KINABALU: Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) 2014 is back, with more local and international films and documentaries that will suit avid mountain climbers, environmentalists, comedy lovers and people from all walks of life.
KKIFF 2014, which will be held at the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN) from June 1-12, is divided into three components – making films, talking about films and watching films.
KKIFF falls under the umbrella of the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu (SPArKS).
The film festival is co-organized by SPArKS and Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA).
Movie buffs will be pleased to know that DOCS+, an activity under KKIFF, will hold screenings of 12 short and feature length films at JKKN Auditorium on June 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Festival director Jude Day said the 12 films were submitted by filmmakers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Myanmar.
Screenings start at 5pm on the above mentioned dates and admission is free.
The three feature films that will be screened under DOCS+ are Romeo & Juliet (June 6), Cuak (June 10) and A Step In The Right Direction (June 12).
Set in Jakarta, Indonesia, Romeo & Juliet is a love story between two different football club supporters.
Cuak, on the other hand, is a Malaysian movie that was recently released in our country in February. It is about a man having second thoughts as he goes through the events leading up to his marriage, and making tough decisions such as converting to Islam to get married.
“Cuak is unique as it is told by five directors, each director a section in different styles,” she said in a press conference here yesterday.
Also present at the press conference were SEDIA assistant vice president of marketing and corporate communications Jesi Jolumis Majungki, Counsellor from the Consular Office of Japan Hirofumi Morikawa and SPArKS president Roger Wang.
Meanwhile, A Step In The Right Direction is a documentary directed by a Sabahan, who is now based in Tasmania.
The film explores the character Aaron Matthews who killed two people and injured another outside a night club in Hobart, Australia, and the aftermath of that night.
“It is about what’s real, what’s not, fact and fiction,” Jude said.
On the other hand, International Movie Nights will screen five films at JKKN auditorium starting at 8pm on June 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
The International Movie Nights opens on June 6 with Couleur de peau : miel, by a France filmmaker that translates as Approved for Adoption.
A mixture of animation and real footage, Couleur de peau : miel is a documentary that traces the upbringing of Jung Henin, one of thousands of Korean children adopted by Western families after the end of the Korean War.
3 Zimmer/Küche/Bad (3 rooms/kitchen/bathroom), a German production, The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia, (USA) and Restul E T?cere (The Rest is Silence), (Romania) will be screened on June 9, 10 and 11.
The International Movie Nights will close with a Japanese documentary, which has yet to be confirmed.
Tickets to the International Movie Nights are sold at RM10 each, and are available at Bread Boss in Damai, Elite Optical in Segama and Santola Bar Café in Kolombong and Damai.
Apart from the movie screenings, there is a Sabah Film Forum on June 7 and 8 where participants can learn more about movies and movie-making.
The film forum is open to the public at JKKN Seminar Room for free.
The first day of the forum will feature a masterclass by Nick Deocampo, a Filipino film producer, director and teacher, who will speak on scriptwriting; movie appreciation class by self-taught artist and filmmaker Hassan Muthalib; Reel Rock 8 , part of the world tour of the greatest climbing and adventure films; and screening of The Heart of Jenin, a documentary by Marcus Vetter.
The second day of the forum starts with a masterclass by Deocampo on directing; Vetter on making documentaries; highlight screening of SYNC10 Filmmakers’ Competition; screening of Avid Ocean, a Scubazoo co-production with 360 Degree Films about ocean acidification and a startling discovery in the seas off Papua New Guinea; and an awards night for SYNC10 Filmmakers’ Competition winners and Sabah Film Academy movies and awards.
Meanwhile, Wang said KKIFF was part of a bigger festival that SPArKS was trying to promote, namely KK Arts Festival in June.
Wang said the festival in June would also include storytelling and jazz festivals.
“We are slowly building the month of June into an art festival that is bigger and stronger every year.”
Jesi said SEDIA has been assisting KKIFF for the past four years, adding that the festival could promote the creative industry as well as engage young talents in such activities in Sabah.