Press Conference – KKIFF 2015 Movie Screenings

The KKIFF 2015 offers the biggest feast of films for movie-lovers since it began in 2009. There will be movies from 14 different countries covering comedy, drama, animation, shorts, documentaries and true stories.

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 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 June at 6.00pm. 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 2015 – so we are delighted to be screening it at this year’s festival. Even more exciting is that 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. He had the idea for this fiction film after he had made a documentary about the same topic – that is children 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 neighbor since 1968! The DOCS+ programme also features short films from Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia.

A special feature of the DOCS+ screenings will be the premiere of Heaven is not a place on 5 and 11 June at 6.00pm. This short film by Adiyanto Dewo from Indonesia is funded by SEDIA and shot in KK. It tells a story of loss and letting go of the past.

World Movie Nights are also screening on 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 June, starting at 8.00pm. 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 the 12-year old Jack’s point of view. The theme of children and their parents is 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. An excellent film.

A completely new development in the KKIFF 2015 is World Movie Day. This is on Saturday, 6 June from 10.00am to 10.00pm. Movies will be screened for the first time from Argentina and Colombia, as well as France and the USA. 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 fulfillment 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.

So the KKIFF 2015 features some great movies by South-East Asian directors, as well as movies from Europe and Latin America. A full synopsis for each film can be found on the KKIFF website.

KKIFF 2015 programme booklets will be distributed at selected points around KK in May. Tickets are RM10 for 2 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 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 June.

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