South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which unveiled its full program lineup Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur.
The festival runs July 18–25 and will present 65 films from 35 countries and regions in 27 languages, including two world premieres, one international premiere, three 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 its honesty, compassion, and profound understanding of humanity.” The tribute will include screenings of two of Lee’s films: “Peppermint Candy,” a reverse-chronological drama examining personal and national trauma, and “Oasis,” a romance centred on love, isolation and human dignity.
Chinese actor-director Wu Jing will receive the festival’s Excellent Achievement in Film Award. The program will screen “Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert,” directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, in conjunction with the honor.
The 9th edition opens with the world premiere of Malaysian feature “BAGA: Tomorrow Belongs To No One,” directed by Ariff Zulkarnain. Set in a conservative fishing village in Kuala Terengganu, the film follows a boatman struggling with addiction and a batik artisan whose lives intersect after an unplanned pregnancy. Closing the festival is “Yellow Letters,” directed by İlker Çatak, which won the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin Film Festival. The film tracks a Turkish artist couple whose lives come apart after their new production draws state scrutiny.
The International Competition section – reserved for directors with three or fewer narrative features – brings together 10 films. The Malaysian entry is Lau Kek-Huat’s “The Waves Will Carry Us.” 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 Ly; “Broken Voices” (Czech Republic), directed by Ondřej Provazník; “Girl” (Taiwan), directed by Shu Qi; New York-set survival drama “Lucky Lu” (U.S./Canada), directed by Lloyd Lee Choi; Sri Lankan film “Riverstone,” directed by Lalith Rathnayake; “Silent Rebellion” (Switzerland/Belgium/France), directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo; and “The Red Hangar” (Chile/Argentina/Italy), directed by Juan Pablo Sallato.
Jury president is Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, joined by Taiwanese director Midi Z, Thai actor-producer Ananda Everingham, Hong Kong production designer Man Lim-chung and Malaysian actress Sharifah Amani.
Two new program strands make their MIFFest debut this year. Korean Cinema: A Culture in Motion presents “Bluefish,” directed by Lee Sang-hoon, alongside “Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema,” directed by Busan International Film Festival founder Kim Dong-ho, who has served as MIFFest’s honorary chairman for nine years. Russian Film Week, presented with the Russian Ministry of Culture and Roskino, offers five titles ranging from Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Andrey Rublev” and Mikhail Kalatozov’s “The Cranes Are Flying” to contemporary productions including “Sidney Lumet’s Birthday” and “Family Happiness.”
Returning strands include ASEAN On Screen, now in its second year, with six films from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore; Hong Kong Cinema in Flux, headlined by “Ciao UFO,” winner of multiple awards at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards; and New Rhythms of Indian Cinema, which pairs Ramesh Sippy’s “Sholay” and Kashyap’s “Black Friday” with three contemporary regional works.
The Open Air Cinema returns to the Sunken Garden at MyTown Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur, featuring a selection of Malaysian films and nine short films presented with the Raintown Film Festival. The festival also unveiled “Impian Di Seoul,” the second season of its K-Style microdrama series, produced with Korean lifestyle partner Nongshim.
FULL PROGRAM
OPENING FILM
“BAGA: Tomorrow Belongs To No One” (Malaysia) – dir. Ariff Zulkarnain
CLOSING FILM
“Yellow Letters” (Germany/France/Turkey) – dir. İlker Çatak
COMPETITION
“Ah Girl” (Singapore) – dir. Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
“Aisha Can’t Fly Away” (Egypt/France/Germany/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/Sudan) – dir. Morad Mostafa
“Becoming Human” (Cambodia) – dir. Polen Ly
“Broken Voices” (Czech Republic) – dir. Ondřej Provazník
“Girl” (Taiwan) – dir. Shu Qi
“Lucky Lu” (U.S./Canada) – dir. Lloyd Lee Choi
“Riverstone” (Sri Lanka) – dir. Lalith Rathnayake
“Silent Rebellion” (Switzerland/Belgium/France) – dir. Marie-Elsa Sgualdo
“The Red Hangar” (Chile/Argentina/Italy) – dir. Juan Pablo Sallato
“The Waves Will Carry Us” (Malaysia/Taiwan) – dir. Lau Kek-Huat
A-LISTER
“Sham” (Japan) – dir. Takashi Miike
“Sirāt” (Spain/France) – dir. Oliver Laxe
“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” (Japan) – dir. Sho Miyake
NEON
“A Dance with Rainbows” (Taiwan) – dir. Lee Yi-Shan
“AnyMart” (Japan) – dir. Yusuke Iwasaki
“Calle Málaga” (Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium) – dir. Maryam Touzani
“June” (China/Hong Kong) – dir. Wang Yang
MANIFESTO
“Anti-Heroes of the Bahian Underground” (Brazil) – dir. Henrique Dantas
“Shanghai Daughter” (China) – dir. Agnis Shen Zhongmin
MALAYSIAN DISPATCH
“Finding Ramlee” (Malaysia) – dir. Megat Sharizal
“Her Second Act” (Malaysia) – dir. Joey Lee Choi Kin
“Polong” (Malaysia) – dir. Zulkarnain Azhar
MASTER AT WORK: LEE CHANG-DONG
“Peppermint Candy” (South Korea) – dir. Lee Chang-dong
“Oasis” (South Korea) – dir. Lee Chang-dong
ACTOR IN FOCUS: WU JING
“Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert” (China) – dir. Yuen Woo-Ping
ASEAN ON SCREEN
“Bury Us in a Lone Desert” (Vietnam) – dir. Nguyễn Lê Hoàng Phúc
“Dopamine” (Indonesia) – dir. Teddy Soeria Atmadja
“Phra Ruang: Rise of the Empire” (Thailand) – dir. Chartchai Ketnust
“Republic of Pipolipinas” (Philippines) – dir. Renei Dimla
“Tears in Kuala Lumpur” (Malaysia) – dir. Ridhwan Saidi
“The Sandbox” (Singapore) – dir. James Thoo
HONG KONG CINEMA IN FLUX
“Bird of Paradise” (Hong Kong) – dir. Joey Wu
“Ciao UFO” (Hong Kong) – dir. Patrick Leung Pak-Kin
“Dog Day Evening” (Hong Kong) – dir. Mak Tin Shu
“The Dating Menu” (Hong Kong/China/Taiwan) – dir. Amos Why, Frankie Chung
“Unidentified Murder” (Hong Kong) – dir. Kwok Ka Hei, Lee Chun-Kit
RUSSIAN FILM WEEK
“Andrey Rublev” (Soviet Union) – dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
“Family Happiness” (Russia) – dir. Stasya Tolstaya
“Lefty” (Russia) – dir. Vladimir Besedin
“Sidney Lumet’s Birthday” (Russia) – dir. Raul Geydarov
“The Cranes Are Flying” (Soviet Union) – dir. Mikhail Kalatozov
NEW RHYTHMS OF INDIAN CINEMA
“Black Friday” (India) – dir. Anurag Kashyap
“Mayilaa” (India) – dir. Semmalar Annam
“Parikrama: The Journey” (India/Italy) – dir. Goutam Ghose
“Shape of Momo” (India) – dir. Tribeny Rai
“Sholay” (India) – dir. Ramesh Sippy
KOREAN CINEMA: A CULTURE IN MOTION
“Bluefish” (South Korea/Malaysia/Indonesia) – dir. Lee Sang-hoon
“Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema” (South Korea) – dir. Kim Dong-ho
OPEN AIR CINEMA
“Baik Punya Cilok” (Malaysia) – dir. Afdlin Shauki
“Munafik” (Malaysia) – dir. Syamsul Yusof
“Polis Evo 2” (Malaysia) – dir. Joel Soh, Andre Chiew
“Pusaka” (Malaysia) – dir. Razaisyam Rashid
“Simple Manusan” (Malaysia) – dir. Haran Kaveri, Shobaan
“Sometime, Sometime” (Malaysia) – dir. Jacky Yeap
OPEN AIR CINEMA: RAINTOWN FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
“Chili, Garlic and Onion” (Malaysia) – dir. Kent Tan
“Drip by Drip” (Malaysia) – dir. Liang Xuan
“Hadiah Dari Hujan” (Malaysia) – dir. Aei Raa
“Hujan di Tengah Hari” (Malaysia) – dir. Faris Nabil
“Kuala Lain” (Malaysia) – dir. Adam Taufiq Suharto
“Madeleine” (China/Malaysia) – dir. Goh Zi Wei
“Racun Di Nadi” (Malaysia) – dir. Najib Ya’acob, Muhammad Amin
“Thulir” (Malaysia) – dir. Kuhanraj Rajasingam
“Where the Fish Looked Up” (Malaysia) – dir. Yeo Jun Yu
