Overwhelming response to Kenyalang Film Festival

MIRI: The Department of Media and Communication of Curtin University Malaysia’s Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences 2nd Kenyalang Film Festival (KFF), received overwhelming response, with entries doubled from last year’s participation, says Dr Ngu Ik Ying.

Ngu, the Department of Media and Communication head, said participants included those from Penang, Kuching and Baram.

“The event successfully brought together talented individuals, enabling them to interact with our students and the local community through the celebration of film,” she said in a statement on Thursday (July 4).

KFF winners with Dr Marcelo Schellini, Lee, and Ngu (second row, seated from second left).

Held in conjunction with Curtin Malaysia’s 25th anniversary celebration and supported by the Sarawak Media Group (TV Sarawak), Finas Sarawak, and Freedom Film Network, the KFF attracted over 60 Malaysian students and Borneo filmmakers, including Curtin’s own Bachelor of Communications students, who showcased an impressive array of documentaries and short films.

The two-day screenings, held at Cinema Lite on Curtin Malaysia’s campus, kicked off with a creative research methodologies webinar by Curtin University academic Dr Michelle Johnston and concluded with an inter-campus dialogue with academic staff and students from Curtin’s main campus in Perth.

Prior to the festival, the Department of Media and Communication collaborated with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri on a talk and pre-event screening, showcasing award-winning short films and documentaries from previous KFF editions.

Open Category Best Short Film winner Alester Leong sharing his production experience with the audience.

Looking ahead, Ngu announced plans to open the next film festival to international filmmakers, hoping to garner more support from the university, state government, and local communities.

Ryan Lee, Sarawak Media Group’s content acquisition and distribution manager and one of the judges, was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and expressed hope for continued growth of local talent through this platform.

KFF organising chairman Goh Guang Ao shared his excitement about the event, describing it as a “mind-blowing experience.” He valued the opportunity to connect with other filmmakers and enjoyed the diverse entries from Curtin University in Australia, West Malaysia, and local production houses.

The festival featured two categories: Student and Open. In the Student Category, Foon Jun Xiang and his team from UOW Malaysia KDU Penang won the Best Documentary Award for ‘Journey to Beyond.’ The Best Short Film Award went to ‘Dropping Ashes,’ directed by Phang Jing Xian and the team from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).

SMK Tinjar students led by Mohd Arash Nazri earned the Jury’s Award for their short film ‘Hilang.’ Curtin’s Bachelor of Communications student Benedict Foo Wei Loong and his Pineapple Media Team 1.5 received the Curtin 25th Anniversary Special Award for their Mid-Autumn Festival documentary.

In the Open Category, Sydney Augustine Assom’s ‘Gendang Rayah: Tradition and Religion’ won Best Documentary, and Alester Leong with MStudios & Pixbugs Film won Best Short Film for ‘Abdul Taib Mahmud: The Untold Story.’