Better KK film festival planned next year
Published on: Friday, December 14, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The 10th edition of the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival, to be held next year, is set to be bigger and better than the previous ones.Festival director Jude Day said cinephiles can expect to be offered with more than 25 films from at least 18 countries with half of them would be movies from the South-East Asian region."The organisers are also inviting filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea to submit their works," she said when met during KKIFF's pre-launch ceremony, at the Sabah Art Gallery, here, Thursday.
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"This also means that the level of competition is higher now with the participation of foreign filmmakers."The competition and submission of works are scheduled to start in February."She said, the 10th edition is a special anniversary celebration for KKIFF, especially when it is the longest-running independent film festival in Malaysia."KKIFF is unique to Kota Kinabalu and Sabah… the running of the festival is surely an achievement that we can be proud of.
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"We are grateful as we received support from all quarters and the community itself has been responding well to the festival," she said.The organisers, she said, is also looking for a greater cooperation with the State Government, particularly the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry apart from the corporate sector.
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"In last year's festival, KKIFF screened 26 films from 18 countries and the festival also acts as an avenue to bring together filmmakers from around the region."KKIFF promotes local and regional films, putting them next to films from around the world."She added, more importantly, the festival offers training to young filmmakers through sessions with internationally-recognised filmmaking professionals."It is indeed very special to have workshops and training sessions as part of the film festival," she said.Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary to the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Datuk Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai has pledged the Ministry's support to the film festival."Film industry and festivals are part of the tourism's niche products and such festivals are also good for networking."I suggest KKIFF to showcase thematic films, especially to highlight the natural wonders of Sabah."I also hope that the festival will be continued and the filmmaking community in the State can flourish," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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