Four films, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, will be featured at the closing of the 15th Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival’s (KKIFF) Cinebalu Screenings at the City Cineplex, City Mall here today (Sept 14).
“Fallen Angel” and “Mad Mamai” will be shown in the afternoon, while “Echoes to the Deepest Grain” and “Tegkang” will be screened on the closing night.
Directed by Haoming Chen, “Fallen Angel” from Australia tells the story of Angie, who works a stable job as a registered nurse after walking the path her parents paved.
One day, she encounters a homeless girl, Ellie, stealing food at the hospital. Angie’s prejudgement tells her that she could be dangerous, but her eyes say otherwise.
She is in love for the first time.
“Mad Mamai” was directed by well-known local filmmaker Marc Abas and his two sons, Marco Nicho and Mark Marciano.
The action/drama/comedy film is about a drunkard father, a long-lost millionaire son and hired killers.
“This film symbolises true unity amongst us, as the cast and crew gathered without being paid a single cent.
“Everybody contributed their talent, time, effort and love to make this film,” said Marc.
“Echoes to the Deepest Grain” is a 17-minute documentary by local director Putri Purnama Sugua.
It follows Memeto Jack, a woodcut artist from the Pangrok Sulap collective, as she creates art that amplifies the voices of marginalised women and stateless girls.
She and Pangrok Sulap collaborate with Borneo Komrad, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) running an “alternative school”, to create artworks and performances addressing sensitive issues like gender equality and sexual harassment within the stateless community.
Putri said she aimed to highlight the resilience and creativity present within marginalised communities through the film.
“The documentary explores how art can be a powerful tool for empowerment and advocacy, amplifying the voices of stateless girls from the Semporna Alternative School,” she said.
Josh Nawan from Sarawak directed the drama film “Tegkang”.
In the film, a secluded highland village’s peace is broken when an outsider unwittingly exposes a long-kept secret guarded by the whole community.
Josh said “tegkang” means rainbow in Kelabit, and the film is a tale of family, love, and hope, emphasising pure love’s power.
“It challenges the notion of disability as a burden, portraying it as a gift. Filmed in Bario, the production faced logistical hurdles but prioritised local authenticity, casting farmers as actors. “
All films have English subtitles. The afternoon shows start at 3.30pm, while the closing night screenings start at 8pm.
There will also be question-and-answer sessions for all screenings.
Meanwhile, the two-day Sabah Pitching Training will also begin today at the Ibis Styles, Inanam, here.
The Sabah Pitching Training is a platform for filmmakers from the Asean region, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong to launch new feature-length documentary film projects (40 minutes plus).
Participants learn how to pitch and then make a pitch to a jury to get funding to move on to the next stage in the making of their film.
The lead trainer is Mark Overett, the head of the Film and TV Department at JMC Academy, Brisbane, Australia.
Mark has written and produced several documentaries and factual series in Australia and New Zealand.
He has also worked on co-productions with Danish, Finnish and German companies.
