The Malaysian Insight

AFTER a three-year hiatus, the FreedomFilmFestival is back with 34 films and documentaries by local and international filmmakers.

The festival, organised by the Freedom Film Network (FFN) will be held at PJ Live Arts, Petaling Jaya, from September 9 to 17. It will feature films in the theme of “Pandemic of Inequality” (Pandemik Dua Darjat).

Festival director Anna Har said it was exciting to once again engage with a live audience.

“I’m really looking forward to it. The festival, more than anything, is a gathering of people. The excitement and magic are when people gather,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

The enthusiasm is shared by FFN’s patrons, she said.

“I think 150 to 250 people will attend per screening. The hall can pack up to 300, but on average, with Covid-19, 150 is good,” she said.

Among the 34 films that will be showcased this year, 19 are locally made and supported by FFN, while four each received a grant of RM14,000 for their productions.

The other films are from Kenya, Romania, China, UK, Burma, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia.

“There are highlights of the festival and usually they are the Malaysian films. For those we expect a lot more people,” Har said.

“As much as there are award-winning films and international films, it’s the Malaysian ones that get the most attention.

“This year we have (given out) four grants (for movies), and these movies will be screened on Malaysia Day on September 16. This is usually the highlight of the festival.”

Har said FFN had picked the theme of “Pandemic of Inequality” because it was clear that some people were having a harder time than others coping with the Covid-19 outbreak.

“It (the pandemic) has made clear that there is a lot of inequality in our present society which needs to be addressed.

“The few films that we have curated, they are great, they are exciting, dramatic and well crafted. It is coming from real life (experiences).”

FFN had an open call for two years and received hundreds of submissions, which were whittled down to 34 with the help of a panel.

“The 34 films will resonate with Malaysians. They are about corruption, investigative journalism, ageism, environment, mental health and politics. (But) there is a human perspective, the drama of life and that resonates with people.”

New filmmakers

FFN has heavily supported the filmmakers especially first-timers.

“Many of them are first-time filmmakers and so apart from the RM14,000 grant to the four filmmakers, we gave a lot of other support depending on what they needed.

“Some of them don’t have cameras; sometimes they are good at storytelling but they don’t have a crew, so we will get one for them. We also bring in consultants, who help with editing and putting the story together,” Har said.

The films are expected to make an impact for change, Har said.

“We’re not screening films for awards but to bring about change.

“For example, for the film Saya Juga Anak Malaysia, we (taught) Family Frontiers how to make the film and how to use it for its campaign for citizenship for overseas born children of Malaysian mothers.”

After Kuala Lumpur, the festival will be held on a smaller scale in Langkawi, Penang, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak and Malacca in October and November, Har said.

Audiences can also expect to attend talks and workshops with the filmmakers.

“The audience should come for the experience. Mingle and talk to new people, this is what you cannot get watching movies at home,” said Har.

“We also have workshops. We have workshops by Sean McAllister, a British documentarian, on how to make character-driven films.

“We also have one on how to turn investigations into stories. Another one is on archiving, how to make movies from archive footage. We also have one on impact, how to make films and documentaries impactful.” – August 28, 2022.