The Freedom Film Fest is back with more thought-provoking and heart-tugging films.
MOST movie fans will find themes like the plight of transsexuals, freedom of religion or police brutality too heavy duty for Saturday night viewing.
But if the growth of the annual issue-based Freedom Film Fest 2009 (FFF2009) is any indication, films with social messages are catching on.
Now in its sixth year, the little-known film competition and screening has evolved into a major film event with a steady following.
“More people are coming to watch the films screened. When we started out six years ago, we held the festival in only one venue in Kuala Lumpur. Now we have four venues, including Penang, Johor and Kuching.
Making sense of a massacre: Al-Fatehah Memali, directed by Rahmat Haron.
“This means we are reaching out to more people – especially those from outside KL – who may not have the access to information and exposure to films and Human Rights issues,” notes Anna Har, one of the directors of Pusat Komas, which is organising the film festival.
The theme for this year’s festival is Real Change? and as in previous years, the three best film ideas have been selected and developed into short films with a RM5,000 grant award and technical support from the centre.
With themes ranging from an almost forgotten massacre in Kedah to the recent political developments following the last general elections, this year’s winning films are set to jolt viewers from their seats.
The first winner (in no particular order) is poet and artist Rahmat Haron whose film Al-Fatehah Memali tracks the journey of two singer-songwriters, Black and Meor, in their attempt to make sense of a massacre that happened in a remote village in Baling, Kedah, in 1985.
Their stay at Kampung Memali unearths the forgotten tragedy as they talk to survivors and witnesses of the bloody showdown between the police and villagers who were accused of following and sheltering a “religious cult”.
Kayuh, by Soh Sook Hwa
The second film Kayuh by an organic farmer from Penang, Soh Sook Hwa, is a first-hand account of the cycling campaign organised by local NGO Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT) involving 100 people who cycled from Alor Setar to Johor Baru for 16 days in order to highlight the major concerns of marginalised groups in Malaysia.
The third is No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis by The S-ploited team, made up of young lawyers Khaizan Sharizad Abdul Razak and Seira Sacha Abu Bakar. As the title suggests, the film looks at the party-hopping incident in Perak early this year, which saw a power match between two opposing political alliances there.
While the films aim to open the eyes of the viewers, the production process was also an enlightening experience for the novice filmmakers.
For Soh, who did Kayuh, it was a nail-biting experience.
“I was very stressed out throughout the production because I had to learn everything as I went along. The most challenging part for me was to translate my idea into interesting visuals so that my film would not be boring.”
Seira Sacha, one part of the filmmaking-lawyer duo S-ploited, agrees.
“If you look at our proposed treatment to FFF2009 and the finished product, they are so different, but the gist of the idea remained. As we are new to this, we keep looking at different angles on how to approach the issues in the film, so filming was fluid.”
Fortunately, for the filmmakers, their passion helped them cope with the pressures of production.
“As lawyers, the Perak issue is very close to us because it involved a lot of legal issues but because we are working full-time, the production process was hectic. The main challenge was to juggle our time,” Seira Sacha recalls.
Pusat Komas, set up some 16 years ago to promote popular media and communications within marginalised communities like the Orang Asli and urban poor, has always advocated the use of films to spread social messages and raise awareness on human rights issues.
Hence, the FFF as it is tagged, was first introduced in 2004 to encourage everybody – from social activists to professionals, students and even senior citizens – to make films that express Malaysian concerns and issues.
Har nevertheless admits the way the trend has caught on, especially among the young, still amazes her.
“The younger crowd even think making documentaries and films with social messages is hip!
“We are not complaining though,” she says with a laugh.
To acknowledge the growing number of people making films on local issues and Malaysian realities, this year FFF has introduced another category in the film competition, which is for completed films.
“Our main aim has always been to encourage social film making amongst the younger generation in Malaysia; to encourage them to think about and express opinions on their social realities and the realities around them.
“So under this category, Malaysians could send in a human rights-themed film that they had made within the past year. The best film will win RM2,000 cash,” says Har, adding that they had received an assortment of films highlighting diverse issues from refugees, native rights to environment and health issues.
And that is the best achievement of the film fest to her, says Har.
“I feel that we have managed to create a space for people to express themselves on issues that matter to them and their realities as well as those that have gone unnoticed or undocumented.”
Festival highlights
·Community video forum and screenings (Today, 3.30-6.30pm): A sharing session of experience between community filmmakers and activists from the region. Pre-registration required as seats are limited.
·FFF09 launch and opening film, At Stake (Today, 8pm): At Stake is a brave and eye-opening documentary tackling taboo issues faced by Indonesian women including female genital mutilation and the sexuality of a migrant worker.
Producer Nia Dinata (director of Berbagi Suami, Arisan, Ca Bau Kan) will be present for Q&A after the screening.
·Screening of Burma VJ (Tomorrow, 4pm): This award-winning film by Anders Ostergaard tells of courageous young Myanmars who risk their lives to send out news from their closed country to the outside world.
Premier of FFF2009 winning films (Tomorrow, 7pm): Screening of FFF2009 winning films: Al-Fatehah Memali, Kayuh and No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis.
FFF2009 will be held from today till Sunday at The Annexe, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. For full listing and dates of other venues, go to freedomfilmfest.komas.org. For inquiries and reservations of passes, call 017-374 9887.
The Perak issue has arguably undergone media saturation: even journalists are having a hard time tracking the suits and countersuits between speaker V Sivakumar, and Perak MBs Nizar and Zambry. What fundamental principle underlying the Perak takeover, at this stage, should we still hold on to?
