[Coverage] 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) Opening Ceremony

 [Coverage] 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) Opening Ceremony

The 6th Malaysia International Film Festival will be held from the 23rd to the 29th of July, and it will be an exciting film extravaganza that you should not miss.

Kuala Lumpur, 2023 – The 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) officially began on July 23rd, with a 7-day film showing at GSC MyTown from 24th July 2023 to 30th July 2023. The opening ceremony was staged in magnificent style at LaLaport BBCC, MIFFest's supporting venue partner.

At the ceremony, a number of exciting film festival activities were unveiled. Aside from film screenings, MIFFest is organising two workshops for directors Johnnie To (1:30 PM on 29th July 2023) and Ryuichi Hiroki (2:00 PM on 25th July 2023) to offer their incisive knowledge to the public, film aficionados, and budding filmmakers. 

Every year, the most anticipated lineup is undoubtedly the selection of screening films of the year, and MIFFest has curated 40 superb and excellent films for the festival audience from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Iran, France, India, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey, and other regions. The lineup is impressive and splendidly which included 'My Small Land' by Emma Kawawada, 'Let the Dance Begin' by Marina Seresesky, 'Snow and the Bear' by Selcen Ergun, 'The Sunny Side of the Street by Lau Kok Rui, 'Plan 75' by Chie Hayakawa, 'Iron Mask' by Kim Sung Hwan, 'Hong Kong Family' by Eric Tsang, and '2 Women' by Ryuichi Hiroki. 'Eraser,' 'Adoiii Jiwaku!,' and 'Shuttle Life' represented the Malaysian local film lineup. MIFFest has also invited the film team to participate in the post-screening sharing sessions, where they will interact and meet with the audience, discussing their filmmaking journey and experience. The 6th MIFFest screening tickets are currently available at the GSC MyTown ticketing counter or on the cinema's official website https://www.gsc.com.my/film-festival/2023-miffest.

The complete screening schedule is available on the film festival's official website and social media channels.

"The Malaysia International Film Festival has entered its sixth edition this year," stated Joanne Goh, the festival's founder and president. "I am grateful and thankful to everyone who has supported us throughout this process. It makes me really happy and glad that more people are becoming aware of MIFFest." She also stated that the number of films submitted has increased dramatically compared to prior years, with a total of 40 films being chosen to screen. Bront Palarae has also acted as the festival's ambassador for four editions. Bront noted his delight that numerous new events were added to MIFFest this year, which increased his interest for the festival's agenda.

This year, MIFFest will collaborate with the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) on film screenings and forums. Kim Sung Hwan (director of 'Iron Mask') and Ellen Kim (BIFAN Programmer) will moderate the BIFAN forum. Furthermore, the TECO-coordinated forum will be led by six directors: Lau Kok Ru, Jovi Lee, Fiona Roan, Chong Keat Aun, Laha Mebow, and Chan Ching-Lin, and will be moderated by Kuo Ming-Jung (the Southeast Asia and Taiwan programmer for the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight). The forum will be held at Eslite Bookstore on July 29th and 30th. In terms of film selection, TECO has chosen six feature films and four short films for festival screenings. 'Day off,' the most anticipated Taiwanese heartwarming film of the year, is also included in the roster.

Furthermore, MIFFest and BMW Shorties reported at the earlier press conference that this year's submissions reached a record-breaking 113 short film entries, from which they have picked 10 compelling finalists. During the festival, the top ten finalists will be screened at GSC MyTown and MIFFest Open Air Cinema.

In addition, in keeping with this year's theme of 'NEW TAKE,' MIFFest has introduced new and different activities, such as the MIFFest Open Air Cinema, which will be held at LaLaport Rooftop Garden, to offer the compelling stories of local films in a dynamic environment. 'Year Without a Summer,' 'Flower in the Pocket,' 'One Two Jaga,' 'The Tiger Factory,' and 'Jagat' are among the five films to be shown at the Open Air Cinema. From the 24th to the 28th of July, audiences may witness these five acclaimed local films at LaLaport Rooftop Garden. To improve the outdoor movie experience, the festival has also co-organized the first-ever MIFFest Marketplace, which will take place from the 22nd to the 30th and has attracted a varied range of vendors. The complete screening schedule is accessible on the film festival's official website and social media channels. 

'Eraser' kicks off the film festival, with 'See You at the Rally' serving as the closing picture.

The Malaysia International Film Festival is pleased to showcase 'Eraser,' directed by Malaysian Mark Lee See Teck, this year. It serves as the year's opening picture and has important tribute and commemorative value as it is also the final work of late actress Adibah Noor. The film illustrates the struggle of a fractured family surviving in a culturally diverse environment. This film will have its world premiere at a film festival and in theatres. The actors, including Namron, Angela Chan, Alyssa Lee, and Dhiya Ariffin, attended the screening and shared their filming experiences with director Mark Lee See Teck. The filmmaker also discussed how the film began as a short film and evolved into a feature film. Namron, one of the key cast members, also revealed his favourite scene from the filming and highlighted some amusing anecdotes.

In addition, the festival's closing picture, 'See You at the Rally,' directed by Taiwanese director Kanny Chang, will be screened. The film follows Zhou Da Long, a middle-aged lame father, his 10-year-old son Dong Dong, and former champion racer Ah Jun, who enters their lives by happenstance. Kanny Chang expertly transports us to the intense world of racing, where emotion and determination combine in the film. The enthralling story emphasises the importance of resilience, tenacity, and never giving up on one's aspirations. In a world when ambitions are threatened, 'See You at the Rally' offers as a poignant reminder to never give up. The major actors, James Wen and Jack Tan, will also take part in the post-screening sharing session to share their memorable experiences on the set.

Finally, the 6th Malaysia Golden Global Awards event will take place on 29th July 2023 at 8 PM at Zepp Kuala Lumpur. The event will be live-streaming on RTM TV2 channel, MIFFest's official Facebook page, and MIFFest TikTok account, as well as a delayed broadcast on Viu TV HK.

For more information about the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival, please visit the festival's official website, miffest.com.my, as well as its official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

 第六届马来西亚国际电影节（MIFFest）开幕典礼

电影界的盛事来临！第六届马来西亚国际电影节将于本月23日至29日震撼回归，这是你绝对不可错过的电影盛宴。

（吉隆坡）第六届马来西亚国际电影节（MIFFest）已于7月23日正式启动，将在GSC MyTown展开为期7天的影展，并在29日举行颁奖典礼。开幕典礼在MIFFest官方场地LaLaport BBCC盛大举行，当天吸引了众多电影人和受邀嘉宾的出席，现场也吸引了大批观众前来目睹隐藏在幕后的电影工作者们。

在开幕典礼上，主持人公布了今年电影节的各种活动。除了电影放映，今年MIFFest还将举办两场大师班，由评审团主席导演杜琪峰和日本知名导演广木隆一担任讲师，向电影爱好者和新晋电影人传授他们在业内积累的知识和经验。两位资深电影人的大师班一经宣布，受到了大众的热烈响应。杜琪峰导演的大师班将于7月29日中午1时30分进行，而广木隆一导演的大师班将于7月25日中午2时举行。

每年最受瞩目的展映影片列表在今年仍然吸引观众的关注，共邀请了40部优秀作品。其中包括来自日本导演Emma Kawawada执导的《芳寸之地》（My Small Land）、西班牙导演Marina Seresesky执导的《Let the Dance Begin》、土耳其导演Selcen Ergun执导的《Snow and the Bear》、大马导演刘国瑞执导的《白日青春》、日本导演Chie Hayakawa执导的《Plan 75》、韩国导演Kim Sung Hwan执导的《Iron Mask》、香港导演曾庆宏执导的《过时·过节》以及评审团成员广木隆一导演执导的《2 Women》等优秀影片。本地影片方面，代表作品有《Eraser》、《Adoiii Jiwaku!》和《分贝人生》。

MIFFest还邀请了部分影片的主创人员到现场举行映后见面会，与观众分享拍摄影片的心路历程。来自日本、韩国、中国、台湾、香港、菲律宾、阿塞拜疆、伊朗、法国、印度、乌克兰、西班牙、土耳其等地区的作品也将在接下来的一周在GSC MyTown影院展映。观众可以前往GSC MyTown影院或通过影院官网https://www.gsc.com.my/film-festival/2023-miffest购买电影票。

放映时间表的详细信息可在影展官网和官方社交媒体上查询。

创办人兼主席吴佩玲在开幕典礼上表示：“马来西亚国际电影节进入第六届，我非常感谢一路以来陪伴我们成长的各位，越来越多的人开始认识MIFFest，这让我感到非常欣慰和开心”。她还表示今年的影片投稿数量比往年多了许多，总计有40部影片参展。此外，马来西亚影帝博朗·帕拉雷（Bront Palarae）已经四次担任电影节宣传大使，并亲自参加了今天的开幕典礼。Bront兴奋地表示今年的电影节增加了许多新的活动，让他恨不得每天都亲自参与。

MIFFest今年与富川国际奇幻电影节（BIFAN）和马来西亚台北经济文化办事处（TECO）合作，以进行电影展映和举办座谈会。BIFAN座谈会将由《Iron Mask》导演Kim Sung Hwan和BIFAN的策展人Ellen Kim主讲。马来西亚台北经济文化办事处（TECO）协办的座谈会也已公开报名。此座谈会将由刘国瑞、李宜珊、阮凤仪、张吉安、陈洁瑶以及詹京霖等六位导演主讲，并由坎城影展导演双周单元（Directors' Fortnight）东南亚及台湾选片人郭敏容担任策展人。讲座会将于7月29日和30日在诚品书店进行。在影展选片方面，TECO选出了6部长片和4部短片进行展映，其中包括备受期待的年度台湾暖心电影《本日公休》。一经发布，片单即吸引了众多电影爱好者对电影节的期待。

除了这些影片，MIFFest今年还与BMW Shorties合作。BMW Shorties在之前的发布会上表示，今年的收片数量创下了新纪录，共收到了113部短片，从中选出了10部引人注目的作品进行放映，这10部短片将在影展期间在影院和户外放映。

此外，为配合今年的主题“NEW TAKE”，影展还增加了许多新鲜多样的活动。其中包括在LaLaport Rooftop Garden举办的户外影院（MIFFest Open Air Cinema），让观众在热闹的环境中共同欣赏本地电影的精彩故事。在户外影院放映的五部影片都是由马来西亚导演执导的优秀作品，其中包括《无夏之年》（Year Without a Summer）、《口袋里的花》（Flower in the Pocket）、《十字路口》One Two Jaga、《虎厂》（The Tiger Factory）和Jagat。观众可以在本月24日至28日在LaLaport Rooftop Garden免费观赏这五部赢得国际声誉的本土电影。为了让观众充分享受户外影院带来的乐趣，影展还举办了MIFFest市集（MIFFest Marketplace），于本月22日至30日期间举行，吸引了众多摊主参与。放映时间表的详细信息可以在影展官网和官方社交媒体上查询。

今年，马来西亚国际电影节邀请了由马来西亚导演李世特执导的电影《Eraser》作为开幕影片。这部电影也是已故国宝级女演员Adibah Noor的遗作，具有极高的致敬和纪念意义。影片讲述了一个破碎的家庭如何在不同文化信仰的情况下坚持生存的旅程。导演李世特与主演Namron、陈美娥、李宛璇、Dhiya Ariffin等一同出席了开幕式，并分享了影片的拍摄经历和过程。观影结束后，主创人员还接受了采访。导演李世特讲述了这部影片是如何从短片开始成为如今的电影创作历程。主演Namron也分享了拍摄期间最难忘的场景和一些有趣的事情。

此外，由台湾导演张书伟执导的《我和我的赛车老爸》是影展的闭幕影片。影片讲述了中年跛脚爸爸周大隆与他素未谋面的10岁儿子冬冬，以及前冠军赛车手阿骏之间发生的故事。导演张书伟巧妙地将观众带入振奋人心的赛车世界，展现了热情和决心在影片中的碰撞。这个令人着迷的故事不仅仅是关于赛车的刺激，更强调了坚韧、毅力和不放弃梦想的价值观。在梦想面临挑战的世界中，《我和我的赛车老爸》展现了永不放弃的力量。届时，主演温昇豪和陈泽耀也将亲临放映现场，与现场观众分享他们在拍摄过程中的趣事。

最后，本届金环奖颁奖典礼将于7月29日晚上8时在Zepp Kuala Lumpur举行。盛典将在RTM TV2频道、MIFFest官方Facebook页面和TikTok账号直播，Viu TV HK将进行延播。

若想了解更多第六届马来西亚国际电影节的详情，请访问影展官网miffest.com.my以及官方Facebook和Instagram页面。

Keywords: #MIFFest #MalaysiaInternationalFilmFestival #FilmFestival #FilmExtravaganza #FilmScreenings #Masterclass #BIFAN #TECO #马来西亚国际电影节 #电影节 #电影盛宴 #电影展映

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