KOTA SAMARAHAN, 16 June 2021 – The 17th Mini Film Festival (MFF) organized by the Cinematography Programme from Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) will host its third webinar entitled “Celebrating Diversity in Film and the Film Industry: In Trend vs. In Need” on June 17, 2021 (Thursday) featuring four experienced panelists from the Southeast Asian film industry.
The four panelists are Ms. Anucha Boonyawatana (Director from Thailand), Mr. Kanakan-Balintagos (Director from the Philippines), Ms. Brenda Danker (Director from Freedom Film Network) and Mr. Bernard Chauly (Director from Malaysia).
“Diversity is one of the most important assets in society not only in Southeast Asia but all over the world,” said Fahmi, a representative of the organisers who shared the reason for organising this webinar. Diversity covers a wide range of subjects and typically involves marginalized groups and those who are different due to factors such as their age, women who are not treated fairly like men, sexuality that is not accepted by many or ethnic minorities that are given less attention in our media.
Diversity is also very important in making a film interesting because with the awareness of diversity, it can offer more inclusive content so that the differences that exist among the audience and filmmakers can be appreciated by many. This is in line with the trends in Hollywood and film industries in some developed countries that try to positively portray characters such as women and non – Caucasians who are independent and successful.
Inclusive Contents Production in Hollywood and Southeast Asia
To enlighten this issue, filmmakers like Ms. Anucha Boonyawatana will share her views on this issue. She is a transgender female film director who has won several international awards through her films. Her film “Malila: The Farewell Flower (2017)” has won the Kim Jiseok award in Busan International Film Festival as well as the best director award from Singapore International Film Festival and International Film Festival of Kerala. She is also the president of the Thai Film Directors Association.
In addition to that, the second panelist, Mr. Kanakan-Balintagos, a filmmaker of all genres (documentary, short films, and music video) and also an indigenous activist will participate in this Mini Film Festival Webinar to share his views on the issue of diversity. His film titled “The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros” has won 15 international awards. This film is also the first film from the Philippines to be nominated for Best Foreign Film in Independent’s Spirit Award in the United States.
There is no denying that diversity in film content should also support the movement that values diversity among film crews. For example, according to a report released by UCLA, it was reported that the number of directors and writers in the United States are mostly Caucasian men, while women and those from ethnic minorities are rarely given the opportunity to do high-budget films.
Indirectly, films produced in Hollywood fail to reflect the diversity that exists in society although the study conducted by UCLA showed films featuring minority actors typically received high ratings in online viewing. “Realising this, the festival organisers would like to bring a panel with extensive experience to train young women directors and writers who are ethnic minorities to share the importance of the practices”, said Yow, a film lecturer at UNIMAS.
From Southeast Asia to Malaysia
The webinar will also feature Ms. Brenda Danker, a media director and producer from Freedom Film Festival which focuses on social issues such as marginalised women and adolescents. Finally, the webinar will also feature Mr. Bernard Chauly who is famous for films such as Gol & Gincu (2005), Pisau Cukur (2009), Istanbul Aku Datang (2012) dan Manisnya Cinta di Cappadocia (2014) that feature strong and independent female characters. Both of them are often involved in workshops that train marginalised young directors and writers so that they can produce films that reflect their identities.
Through the discussion in this webinar on diversity, it is hoped to provide enlightenment and encouragement to young people to produce inclusive film contents and celebrate the diversity that exists in our society. This webinar organised by Mini Film Festival is in collaboration with Sarawak Digital, CHIC, PORT and PERSENI. It will be broadcast live on June 17, 2021 (Thursday), at 8.30pm via Mini Film Festival’s Facebook. Participants are encouraged to register via the link https://linktr.ee/MiniFilmFestival. Any further questions about this webinar, please contact Muhammad Fahmi bin Ezar at 010 – 294 3390
