Press freedom protest

Sarawak Road Show films here!

Halo folks!
Sorry for not able to do much screenings recently due to my enagagements in Sarawak. I've been going to Sarawak on a monthly basis to prepare for election observation there. The following films are produced from the trip by accompanying journalist from TV2-apart from others who write in blogs and otehr on-line journals. Enjoy.

I'll inform you of coming screenings when the time is right.

Ong BK

Is there anything BETTER than `Avatar'?

Halo folks,

Have you gone to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster `AVATAR'? Can you imagine anything better than `AVATAR'? Well the films we will screen this Saturday `Voices from the forest' and videos from the Sarawak Road Shows, actually allow real forest people to speak for themselves-something which the high tech special effect film would not do!

After a long year end break we are back to screen films which are not shown on cinemas, Tvs etc. Thedetails of the films to be screened are:

Titles:1. `Voices from the forests' (43min)
Intro: This is the story of people living in or near tropical forests in S E Asia, in particular the story of people in indigenous communities in Malaysia(Sarawak), Indonesia and the Philippines....a way of life which is well adapted to tropical forest conditions. The voices from the forests share their experiences, dreams and aspirations but also their worries...'(Longer intro appended below)
2. Videos from the Sarawak Road Shows-video clips from Sarawak Road Show which run into the 4th tours so far. Every month a group of Malaysians visit Sarawak for about a week to look at where Malaysians (actually West Malaysians) tend to habitually shy away from. Engineer, journalists, video/photographers, artists, media group member etc have been on the new tour to Sarawak. Come to see what they have found. One of the TV journalist on the tour work for TV2 and has since produced a 10-part series to be screened on TV2 from Jan 4th-15th(except weekend) on every lunch time after the news. Go have a look!
Date: Jan 9th 2009(Sat)
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: 63 Weld Quay 10300 Penang
All welcome! FREE entry!
Enq. 013-5900339

Appendix:
Voices from the Forest. Balancing Forest Use and Conservation in Southeast Asia.

The namesake of this newsletter, the NTFP Exchange Programme captures the stories of indigenous peoples living in or near tropical forests in Southeast Asia, and their dependence on non-timber forest products for their survival as a people and as a culture. Through their voices as well as of some of their supporters, we share in their dreams and aspirations, as well as their fears as the rapidly changing world poses new challenges to their indigenous lifestyles.
We are offered a rare peek into:
w the nomadic Penan’s reliance on sago palm in the face of threats from a large logging company (Malaysia),
w traditional and sustainable harvesting, production and marketing of wild honey in Danau Sentarum (Indonesia),
w the Ikalahan tribe’s struggle to protect their traditional forest by transforming fruits of the forest into jams and jellies for the high-end niche market (the Philippines),
w the Higaonon tribe’s indigenous fabric, the hinabol, tied to traditional management of abaca (Manila Hemp) and the fast-disappearing art of hinabol weaving (the Philippines), and
w the crucial market links provided by the Upland Marketing Foundation and the CustomMade Crafts Center, and their tireless efforts at aiding local communities to develop marketable handicrafts and food products.
Produced by Riak Bumi, Telapak and the NTFP-EP (2005). Copies (DVD or VCD, 43 mins.) can be obtained through Ridzki Sigit, Telapak, Jl. Palem Putri III No. 1-3, Komp. Taman Yasmin Sektor V, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Tel: +62 0251 7159902. Email: rrsigit@telapak.org. URL: www.telapak.org

Ong BK

Nov 1st screening: `Denias-Senandung di Atas Awan'

Halo folks,

After not receiving suggestion for screening titles I look into the titles suggested in the past and found an Indonesian gem whose screening should be overdue! It is highly relevant to screen it in view of the concern and interests over indigenous people in our region eg on how a student need to walk 1 day to the nearest school-as is the story of this film `Denias-Senandung atas Awan'-a good Indonesian production about Papua New Guinea, which should resonate with people who are concerned about the similar fate of Penans and other similar communities in Malaysia. For me it is also a film of choice since I just met a group of Penans from the Baram area while in Sarawak. They live in remote areas where traveling along logging roads tell stories of rape of school girls, murder of anti-logging Tuai Rumah, lack of birth certificates and thus Mycard, voting rights etc.So come to watch this gem from among the films loaned to us by Kris Gan at least 1 year ago!


Details of the films are here:

Title: Denias-Senandung di Atas Awan

Directed by	John de Rantau
Produced by	Hartawan, Wiwid Setya, Ari Sihasale , Nia Zulkarnaen
Written by	Jeremias Nyangoen , Masree Ruliat
Cinematography	Yudi Datau
Distributed by	Alenia Pictures
Release date(s)	October 19, 2006
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Indonesia
Language	Indonesian

We will also screen a short (11min) video of long house folks in Sri Aman, Sarawak-the 1st installment of videos which I will do about Sarawak along the tour that I am conducting to that long neglected part of Malaysia.

We specially welcome new members from the screenings at Freedom Film Fest in Penang from Oct 9th-11th.

Ong BK

Catch a glimpse of the 3 winners of FFF 2009 competition

Star on line did a interview with each of the 3 winners of the Freedom Film Fest 2009 competition here. Congrat to all winners! Enjoy.

Please book your tickets early to avoid dissappointment! Booking number: 017-3749887. Booking by email: freedomfilmfest@komas.org

For full program go here. The following is a video on FFF in KL:



Ong BK

FFF 2009 is coming to Penang Oct 9th-11th!

Catch the
FreedomFilmFest2009
Presenting 23 heart-moving, eye-opening, award-winning human rights documentaries from Malaysia and around the world, over 3 days in 4 states.

2-4 OCTOBER 2009, The Annexe, Central Market KL
9-11 OCTOBER 2009, Han Chiang College, Penang
23-25 OCTOBER, Sek. Men. Chung Hua No.1, Kuching
30 OCTOBER-1 NOVEMBER, Tropical Inn, Johor Bharu


WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR?

COMMUNITY VIDEO FORUM & SCREENINGS (Friday, 3.30-6.30pm) KL only

Community Video Forum & Showcase will be bringing to you a sharing session of experience and video showcase between community filmmakers and activists from Malaysia and around the SEA region who use video for community organising.

*Pre-registration required as seats are limited. Priority to NGO and community activists.

LAUNCH CEREMONY & OPENING FILM (Friday, 8 pm)

The 6th FreedomFilmFest2009 will be launched with the screening of AT STAKE, a brave and eye-opening documentary tackling taboo issues faced by Indonesian women. This anthology covers issues of female genital mutilation, unmarried women's experiences at the gynecologist, prostitution, and the sexuality of a migrant worker.

*Producer NIA DINATA, who is the director of the movie “Berbagi Suami” and also a renowned Indonesian feminist will be present in KL for Q&A after the screening.

PREMIERE OF FFF2009 WINNING FILMS! (Saturday, 7pm)



Al-Fatehah Memali by Rahmat Haron
This film portrays the journey of singer-songwriters, Black and Meor, trying to comprehend a massacre that happened in 1985 in Kg. Memali, Kedah. Their journey brings them to the village where they meet survivors and witnesses of the tragedy to uncover a forgotten story of injustice for most of Malaysia, but one forever etched in the hearts of those in Memali.

Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa
This film is a first-hand account of a 100-strong contingent of cyclists in the JERIT cycling campaign who rode from Alor Setar and Johor Baharu to Kuala Lumpur for 16 days in order to address 6 major concerns of marginalized groups in Malaysia.

No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis by The S-ploited.
What happens when “frogs” jump over to the other side? In Perak, when 3 elected representatives of the Pakatan Rakyat 'hopped” over to become BN friendly, it started a political wrestling match for power between the two opposing political alliance.


* Entry is FREE but strictly by invitation only as it is a closed-door private event.

For inquiries and reservations of passes - Please email freedomfilmfest@komas.org or call 017-3749887, with the following information:

Name | Contact tel. no and email | Title of film/time of session that you would like to watch | Number of passes needed | In which state (KL, PG, JB, or KUCHING)

For full listing and schedule http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org

Disclaimer:
Selection of films and program of the festival are the sole responsibility of the organising committee of the FreedomFilmFest. The venue providers are not involved in this process of selection and cannot be held accountable.

Next screening: Sept 27th-GUBRA

Halo folks,

We had shown Muhsin in last screening. We can show Gubra ( trailer here) which we had not screened before for next screening on Sept 27th(Sunday) 8.00pm, at D' Space (62 Weld Quay, 3rd floor- see http://penangfilmclub.blogspot.com for a location map) Meanwhile Yasmin Ahmad fans had planned a fest to screen her films in Australia!

For your info we had screened a video of the Bangun Art Fest at Chew Jetty on Sept 13th-including snapshots of the music fest on a fish farm on the sea! If you are interested to have a look let me know to see how to organise another screening.(Altogether about 45min) For some views of the videos go to here.

We call upon all interested members to turn up for a discussion on the preparation of the coming Freedom Film Fest 2009 to be coming to Han Chiang College, Penang next month (likely date: Oct 9th-11th Fri-Sun) at the end of the screening. We need to organise ushers, locate resource persons to lead discussions on various films sessions, and to run an effective promotion in Penang! Looking forward to seeing all of you who are interested to take up the challeneg! You are welcome to call me for inquiries: 013-5900339

cheers,
Ong BK