KK International Film Festival is back

Kota Kinabalu: The Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) is back for the seventh year and will be held from May 31 to June 11.

It continues to be co-organised by SEDIA and SPARKS (Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu Sabah), in collaboration with Elysee Fund (through the Goethe-Institute Malaysia and Alliance Francaise) and the Embassy of the USA.

“The criteria (of materials to be submitted for competition in KKIFF2015) are simple; as long as they portray the originality and creativity of story-telling,” said KKIFF 2015 director Jude Day.

KKIFF 2015 promises to be the best film festival yet. We have positioned ourselves as a significant film festival in the ASEAN region to build up, nurture and present young talented film directors”.

KKIFF is currently calling for applications for the Sabah Film Academy which will take place from May 31 to June 7.

The 10 selected participants from Malaysia will work in two teams with four mentors from Germany, France, USA and the ASEAN region. In the month before they come to Kota Kinabalu, the two teams will work on pre-production of their 10-minute documentaries with their mentors and each other.

Once in KK, everyone will finalise pre-production arrangements and attend workshops with the mentors. Then they will go out and shoot their documentaries, edit them and screen them at Awards Night on Sunday, June 7. Applications close on April 30.

The film festival is also calling for applications for the Sabah Pitching Training & Awards programme on June 5 and 6. Anyone within the ASEAN region can apply with a new documentary film project. These can be feature-length (60 minutes plus) or shorts (up to 15 minutes).

The 10 selected projects can be represented at KKIFF by two people who each other will receive training in making pitches before pitching to a panel who will award a total of RM20,000.00 in grants to help get three of the projects started.

In addition to these two opportunities, KKIFF is calling for film submissions for its 2015. Firstly, the Rolling10 Filmmakers’ Competition is open to anyone within the ASEAN region.

The theme is: ROLLING and the movies are to be up to 10 minutes long. There are three categories for submissions: documentary, narrative and indigenous language.

All submissions will be uploaded onto the KKIFF website.

Applications for all of the submissions mentioned close on April 30. The committee is also looking for submissions for the DOCS+ screenings at KKIFF 2015. DOCS+ is a platform for filmmakers in the ASEAN region to screen recently completed works, both feature-length and shorts, including documentaries and other types of movies. Submissions close on March 15 (for information to be included in the KKIFF programme booklet) and April 30.

The Sabah Film Academy has two awards of RM1,000 each that are being sponsored by Sabah Cultural Board. The Rolling10 Filmakers’ Competition has three Golden Kinabalu Awards, one each for documentary, narrative and indigenous language. The Golden Kinabalu Awards for documentary and narrative are being sponsored by Kopi Cap Kuda, together with cash prizes of RM2,000.

The Golden Kinabalu Award for Indigenous Language is being sponsored by the Kadazandusun Language Foundation and will also come with a cash prize of RM2,000.

Information about these four opportunities for filmmakers and other activities included in the KKIFF 2015 can be found on KKIFF website: www.kkiff.com.

Source: The Borneo Post, page 3, January 28 2015

Shorter Sabah International Folklore Festival to reduce costs

Kota Kinabalu: The 10^th Sabah International Folklore Festival (SIFF) 2015 will be held for five days this year, instead of the nine days as in the previous years in support of the state government’s call of more prudent spending.

Efforts to reduce expenses also included seeking partnerships and sponsorships from corporate and government agencies, cancelling the premier show and limiting the number of participating countries.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said the organizing committee would find ways to save on expenses without compromising the quality of the performances.

For the first time ever, SIFF 2015 will be held at Sabah Cultural Centre in Penampang which has recently been renovated in order to cater for prestigious performances such as orchestra or theatre. The event will run from August 11 to 15.

Masidi, who is also the organizing chairman, said the government had spent RM 5.9 million to upgrade the audio system, lighting and seating of Sabah Cultural Centre.

Speaking to the media after chairing the SIFF 2015 meeting yesterday, Masidi said the committee had identified 189 groups from various countries to invite to the festival.

To date, 27 countries have shown their interest to participate in SIFF, including Slovakia, Australia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, China, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Johor, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Venezuela and others.

While the participants are required to purchase their own flight tickets, Masidi said the organizing committee was responsible for providing accommodation and food to the participants during their stay here.

“In support of the government’s call to reduce expenditure this year, we are only accepting 15 countries at the international level.”

The theme of SIFF 2015 is “Marriage”, a concept to couple marriage ceremony in cultural dances.

The International Folk Dance Competition will be held at Sabah Cultural Centre from August 13 to 15. Tickets are RM 10 for children and students aged 17 and below, and RM30 for adults.

Tickets for the Local Dance Competition are RM5 for children and students aged 17 and below, and RM10 for adults.

Tickets are available for sale at Sabah Cultural Board from April 1 to August 14, 9am to 5pm and at Sabah Cultural Centre in Penampang from August 1 to 15 from 5pm to 9pm.

Source: The Borneo Post, page 2, January 28 2015

Toward 'one Asean for all'

Kota Kinabalu : The government, during Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean, endeavors to organise the various Asean meetings in different cities around the country.
"The intention is to serve at least three imperative; the first of which is to introduce delegates to the many wonders Malaysia has to offer.
"Each city will have the opportunity to attract, impress and welcome you to the different attractions present in the individual states," Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
The second intent of the government in the organising the Asean meetings across the country is to allow each state to feel that it too is part of the larger project of Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean this year, he added.
Connected to this is the third imperative-to bring Asean closer to the people. Malaysia's overreaching theme of its chairmanship is to foster a "People-centred Asean" and in line with this, and the various segments of society in preparing for the various meetings, he stressed.

Source: The Borneo Post, front page, January 28 2015

Free ERA fm concert to showcase top Sabahan stars

Kota Kinabalu: As a curtain raiser for the 2015, ERA fm will bring the best of the best Sabahan stars to "Konsert ERA Sayang Sabah" at Pusat Kebudayaan Penampang on the January 31, 2015 starting from 7pm onwards.

Source: The Borneo Post, page 3, January 28 2015

Five more ETAs here to promote usage English

Kota Kinabalu: Five more English Teaching Assistants (ETA) have signed up to do their bit to promote the usage of English among students in Sabah’s rural areas this year.

“Last year was our first year in Sabah and we had ten but this year we decided to add another five new ETAs in Ranau and Kota Marudu,” said Malaysian American Commission on Educational Exchange (Macee) representative, Benjamin Vernum.

He said this during the Sabah State Fullbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Orientation Programme at Grand Borneo Hotel here, Monday.

The ten month programme according to State Education Director, Datuk Jame Alip is a collaborative programme between the Malaysian and the American governments.

“It is jointly supervised by the Ministry of Education and Macee. This programme aims to increase the use of English language among Malaysian students and is in line with the policy of Upholding Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening English Language (MBMMBI)”, he explained in his speech delivered by his Senior Assistant (Academic Management Sector), Mohd Fadzli Abdul Rozan.

According to him, the ETAs had been posted to four District Education Offices last year namely Kota Belud, Tuaran, Papar and Beaufort and this year, the five new ETAs will be sent to Ranau as well as Kota Marudu district.

Source: Daily Express, page 6, 27 January 2015