FreedomFilmFest Penang is back on 16-18 Oct!
sembang sembang
FREEDOM FILM FESTIVAL 2015: Unseen, Unheard, Untold
16th October (Friday) - 18th October (Sunday)
SCHEDULE
DAY 1 (16 Oct 2015) : Hin Bus Depot Art Centre
7:30pm – 8:50 pm
Viral, Sial!
8:50 pm – 9:30 pm
Memory as Resistance: Grandma Kong Defending Her Village
9:30 pm – 11:00 pm
1987: Untracing the Conspiracy
DAY 2 (17 Oct 2015) : LUMA Lightbox @ The Whiteaways Arcade
10:30am – 12:30pm
Away from Ayah
Nick & Chai
2:00pm – 3:45 pm
Penalty of Justice
Burden of Peace
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Dialog Dengan Dendi
Hashim’s School of Hope
Living in the Drains
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Di Sebalik Runcit
Sindiket
7:30 pm – 09:30 pm
The Human Scale
DAY 3 (18 Oct 2015) : Kampung Permatang Tok Suboh, Bukit Mertajam
8.00pm – 10.00pm
Memory as Resistance: Grandma Kong Defending Her Village
Even A Bird Needs A Nest
http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org/penang/
After each screening, there will be short discussion facilitated to relate the issue with the current situation in
Malaysia. So not only will you get a free "movie" night, you'll also be more aware of what's happening in other countries, as well as Malaysia!
Come on and join us!
Register for tickets and view maps here:
Day 1 @ Hin Bus Art Depot : http://fffpenangday1.eventbrite.com
Day 2 @ LUMA Lightbox: http://fffpenangday2.eventbrite.com
Day 3 @ Bukit Mertajam: http://fffpenangday3.eventbrite.com---
Synopsis of Films
VIRAL, SIAL!
Theme: Social media and society
David Buri / Malaysia / 2015 / 30 mins
Synopsis: In early March 2015, BFM Radio released an episode of its satirical current affairs show Kupas. The episode questioned the priorities of the Kelantan State Legislature in passing the Syariah Criminal Enactment Law, popularly known as hudud, amid unresolved issues in Kelantan of poverty, high unemployment, and homelessness. The episode quickly went viral, and Aisyah Tajuddin, the temporary host of the week, received a torrent of rape and death threats over social media. Viral, Sial! examines the interplay of religious sensitivity, race and gender that created this perfect storm, while also reflecting critically on how the producers dealt with the fall out. How far is too far in a „sensitive‟ Malaysia?
MEMORY AS RESISTANCE: GRANDMA KONG DEFENDING HER VILLAGE
Theme: Heritage, land grabbing
Chan Seong Foong & Victor Chin / Malaysia / 2015 / 25 mins
Synopsis: Grandma Kong has lived all her life in the historic Kampung Hakka in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan. At 80 years old, she wants to live out her remaining years in the only home she‟s ever known. But, the threat of demolition now looms over the village thanks to a questionable land grab by local officials and a private developer. However, the villagers of Kampung Hakka have banded together, and are determined to fight for their right to stay on their land. Through Grandma Kong‟s memories, we get a glimpse of the community spirit and culture that forged Kampung Hakka and remains despite the pressures of development and modernisation. Memory as Resistance: Grandma Kong Defending Her Village is not just about Grandma Kong and her neighbours. Rather, it is a link to our shared roots that pushes us to imagine a future that embodies the same tenacity and gotong-royong spirit of Kampung Hakka.
1987: UNTRACING THE CONSPIRACY
Theme: Justice system Jason Soo / Singapore / Malaysia / 60 mins
Synopsis: In 1987, 22 people were arrested under Singapore’s Internal Security Act (ISA). Accused of being involved in a Marxist conspiracy to establish a communist state, many detainees were tortured and then coerced into implicating themselves and their friends on public television. Featuring interviews with ex-detainees and political exiles, the film focuses on the first 30 days of their ordeal. The ex-detainees describe various physical and psychological techniques used by their interrogators. This ignoble history of the ISA is a damning indictment of how detention without trial is not just a special kind of law, but a suspension of law.
AWAY FROM AYAH
Amelia Tan / Singapore / 2015 / 12:30 mins
Synopsis: Away from Ayah is an intimate look into the life of Ipin (not his real name), a 12-year-old boy coping with his father being in prison. The film explores the emotional impact on a child through Ipin‟s perspective as he narrates his thoughts and feelings. It illustrates the importance of having a parent throughout a child‟s formative years, and the prospect of him growing up to be different from his peers.
NICK & CHAI
Cha Escala & Wena Sanchez / Philippines / 2014 / 70 mins
Synopsis: On November 8, 2013, Nick and Chai lost their four children to Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. Four months later, they attempt to build a meaningful life from what is left. We first observe the superficial cheer with which the couple pass their day, with Chai joking about how she‟s no longer a mother. Now that they are childless, they put all their energy into the reconstruction of the devastated society, helping to set up and implement programs for cultivating vegetables. Little by little, as we follow their daily routines, we gradually come to understand exactly what happened on that fateful day and the tremendous impact it has had on the couple. What‟s kept them going is the memory of their selfless love for their children and the firm belief that they will one day be reunited. Their profound feelings for one another have strengthened by their shared and insurmountable loss. They eat together, visit one of their children‟s graves to mark her birthday, work in the field, share their experiences with other victims, look at photos and watch videos of the children on their phones, all the while praying that they die together so they can once again be a “happy family forever.”
PENALTY OF JUSTICE (Animation)
Theme: Justice system
Vyacheslav (Slavik) Bihun / Ukraine / 2014 / 14 mins
Synopsis: Life is wonderful for a celebrated footballer until the sportsman falls into the hands of fate and a corrupted criminal system. Despite losing everything, he does not give up. With help from his father and an amazing lawyer, he seeks justice at the European Court of Human Rights.
BURDEN OF PEACE
Theme: Impunity/ Justice system
Joey Boink / Netherlands / 2015 / 76 min
Synopsis: In 2010, Claudia Paz y Paz became the first woman to be appointed AttorneyGeneral in Guatemala, at a time where 95% of murder cases were left unsolved. The former human rights activist and lawyer decided to give filmmakers an exclusive behind-the-scenes access of her new office. She believes in transparency and fighting against impunity. Her aim is to deliver justice to murderers, cartel bosses and members of the former military junta, who were responsible for the genocide of the indigenous Mayan population in the 1980s. Can there be a fair trial in a country led by a former army commander?
DIALOG DENGAN DENDI
Badrul Hisham Ismail / Malaysia / 2015 / 15:40 mins
Synopsis: Ehsan grew tired living in the city. After a chance meeting with a Dendi, a member of the Temiar tribe, he decided to visit Dendi at his village, deep in the jungle. There, Ehsan reflects on his life in the city while getting to know more about Dendi, his family, traditions and values.
HASHIM’S SCHOOL OF HOPE
Jules Ong / Malaysia / 2014 / 25 mins
Synopsis: The story of one man in Malaysia who struggles to keep his religious school open to accommodate the influx of Myanmar's refugee children.
LIVING IN THE DRAINS
Marcel Simok / Malaysia / 2014 / 13:14 mins
Synopsis: Living In The Drains is a story of one family who came from the Philippines to Sabah. Sabah, a state in Malaysia, has long been part of a geo-political zone closely connected to Brunei, Philippines and Indonesia. Migration between these zones is fluid and boundaries established by previous colonial powers have no bearing. As a result, almost one quarter of the population in Sabah are undocumented illegal immigrants with no citizen rights. They live in constant fear of authorities, have no legal protection, unable to educate their children, and fall prey to corruption and graft.
DI SEBALIK RUNCIT
Theme: Big business vs. small business
J Arrivu Jacob / Malaysia / 2015 / 20 mins
Synopsis: Muniandy is an independent self-made man who has raised his family through his independent grocery shop in Semenyih, Selangor. Grocery shops like Muniandy‟s, with their displays of fresh local produce in the front and sundry items inside, are a familiar part of the Malaysian landscape. However, these unique businesses are beginning to feel the heat as more hypermarkets and chain grocery shops flood the market. Are we now seeing the end of these traditional and more personal “mom and pop shops” run mostly by the owner-operator? Can the next generation resist the domination of big shiny corporations with equally bigger economies of scale and maintain our freedom to be our own boss if we choose to? Di Sebalik Runcit explores the erasure and uncertain future of these traditional businesses from the Malaysian landscape through Muniandy‟s journey and the conscious choice of one consumer, Alia Ali, to patronise these independent businesses.
SINDIKET
Theme: Politics of citizenship
Nizam Andan / Malaysia / 2015 / 25 mins
Synopsis: The Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry (Sabah RCI) was established to investigate allegations that citizenship had been given to undocumented migrants from Indonesia and the Philippines in exchange for votes for the incumbent government. However the Sabah RCI has raised more questions rather than answered the existing anxieties of Sabahans. The Sabah RCI was asked, “Was the granting of fake identity cards related to politics?” Many Sabahans believe that the answer is undoubtedly, yes. However, the Sabah RCI denied a political link to what has become colloquially known as “Project IC”, an answer that has frustrated Sabahans. Sindiket is a search for the answers left out of the official “truth”.
THE HUMAN SCALE
Theme: Liveable cities
Andreas Dalsgaard / Denmark / 2012 / 86 mins
Synopsis: 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will increase to 80%. Life in mega cities is enchanting but problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness, and severe health issues due to this way of life. But why? Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behaviour in cites through 40 years. This film documents how modern cities discourage human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way that takes into consideration the human need for inclusion and intimacy.
EVEN A BIRD NEEDS A NEST
Theme: Land grabbing, democracy, women
Christine Chansou, Vincent Trintignant-Corneau/France/2014/70 mins
Synopsis The government grants land concessions to powerful companies who use them for commercial purposes. However, some of these belong to the people. In Phnom Penh, residents of the Boeung Kak district are forcibly evicted from their homes, obliged to live in relocation camps, without basic services and infrastructures. Those who refuse the government's proposition, have their homes bulldozed by the private companies, with the violent assistance of the police forces. A group of daring women lead by the charismatic Tep Vanny continue to protest and resist.