REP0RT

Table of Contents

FreedomFilmFest2017 ThemeALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE B0RN FREE AND EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS-Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

FreedomFilmFest 2017 Numbers 3The Organiser 4Justin Louis Award 5Awarded Films 6Opening Film 7Virtual Reality 8Premiere of Malaysian Human Rights Films 9Film List 10Freedom Talks 11Workshops 12Travelling Film Fest 13Wayang Piknik/Community Screenings 18Southeast Asia Video Activist NetworkMeeting 19Film Pitching Programme 20Guests 21Partners 22Publicity & Media Outreach 23Feedback of Audience 25Impact 27Future Plans 28

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FreedomFilmFest2017Numbers

6,678Attendance

254Kota

Kinabalu

196Kuching

280Ipoh

750Singapore

3000Petaling

Jaya

155Manjung

244Butterworth

880Georgetown

553Muar

366JohorBahru

24Guests

Filmmakers

ProtaganistsFilm

FestivalOrganisers

39Films

12International

15Southeast

Asia

12Malaysia

37Non

ScreeningPrograms

21Post-film

discussion

7Freedom

Talks

9Workshops

&Masterclasses

GenderPercentage

59%Female

41%Male

114Screenings

54TravellingFestival

39Main

Festival

21CommunityScreenings

Outreach

6,673likes on

Facebook

405followers onInstagram

17,771visits to

freedomfilm.my

1,334followers on

Twitter

AudienceFeedback

17.7 %compelled totake action

47.4 %increase

knowledge30.5 %

metexpectations

4.4 %no impact

23Partners

4Regional andInternational

Partners

2State

Government

3Embassy

andCulturalCenter

14NGOs

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Malaysia’s only annual International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival established in 2003 to:

1. To create a vital platform for filmmakers and activists to showcase human rights films and advocate their causes.

2. To build capacity of filmmakers and activists to use the video medium as a tool for social documentation and human rights advocacy.

3. To create a safe space for freedom of expression whereby a group of people can come together to share and discuss critical issues through facilitated exchange and in the process increase their awareness and critical understanding of the issue from a human rights perspective.

FreedomFilmFest

the festival’s tag line and it represents the spirit of the festival – to encourage filmmakers to document and share their stories without fear or hesitation

Dare to Document

The 0rganiserFreedom Film Network is a non-profit body that promotes, develops and supports social filmmaking in Malaysia.

“FFF is a prominent human rights festival in the region where it acts as a platform to promote and protect human rights” - Arul Prakkash, WITNESS

Justin Louis AwardThe trophy is hand crafted by famed Indigenous Mahmeri carvers from Carey Island, Malaysia

presented to the winners of our film competition in memory of Malaysian video activist, Justin Louis who drowned during a fact finding mission on alleged abuse of Indigenous Penan women in the interiors of Sarawak.

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Awarded Films

Best International Film

An Insignificant ManDirectors: Khushboo Ranka & Vinay ShuklaIndia | 2016 | 96 min

“This film was chosen because it took up an issue all too familiar all around the world, which rarely gets shown in films because of its challenging nature. The film showcases excellent craft of documentary filmmaking and the great perseverance of the filmmaker to capture the character’s spectacular transformation from anti-corruption activist to political leader as a final destination platform to affect real change to stop corruption” - Jury

Best South East Asia Film

NokasDirector: Manuel Alberto MaiaIndonesia/Timor-Leste | 2016 | 76 min

“This documentary has a subtle way of telling a story but in actual fact it impacts a lot of us in our daily lives as well as how we hold strong to our cultural norms, sometimes without even questioning it, perhaps to deferment as well. This film spoke to us and would speak to a lot of people.” - Jury

Best Short FilmSittweDirector: Jeanne Marie Hallacy USA/Thailand | 2017 | 18 min

“ This film in its very quiet but profound way spoke about the challenges facing a particular country not too far away from us, going through a serious degree of conflict. There is a lot about the need for educating young people to challenge their thinking. There was also commentary from a representative of the majority religion of that country talking about how education will help young people confront their knowledge, challenges and ignorance. It was very good to hear the majority religion of that country talking about wanting change and accommodation so that all people regardless of their religion could find their place in society.”- Jury

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0pening film: A Filmless Festival Wang Wo | China | 2015

Chronicles the challenges of the Beijing International Independent Film Festival team under pressure of closure by the Chinese government and local authorities.

Followed by a talk entitled, Film Festivals: Risks and Resistance by Wang Hong Wei (festival director of the BIIFF); Tan Chui Mui (Malaysian Independent filmmaker) and Anna Har (Festival director of FFF)

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Virtual Reality FilmsTogether with Amnesty International Malaysia and SUARAM, the festival included six virtual realities films that allowed the participants to be in another person’s shoes or literally experience something from a different perspective or point of view.

6 x 9

Experience total isolation for a few minutes and discover the depressing feelings associated with enforced solitude of prisoners, which has potential permanent psychological effects.

Cardboard Crash

This animated documentary game addresses choices made by players who sometimes have to become authors of fate in this game when trying to resolve ethical and philosophical dilemma of who lives and who dies.

iAnimal

This documentary is actually a secret virtual tour of a slaughterhouse. This strongly emotional experience draws attention to the ethical issue of consuming meat that is mass-produced.

Indefinite

The film takes us into the gloomy environment of Britain’s detention centers to create a lyrical potrayal of these innocent prisoners and their stories.

The Displaced

The film uses immersion and lets the viewers feel like one of the team members on a canoe trip in South Sudan, up onto the roofs of destroyed Ukranian houses and to a Portugese field filled with working Syrian migrants.

Notes on Blindness

This interactive documentary presents the internal feelings, expectations and experiences of John Hull who has lost his sight.

“The most memorable moment for me is seeing some of them reaching to grab the items they see in the Virtual Reality” - Dobby Chew, SUARAM

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Premiere of Malaysian Human Rights FilmsAwardees of FFF Film Grants to make a short documentary.

SELFIE WITH THE PRIME MINISTERDirectors : Nor Arlene Tan & Grace Cho

Follows a Rohingya youth who grew up in a refugee camp and was trafficked seven times by human traffickers.

THE HILLS AND THE SEADirectors : Andrew Ng

Highlights the struggle of a coastal fisherman and a wildlife researcher on Dusky Leaf monkeys, to make their voices heard on Penang’s ambitious development plans.

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Film List

A Filmless Festival by Wang WoAda For Mayor by Pau FausAn Insignificant Man by Khushboo Ranka & Vinay ShuklaIn the Shade of Fallen Chinnar by Fazil NC & Shawn SebastianTheater of Life by Peter SvatekPlease Remember Me by Qing ZhaoSeed:The Untold Story by Taggart Siegel & Jon BertzAbandoned Land by Gilles LaurentShadow World by Johan GrimonprezNowhere to Hide by Zaradasht AhmedThe Opposition by Hollie FiferDigital Leader by Adrian V. Eagle

International

Sunday Beauty Queen by Baby Ruth VillaramaGive Up Tomorrow by Michael Collins & Marty SyjucoThe Big Tree by Th’blay PawThe Hope of Honey Hunter by Pinarsita JulianaThe Right to Learn by Arnel BarbaronaCuts by Chairun NissaSittwe by Jeanne Marie HallacyLife as We Know It by Ngwe Ngwe KhineRed Clothes by Lida ChanNokas by Manuel Alberto MaiaBurma Storybook by Petr LomSaving Sungei by Shintaro TayIn The Middle of The Night by Bryan Kristoffer J. BrazilThe Cresent in Dragon Village by Marjito Iskandar Tri GunawanVillage Renaming by Mahamasabree Jehloh & Kwankaew Ketphol

Southeast Asia (issues in Southeast Asia)

Selfie with The Prime Minister by Nor Arlene Tan & Grace ChoThe Hills and The Sea by Andrew NgNeglected by Shafie Dris Dawai Dawai by Caroline Parietti & Cyprien PonsonNot Covered by Ezat WagdiThe First Offering by Mathankumaran MadawanEvicted! (Year 1) by Ryan AndersonJourney to Raya Padi by Ewok Perai & Nik Jassmin HewOn The Way of Blossom by Wong Kai HuiAnak Malaysia by Khor Zhen YeeDiary For Prasana by Norhayati KaprawiSaving Malaysia by Sheridan Mahavera

Malaysian Films (issues in Malaysia)

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Freedom TalksFreedom Talks are one hour forums which go deeper into a topic of a film that is screened during the festival. The talk has two identified experts who share more on a particular topic, followed by an open discussion with different stakeholders.

Film Festivals: Risks and Resistance by Wang Hong Wei (Festival Director of Beijing Independent Film Festival) , Anna Har (Festival Director of FreedomFilmFest) and Tan Chui Mui (Director of Da Huang Pictures)

Women in Malaysian Politics by YB Yeo Bee Yin (Selangor State Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama)and Lochna Menon (Global Bersih)

From Waste to Plate by Joycelyn Lee (Co Founder, The Pit Stop Community Café) and Mohd Ezzuandi Ngadi (Co Founder, Dapur Jalanan)

Death Penalty: Human Rights & Human Wrong by Samatha Chong Yin Xin (Lawyer from National Legal Aid Foundation (NLAF)) and Abdul Rashid Ismail (Former President of National Human Rights Society (HAKAM))

Caring for our Seniors – What is the plan? by Derek Fernandez (MBPJ Councillor - on local plans for care & assisted living for senior citizens)

Nuclear in Malaysia by Charles Santiago (Member of Parliament for Klang)

Southeast Asia (SEA) Land Rights – Ground Wars and Court Battleby Shafie Dris (Malaysian Filmmaker), Th’blay Paw (Thai Filmmaker), Pinarsita Juliana (Indonesia Filmmaker) and Arnel Barbarona (Filipino Filmmaker)

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WorkshopsNine workshops were carried out during the festival. The workshops are:

Multimedia Investigative Reporting in Mainstream Media by R.AGE, The Star

Freedom of Expression and Documentary Filmmaking by Corrine van Egeraat (Dutch Independant Filmmaker) and Petr Lom (Independant Filmmaker) (in collaboration with Malaysian Documentary Association (MyDocs))

Virtual Reality (VR) – Can Human Rights be “Sexy”? by Ondrej Moravec (Program Director of One World Film Festival)

So You Wanna be a Singer Song Writer by Azmyl Yunor (independent singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, academic and writer)

Change the World- Films & Their Impact Strategies by Ondrej Moravec, (Program Director of One World Film Festival) (in collaboration with Malaysian Documentary Association (MyDocs))

Digital Story Telling for Seniors by Adrian Lai (Filmmaker), Chan Seong Foong (Filmmaker) and Victor Chin (Filmmaker).

Sharing Stories – Indigenous Digital Storytelling by Rusalina Idrus (Gender Studies Lecturer, University of Malaya) and Brenda Danker (Educator)

#6052 Bangsa Malaysia by Pusat KOMAS

Orang Asli Do-It-Yourself Filmmaking by Arul Prakkash (Program Manager for Asia and the Pacific, WITNESS)

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Travelling Film FestThis component of the festival brings a selection of the festival films to people outside of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

14-15 October 2017Local Partner: BENTARAKATA

Kuching, Sarawak

29 October 2017Local Partner: PANGGAU

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Ipoh, Perak

4 November 2017Local Partner: KUASA

Manjung, Perak

4 November 2017Local Partner: KUASA

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Singapore

11 -12 November 2017Local Partner: Function 8

Muar, Johor

18 November 2017Local Partner: ENGAGE

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Johor Bahru, Johor

19 November 2017Local Partner: ENGAGE

Butterworth, Penang

295 November 2017Local Partner: SUARAM

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Georgetown, Penang

26 November 2017Local Partner: SUARAM

Wayang Piknik/Community Screenings

A selection of local and international films were made available throughout the year for anyone in Malaysia who wanted to organise a small screening and share the films. We partnered with MCCHR (Malaysian Centre on Constitition and Human Rights) to screen Viral Sial in 4 universities and colleges as part of their research and advocacy work on online harassment. In Johor, our local partner, ENGAGE initiated screenings on a regular basis in Chung Hwa High School, Muar and also in Southern University College, Skudai. Community screenings were also held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah by our local partner BENTARAKATA and in Manjung, Perak with local organisers, KUASA.A total of 21 screenings were held throughout the year.

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Southeast Asia Video Activist Network MeetingThe festival hosted 18 filmmakers from the Southeast Asia Region. They came from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Philippines. These filmmakers screened their films during the festival and also took part in a 3-day Southeast Asia Video Activist forum/meeting.

In addition to this, there were also international filmmakers and resource persons in attendance.This forum has been organised every year for the past three years by the festival to strengthen the network of social filmmakers and possibly to be the catalyst for future collaborations and co-productions within the region.

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Film Pitching Programme

IDFA Pitch

In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Malaysia, the winner of the pitch received a trip to Amsterdam to attend the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) & IDFA Academy, an intensive four-day training programme for emerging documentary filmmakers and producers.

Jury: 1. Ondrej Moravec (Festival Programmer of One World)2. Marcus Vetter (Filmmaker, Germany)3. Aloke Devichand (Senior Producer, Al Jazeera English)

Malaysian Human Rights Film GrantEvery year the festival calls for proposal entries from interested filmmakers and activists who have a story to tell. Theproposals selected will receive RM5000each to produce the film.

Out of the 26 proposals received, 2 were awarded film grants. The 2 completed films were premiered during the festival.

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Guests

FILMMAKERS

Wang Hong Wei (China)Caroline Parietti (France)Cyrien Ponson (France)Petr Lom (Netherlands)Corrine van Egeraat (Netherlands)

International

Southeast AsiaBaby Ruth Vilarama (Philippines)Pornsuk Koetsawang (Thailand)Pinarsita Juliana (Indonesia)Arnel Barbarona (Philippines)Manuel Alberto Maia (Indonesia)Sao Bora (Cambodia)Bryan Kristoffer J. Brazil (Philippines)Marjito Iskandar Tri Gunawan (Indonesia)

Ali Minanto (Indonesia)Mahamasabree Jehloh (Thailand)Kwankaew Ketphol (Thailand)Myo Win (Myanmar)

PROTAGANISTSMylyn Jacobo (Philippines)

JURIESDrew Ambrose (Malaysia)Eric Paulsen (Malaysia)Vimala Sundram (Malaysia)Marcus Vetter (Germany)Al Jafree Md Yusop (Malaysia)Nandita Solomon (Malaysia)Sharmin Parameswaran (Malaysia)Ondrej Moravec (Czech Republic)Sharaad Kuttan (Malaysia)Shufiyan Shukur (Malaysia)Nalini Elumalai (Malaysia)Andrew Khoo (Malaysia)

OTHER GUESTS/SPEAKERSMarcus Vetter (Filmmaker, Germany)Ondrej Moravec (Program Director of One World Film Festival, Czech Republic)Ana Jonessy (Festival Organiser, Malaysia)Tan Tee Seng (Festival Organiser, Singapore)Low Yit Leng (Festival Organiser, Singapore)Teo Soh Lung (Festival Organiser, Singapore)

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PartnersFreedomFilmFest over the years has built a solid network of partners that are instrumental in ensuring the success of the festival every year. The partners were involved in monetary contribution, program development, state screening organizers and capacity building support.

State Governments

Embassies and Cultural Centers

Regional and International Partners

NGOs

1) Selangor State Government2) Penang State Government

3) Goethe Institute4) Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands5) Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia6) High Commission of Canada

7) Movies that Matter8) Function 8 (Singapore)9) International Labour Organization10) Amnesty International Malaysia11) Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Malaysia

12) MyDocs (Malaysian Documentary Association)13) Pusat KOMAS14) Penang Institute15) SUARAM (Kuala Lumpur)16) Tenaganita17) PJ Live Arts Theater18) ENGAGE(Johor Baharu)19) LOTTA (Muar, Johor)20) LUMA (Penang) 21) Bentarakata (Sabah)22) Panggau (Sarawak)23) Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA)24) La Salle Centre (Ipoh)25) SUARAM (Penang)

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Publicty & Media 0utreach

The FreedomFilmFest website served as the main information base for the festival, with a total of 17, 771 page views for the duration of 90 days (6th June – 19th September 2017). Other sites used were social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) with 6673 likes, 405 followers and 1344 followers respectively.

The FFF Facebook page was the main social media platform used throughout the festival to provide generic information on the festival and also sharing news and reviews on the films that are to be screened. Posts were scheduled thrice a day starting from one month before the festival. There was a total of 74,684 visitors reached from the 6th of June – 19th of September 2017.

Second highest reach was through the FFF Twitter. There were 1885 visits to FFF twitter page in the month of August alone

Other than online publicity, 1000 posters were printed and distributed to civil society partners, universities, colleges and bookstores inviting the public to the festival.

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Asian Correspondent - Death Penalty: Wrongful Convictions and Unfair Sentencing In Malaysia https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/09/death-penalty-malaysia/#pFYbC38QmKLIEd78.97

Asian Correspondent – Filipino Director Wants Next 'Amy' To Come From Southeast Asia https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/09/filipino-director-wants-next-amy-come-southeast-asia/#UdUo48H2hahM7vz2.97

Benar News – Malaysian Filmmakers Form Alliance With Focus On Rights, Social Justice Issueshttp://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/film-festival-09222017093812.html

BFM Radio – Freedom Film Festival 2017 https://www.bfm.my/anna-har-nor-arlene-tan-freedom-film-festival

BFM Radio – Feminist Friday's #27: Diary For Prasanahttps://www.bfm.my/norhayati-kaprawi-diary-for-prasana

BFM Radio – Earth Matters: Journey To Raya Padi https://www.bfm.my/nik-jassmin-hew-journey-to-raya-padi

CanLaw Report – This Filipino Man Was Sentenced To Death For A Crime He Did Not Commit. https://canlawreport.com/give-up-tomorrow-fff17/

Can Law Report – Our Orang Asli Friends Are Losing Their Homes. Here's Whyhttps://canlawreport.com/abai-oa-fff17/

Eksentrika – Shedding Light On The Plight Of The Orang Asli Through Films http://eksentrika.com/shedding-light-orang-asli-films/

Eksentrika – How Effective Is Virtual Reality In Addressing Human Rights Issues?http://eksentrika.com/virtual-reality-human-rights/

Free Malaysia Today – Festival To Show Film On Indira Ghandi's Plight http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/08/17/festival-to-show-film-on-indira-gandhis-plight/

Free Malaysia Today – Freedom Film Festival To Highlight Social Issueshttp://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/08/17/freedom-film-festival-to-highlight-social-issues/

Malaysiakini – The People Behind The Films At Freedom Film Fest 2017 https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/393326

Malaysiakini – Giving Filmmakers A Voice To Give The People a Voice https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/393257

The Malaysian Insight – Freedom Film Fest An “Eye-Opener” For Young Malaysians https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/13297/

The Malaysian Insight – Diary For Prasana Inspires Indira Ghandi To Fight On https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/14051/

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An evaluation form was given out to all attendees of the festival and the following is the tabulated feedback from a sample size of 10% of the overall participants.

Feedback from Audience

30.5 % of the participants said that the event met their expectation and were very satisfied.

Some of the comments given by the participants was that the event was very well organized, films chosen was good, loved post discussions and many more.

47.4% of the audience answered yes to whether the event increased their knowledge and understanding of the subject. Some of the comments included that it was informative, that they learnt about the people in the fringes of society, that they learnt something new, how things are in another country etc.

17.7% answered yes to whether they were more compelled to take action after this. They would do so by continuing to support such issues, become more aware on a personal level, be more pro-active and tell others.

“FFF is an excellent way to get updated on the current human rights situation in Southeast Asia and is always eye opening experience that has continued to spurred many of us to do more at home.”- Tan Tee Seng, Festival Organiser, Singapore

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What was your most memorable moment during the festival?

“ Our favorite moment - many - we really really enjoyed giving a masterclass at the festival. The interest and the engagement from the audience was unforgettable. We enjoyed some of the local Malaysian films as well - particularly the films on indigenous rights. As well as the discussion surrounding the film about the upcoming presidential elections. And we enjoyed having lunch and networking together with other filmmakers - the networking bore immediate fruit - as we met a wonderful young Thai director who arranged a screening of Burma Storybook in Bangkok this past december. ” - Petr Lom & Corrine van Egeraat, Filmmakers

“ My most memorable moment during the festival was when an audience rose from the crowd after the screening of our film SUNDAY BEAUTY QUEEN and pledged to be part of the campaign to empower domestic workers as professionals who deserve respect and protection. Thanks to Freedom Film Fest, Malaysia has an opportunity to be a model country for migrant workers. ” - Baby Ruth Villarama, Filmmaker

“I had one profound moment after another but Freedom Talk 3: From Waste to Plate and the film Selfie With the Prime Minister, in particular, made me realize that we are capable of far more than we ever imagined if we put in the extra effort to figure out how to work around things, and that we are meant to connect with one another.” - Ana Jonessy, Festival Orgniser, Malaysia

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1. Engagement and empowering new communities to use video as a tool to tell their own stories.

2. Festival partners/ NGOs are able to reach out to new audiences and advocate their issues creatively through films and film related events

3. Festival films have been re-screened upon request by certain groups

4. Travelling festival helps to raise the profile of the local state partners and support their work

5. Increase in interest amongst educators to use films in their classes

6. Southeast Asia Regional awareness and solidarity

Impact

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1. To develop a film programme for younger audiences/ school-going children.

2. To develop a system to archive and share footages that can be used for future documentaries.

3. Capacity building workshops for facilitating human rights film screenings.

Future Plans

“ FFF is a place of building solidarity between one to another and also giving an opportunity to everyone who needs empowerment and support, especially to marginalised people. So, I think FFF is not purely only for film and film maker, but for everyone who struggles for human rights using films as their tool ” - Pinarsita Juliana, Filmmaker

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Thank you for your continuous support

“Freedom Film Festival is probably one of the very few local film festival with guts!” - AL Jafree Md Yusop, Jury