September 16th 2011, Kuala Lumpur -- The capital is renewing its commitment to the environment with the 4th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival (KL EFF).
If you are new in this world of environmental protection and conservation, then fret not because the KL EFF will be the catalyst to fuel your knowledge, aspirations and familiarity with just about anything on nature and sustainable living.
Started humbly in 2008 and drawing more than 6,000 Malaysians to the first festival, the KL EFF has gradually grown as a one-stop platform for young Malaysians to watch, learn and be inspired from the showcases of environmental films, exhibition by local green NGOs and green business owners promoting their efforts, products and services. And for those who are also keen on learning more about sustainable consumption and green lifestyle changes and options, the Festival also offers a delectable range of earth-friendly meals from vegan pastas and sushi to organic fresh juices and laksa.
The Festival will take place at the front yard of the Dewan Tunku Canselor at University Malaya from 28th to 30th October from 10 am to 8 pm.
The two-day festival, which will also have been touring the nation (Penang, Perak, Johore and Sabah to name a few) with its free screenings, will screen over 40 international and 23 Malaysian films. This year's international films come from United States of America, Germany, Ukraine, Greece, Brazil, Norway, Netherlands, Indonesia and Finland, to name a few. A variety of genres of films will be presented from creative short films, narratives, documentaries, animation and even children's films.
On the opening night (Friday, 28th October), the Festival will be screening the Malaysian films submitted by local film makers for the film competition.
Watch "On Borrowed Time", a short film by both TRAFFIC and the World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWFM), and directed by Lara Ariffin and Harun Rahman, which tells the story of on-going efforts to address wildlife poaching in the Belum-Temenggor forest reserve.
Another short film to look out for is Gary Liew's "Perspectives" which tells the journey of a little girl's quest to find out what "0% Wastage" really is, and coming to the realization that what people waste today will affect her future tomorrow. It is paradigm view on where wastage is leading us in the near future.
"Perspectives" has received multiple nominations (Best Film, Best Cinematography, etc.) and it won Best Editing at last year's 2010 BMW Shorties.
Some of the local films that will be premiering for the first time at the Festival are "Pesan" by Kha'qhii Lima productions; "Terra" by Sho Suzuki and "Circus" by Nicholas Chin Wai Choong, among others.
The movies to be screened over the weekend (29th and 30th October) include "Leonids Story", on surviving the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster from Germany and directed by Rainer Ludwigs; an Argentinian tale of the epic victory of a Patagonian town who defeated huge economic and political powers, making a big choice over their own future in "They Come For it All, They Come For the Gold", by director Christian Habaruk; and "Food Matters", an Australian film by James Colquhon and Laurentine ten Bosch that uncovers the trillion dollar worldwide 'sickness industry' and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for overcoming illness naturally.
Other films include "Of Straw and Earth" from Switzerland by Ysaline Rochat, "It's a Beautiful Day" from Indonesia by Tonny Trimasanto, "Earth" from England by Alfie Barker, "Kostakis" from Greece by Theodora Malliarou, "Toxic Tears" from Netherlands by Tom Deiters and Suzanne Nievaart, "Green" from France by Patrick Rouxel and the Jane Sablow CG animation series ("Smart Machine", "Wishful Thinking" and "Cravings") for children focusing on healthy food.
"Malaysia is not vesting into wildlife and environmental film making as much as we can. Malaysia, if you think about it, has many key destinations for amazing wildlife and environmental film making because of the region's rich natural heritage, and because like many other areas of the world, the natural environment is under threat from rapid economic development and climate change," said Yasmin Rasyid, festival director for the 2011 KL EFF.
"There are so many environmental issues which are still under exposed and films are one sure way to get the public to know about it. By knowing and understanding, only then can be start to conceptualize how to go about addressing or solving these environmental issues."
The screenings will be accompanied by talks and forums on wildlife and environmental film making, and also workshops that will get you started on your way to a greener lifestyle.
FatHopes Energy will be conducting a short workshop on converting used cooking oil to biodiesel, suitable for usage in any vehicles. Eco Oasis will be sharing its healthy fresh and raw fruit juice recipes with the public and sustainability experts from University Science Malaysia (USM) will be demonstrating several home DIY composting methods, while local environmental NGOs like Sahabat Hutan Bakau (SHB), Centre for Environment, Technology and Development (CETDEM) and Wild Asia will be sharing their stories about their efforts and sustainable projects with the audience.
The Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival was founded by EcoKnights, a local environmental organization, in 2009 and has been organized every year for the past 4 years.
It is also Malaysia's first environmental film festival.
Held in University Malaya for the second year, the festival aims to attract visitors from around the country who work in film, television and the press, as well as those actively involved in working to conserve the environment.
"The Eco Film Festival actively engages with environmental filmmakers as they play an important role to shape public opinion on key issues like climate change," added Yasmin.
"In this context, KL EFF plays an important role in helping us reach out to budding and young environmental filmmakers and enabling them to produce visually powerful and inspiring films," Yasmin said.
The festival is free for all including the screenings. Apart from the screening of films, there are a plethora of activities planned from unplugged performances by local musicians to exhibition of eco-friendly products and services including exhibition by various environmental advocacy groups such as Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam (YAWA), Earth Circle Sdn Bhd, My Khatulistiwa, Ecocentric Transitions, Back 2 Basics and more.
Click here to know more about the Festival Attractions.
For more information about what’s happening at the Festival, film screening schedules, workshops and talks, and also performance schedule, please log on to www.ecofilmfest.my.
Once a year, in the month of October, get ready to watch, learn, live and be inspired at the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival!
