In 'Home Sweet Home', Singaporean FFF 2023 grantee Megan Wonowidjoyo examines the strained relationship with her mother as they seek to find common ground. Photo: Handout
For enthusiasts of independent cinema, the Freedom Film Fest 2024 (FFF2024) is a must-visit event this August.
Celebrating its 20th edition at PJ Live Arts, Jaya One, from Aug 3-24, FFF2024 presents a compelling line-up of award-winning films that explore pressing social and human rights issues, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with powerful storytelling and impactful narratives.
Featuring over 45 films, ranging from short films to feature-length films, this year’s FFF explores the theme, Why Freedom?, which highlights the importance of freedom in today’s world, where conflict, genocide, and the violation of rights continue both internationally and domestically.
"We want to inspire and challenge Malaysians to capture their realities and perspectives – those that are unseen, unheard, and untold, often overlooked or suppressed by mainstream media," says Anna Har, director of the Freedom Film Network, which organises FFF.
Since FFF began 20 years ago, its original tagline, "Dare to Document," has stood as a powerful and lasting mission statement.
"Our aim is to promote and educate Malaysians on the importance and value of our right to freedom of expression," she adds.
Har notes that through initiatives like the Freedom Film Fest Grant and the Freedom Film Fellowship, the network has empowered many activists, marginalised communities, and filmmakers to create films with a focus on human rights, emphasizing values of freedom, equality, and justice.
“In working collaboratively with them, we are consistently involved in the entire process – asking critical questions, facilitating networks, and doing what it takes to contribute to the impact of the film.
“In over 20 years, we have created a large collection of more than 60 alternative Malaysian social films that contain the peoples’ perspective, especially of the marginalised and oppressed,” she says.
This year’s festival opens with a retrospective of films that have been supported and produced by FFF Film Grants and screened at previous festivals since 2003 under three themes: Power & Accountability, Struggle For A More Equitable Life, and Histories Of Resistance.
Internationally acclaimed director Marcus Vetter’s War and Justice will also be screened over the festival’s opening weekend – the film shines a timely spotlight on the International Criminal Court, and has won several awards, including Best International Director at Doc Edge Festival 2024. Co-director Michele Gentile will be on hand for a discussion after the screening.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will have Q&A sessions with documentary filmmakers, masterclasses and post-screening talks and discussions. Photo: Irene Yap
Three Promises, by Palestinian director Yousef Srouji, offers a deeply personal look at his family’s experience of the Second Intifada in Palestine, which will be followed by a talk discussing lessons from international solidarity movements against war and genocide, as well as readings from Displaced in Gaza, a collection of personal testimonies from Gazans displaced in the genocide since Oct 7, 2023.
Catch the Malaysian FFF 2023 film grant winners, Joshua Inberaj Dewet and Laura Low, with their film Nothing Gentle In The Shadows, which explores the stigma and silence surrounding sexual violence against men.
The opening weekend will conclude with Singaporean FFF 2023 grantee Megan Wonowidjoyo’s Home Sweet Home, which explores her complex relationship with her mother, highlighting their differences and old wounds while revealing their shared search for home and belonging.
Two Malaysian indigenous films, Semangat Tinak (Tinak’s Strength) and Nge Pali Adat Lepo (Our Adat, Our Strength) will premiere on Aug 9, in conjunction with the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will have Q&A sessions with documentary filmmakers, masterclasses and post-screening talks and discussions.
If you can’t make it to Petaling Jaya for the main festival, don’t worry: regional screenings will run concurrently in Ipoh, Melaka, Johor Baru, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, George Town and Langkawi.
Freedom Film Fest 2024 will take place at PJ Live Arts, Jaya One in Petaling Jaya from Aug 3-24. Entry to all festival screenings and events is strictly by registration. All attendees below the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for all film screenings.
