MIFFest Ninth Edition Opens in KL With ASEAN Records Honor
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- MIFFest launched its ninth edition July 18 at MyTown Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur, running through July 25, with founder Joanne Goh unveiling the 2026 theme "Resonance" — described as the lasting echo of a story that continues beyond the credits and across cultures and generations.
- MIFFest received an ASEAN Records title recognizing its ASEAN On Screen platform and Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA) as a lasting hub for Southeast Asian cinema; ASEAN On Screen launched in 2025 during Malaysia's ASEAN chairship and is now a permanent annual program on the festival's roster.
- Ariff Zulkarnain directed the opening film "Baga: Tomorrow Belongs To No One," which premiered at GSC MyTown; the film follows two young lovers on Malaysia's East Coast whose plans for the future unravel amid unplanned pregnancy, poverty and addiction, with Zulkarnain drawing on his own upbringing for the story.
- Festival ambassadors Bront Palarae, Daiyan Trisha and Jack Tan were presented tokens of appreciation alongside government attendees including Tourism Malaysia chair Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Ministry of Communications deputy secretary general Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil, and FINAS CEO Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib.
- The eight-day program also features Russian Film Week — presented with Russia's Ministry of Culture, Roskino and Mosfilm with free screenings of four Russian films — plus Hong Kong Cinema in Flux, New Rhythms of Indian Cinema, Open Air Cinema, masterclasses and industry forums.
Why it matters: MIFFest's ASEAN Records certification and the permanent annual status of ASEAN On Screen — launched during Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN chairship — lock the nine-year-old festival in as the official regional hub for Southeast Asian cinema through July 25 and beyond, backed by Tourism Malaysia, FINAS and the Ministry of Communications.
