MALAYSIAN MISSION

Hong Kong icon Johnnie To will head the jury of the sixth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) next month. Other jurors include: Truong Ngoc Anh from Vietnam, Ryuichi Hiroki from Japan, Zizan Razak from Malaysia, and Eric Khoo from Singapore.

The event will open with the world premiere of “Eraser,” directed by Mark Lee See Teck. The Malaysian film features the final on-screen appearance of the late Adibah Noor, a beloved Malaysian gem known for her timeless charisma. MIFFest will play “See You at the Rally,” directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kanny Chang as its closing title. The festival is set to take place at LaLaport BBCC from July 23-29 and will play a total of 42 films from 15 countries.

The festival is building its impact through a series of collaborations with other events. It will screen a selection of genre titles from this month’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival including “Iron Mask” from South Korea’s Kim Sung Hwan, and the Asian Premiere of “SINGLE8” from Japan, directed by Konaka Kazuya.

Its Taiwan program includes: well-traveled “American Girl” by Fiona Roan; “Coo-Coo 043” by Chan Ching-lin; “GAGA” by Laha Mebow; “I WeirDo” by Liao Ming-yi; “Heavy Craving” by Pei-Ju Hsieh; “A Silent Gaze” by Huang Hsin-yao; and “Day Off” by Fu Tien-Yu.

The festival will also present a lifetime achievement award to Taiwan cinema icon Sylvia Chang.

The accompanying Awards Night will be held on July 29 at Zepp, Kuala Lumpur.

CHAPLIN COMEBACK

Charlie Chaplin’s 1929 classic, “The Circus” will screen on the Aug. 6, the last day of the Wh?nau M?rama: New Zealand International Film Festival in Auckland accompanied by live musical score that is performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Vincent Hardaker.

“The Circus” was one of the biggest films of its day. Chaplin’s Tramp stumbles into the circus arena as a lonely thief and exits transformed. As he walks a tightrope of love and loneliness, he dodges lions, mules, and a despicable ringmaster, who has only hired him because his mess-ups are much funnier than his deliberate attempts at humor. In many ways, the film is a love-letter to the community of performers and an allegory for Chaplin’s own showbiz journey, from struggling at the lowest levels of vaudeville to becoming the most famous person in the world.

QUEENSLAND CALLING

Screen Queensland has announced the appointment of Tanya Ellen as the screen agency’s new head of content to lead development and production funding programs in the state. She takes up the post from July 3 and replaces Mag Scholes.

Ellen is a practicing lawyer who is well versed in how environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is shaping the screen sector, both in Australia and abroad. She was previously named as one of Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch program a decade ago. She has since worked as a creative producer across panel, reality, news and morning shows, as well as film and documentaries.  

“Tanya’s extensive experience across screen production, including her legal and academic practice, equip her with a unique skillset to support the sector across Queensland to be robust, resilient and ready to take advantage of sustained growth in local production,” said Screen Queensland’s acting CEO, Dr Belinda Burns.