MIFFest Opens Ninth Edition in Kuala Lumpur, Earns ASEAN Records Recognition
The ninth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) opened on 18 July at MyTown Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur, launching an eight-day showcase of international cinema. The event was notable for the festival being formally recognised by ASEAN Records for its ASEAN On Screen platform and Malaysia Golden Global Awards programme, cementing its status as a hub for Southeast Asian cinema and reflecting broader Malaysian government support for the country's creative industries.
The opening ceremony, themed "Resonance", featured addresses from festival founder Joanne Goh and ambassadors Bront Palarae, Daiyan Trisha and Jack Tan, alongside senior officials including Tourism Malaysia's Datuk Manoharan Periasamy and FINAS chief executive Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib. ASEAN On Screen, launched in 2025 during Malaysia's ASEAN chairship, has since become a permanent annual strand of the festival. Proceedings closed with the world premiere of opening film "Baga: Tomorrow Belongs To No One", directed by Ariff Zulkarnain, a drama set in a Malaysian fishing community, attended by cast and crew including Syafiq Kyle and Cambodian actress Sarita Reth.
- MIFFest's ninth edition opened in Kuala Lumpur on 18 July for eight days.
- Festival received official ASEAN Records recognition for its regional cinema platform.
- Opening night premiered Malaysian drama "Baga: Tomorrow Belongs To No One".
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Malaysia International Film Festival, known as MIFFest, is an annual event held in Kuala Lumpur that showcases films from around the world, with a particular focus on Southeast Asian cinema. Now in its ninth year, it is one of Malaysia's leading platforms for local and regional filmmakers to present their work, alongside international titles, and typically runs over several days with screenings, ceremonies and industry events.
A key strand of the festival is ASEAN On Screen, a programme introduced in 2025 while Malaysia held the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, the regional grouping of Southeast Asian nations. It was created to give greater visibility to films and talent from across the ASEAN region, and has since become a fixture of the festival held each year. The festival also runs the Malaysia Golden Global Awards, which recognise achievement in film.
MIFFest is supported by Malaysian government bodies involved in tourism and the film industry, reflecting a wider push to grow the country's creative and cultural sectors. Its organisers and officials have positioned the festival as a way to raise Malaysia's profile as a centre for filmmaking and cross-border collaboration within Southeast Asia.