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.