KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Kampung Bongkud and Kampung Namaus in Ranau, Sabah are the first subjects of a Malaysia-centric Big Stories, Small Towns community storytelling project.

Big Stories is an internationally acclaimed multiplatform documentary project from Australia, which has collaborated with local filmmakers across the Asia-Pacific to tell heartwarming stories through a film residency since 2008.

From outback Australia to rural Cambodia, the works capture small town life, as witnessed by professional filmmakers who embed themselves in that community for an extended period of time.

The project has won numerous awards, including SXSW Community Champion. It has also screened at film festivals, including two selections for the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam — the world’s most prestigious documentary film festival.

In a first, Malaysia is the only Big Stories Co partner to receive its own domain.

The films and photographs centred on the community of Kampung Bongkud and Kampung Namaus, Ranau will be free to view on bigstories.com.my, when it launches on Friday (May 20) to coincide with the Kaamatan Harvest Festival month.

In conjunction with the launch of the Big Stories Malaysia website, MyDocs (Malaysian Documentary Association) will be hosting a free public screening on Thursday (May 19) at the Content Malaysia Pitching Centre, Platinum Central, Kuala Lumpur, with the support of Finas Malaysia.

The screening, which starts at 7.30pm, will be followed by a Q&A session with filmmaker Nadira Ilana, who helms Big Stories, Small Towns Malaysia, and a ‘live’ Skype call from Melbourne with Martin Potter, co-founder of Big Stories.

For more information on Big Stories, visit www.bigstories.com.au