KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFEST) and Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA) have announced the movies that will be screened as well as the movies that will compete at the inaugural film festival and awards ceremony. 

After eight months of preparation, the first Malaysia International Film Festival and Malaysia Golden Global Awards are finally just around the corner, said Chairman of MIFFEST & MGGA Ms. Joanne Goh at the press conference recently. 

Adding that the committee has less than three weeks to go before the big day, Goh hopes that the event will be a memorable one for everyone who participates. 

The movies chosen for MIFFEST and MGGA include both local and international titles. 

The opening film will be Germany’s Timm Thaler and the closing film will be Japanese drama film Harmonium by Koji Fukada. 

Malaysia’s very own Interchange, directed by Dain Said, will be going up against the likes of Apprentice (Singapore), Singing in Graveyards (Malaysia / Philippines) and The Wailing (Korea) at this year’s MGGA. 

The aforementioned three titles will also be part of MIFFEST Screening Competition Films section, which will screen all eighteen movies competing for the MGGA Best Film. 

MIFFEST will also hold a Special Screening section for three movies: After This Our Exile (Hong Kong), Blind Way (China) and Redha (Malaysia).

Apart from the movie announcement, the various categories for MGGA were also revealed. The nominees are: 



Best New Director


Bradley Liew, Singing in Graveyards

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Chu Hsien-Che, White Ant 


Zhang Dalei, The Summer is Gone

Wu Chung-Tien, One Night Only 


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Boo Junfeng, Apprentice 



Best Screenplay

Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann

Midi Z, The Road to Mandalay 


Lam Wing Sum, Li Yuan, Xu Yi-Meng, Wu Nan, Soulmate 


Khyentse Norbu, Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait


Na Hong-Jin, The Wailing 


Paul Laverty, I, Daniel Blake


Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman 


Ren Peng, Lee Yuyu, One Night Only 


Chu Hsien-che, White Ant 


Troy Espiritu, Ma’ Rosa 


Zhang Dalei, The Summer is Gone 


Paolo Genovese, Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paola Mammini, Rolando Ravello, Perfect Strangers 


Redza Mihat, Dain Said, Interchange

Boo Junfeng, Apprentice

Florence Chan, Mad World 


Liu Zhen Yun, I Am Not Madame Bovary 


Bradley Liew, Bianca Balbuen, Singing in Graveyards 


Lo Yiu Fai, Happiness 



Best Cinematography

Benoit Soler, Apprentice 


Charlie Lam, One Night Only

Fabrizio Lucci, Perfect Strangers 


Hong Kyung-pyo, The Wailing 


Hossein Jafarian, The Salesman 


Jake Pollock, Jing-Ping Yu, Soulmate 


Jigme Tenzing, Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait 


Jordan Chiam, Interchange 


Kenny Tse, Happiness 


Larry Manda, Singing in Graveyards 


Lei Heng, White Ant 


Lu Songye, The Summer is Gone 


Odyssey Flores, Ma’ Rosa

Pan Luo, I Am Not Madame Bovary 


Patrick Orth, Toni Erdmann 


Paul Laverty, I, Daniel Blake 


Tom Fan, The Road to Mandalay

Zhang Ying, Mad World 



Best Director

Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann 


Midi Z, The Road to Mandalay


Brillante Mendoza, Ma’ Rosa

Feng Xiaogang, I Am Not Madame Bovary 


Na Hong-Jin, The Wailing 



Best Actor

Kai Ko, The Road to Mandalay


Aaron Kwok, One Night Only


Eric Tsang, Mad World 


Kwak Do Won, The Wailing 


Shahab Hosseini, The Salesman 



Best Actress

Kara Wai, Happiness 


Zhou Dong Yu, Soulmate 


Wu Ke-xi, The Road to Mandalay 


Jaclyn Jose, Ma’ Rosa

Sandra Huller, Toni Erdmann



Best Film

Apprentice (Singapore) 


Happiness (Hong Kong) 


Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait (Bhutan / Hong Kong) 


I Am Not Madame Bovary (China)

I, Daniel Blake (United Kingdom) 


Interchange (Malaysia) 


Ma’ Rosa (Philippines) 


Mad World (Hong Kong) 


One Night Only (China) 


Perfect Strangers (Italy) 


Singing in Graveyards (Malaysia / Philippines) 


Soulmate (Hong Kong) 


The Road to Mandalay (Taiwan) 


The Salesman (Iran / France) 


The Summer is Gone (China) 


The Wailing (Korea) 


Toni Erdmann (Germany) 


White Ant (Taiwan)



There are also two Special Awards whose recipients have yet to be announced: Lifetime Achievement In Films Award and Friends of Malaysia In Film Award. 

Another category, The Audience Choice Awards, will be voted for by moviegoers, who only have to drop their ticket stubs in the voting box after watching the movies in participating cinemas. 

Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFEST) will run from 28 February until 4 March 2017 at NU Sentral Shopping Centre. 

Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA) will be held on 5 March 2017 at the Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting. — CinemaOnline