The Malaysia Animation Film Festival (MAFF) returns for its second year! The annual event is hosted by GSC International Screens in collaboration with the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to provide local animators the opportunity to showcase their creativity on the silver screen.
This year’s MAFF will showcase a compilation of 14 short animation films and Jared Lee’s Grimoire at selected GSC outlets nationwide from 3 – 30 October 2024. Tickets are RM15 and sold separately for the Homegrown Animated Shorts and Grimoire respectively.
Want to know more? We’ve compiled the entire short film line-up in one place, so you know what to look forward to this October!
1. Grimoire by Jared Lee
Grimoire is a meta-narrative short film by Grim Film, created by Jared Lee. The film invites the audience into a cinematic showcase of the filmmaker’s past works, blending elements of reality and fiction. An elderly fictionalised version of Jared serves as the vessel for this introspective narrative as he explores the transformative power of creativity amid self-doubt and external scepticism.
Jared Lee is a Malaysian filmmaker and the creative mind behind Grim Film. His journey into filmmaking took off when his short film, The Long Distance Relationship, went viral on YouTube, leading to the creation of Grim Film in 2011.
Most recently, he won Best Animation at USA Film Festival in 2023, and made history as the first Malaysian film to win Best Animation at San Diego Comic-Con Film Festival for Horologist. This year, Horologist has also been nominated at the Tokyo Anime Festival.
2. BIJI by Chew Kin Lek
Biji is a young, energetic seed who loves nothing more than dancing and expressing himself. However, when he learns that his mother tree has already planned out his future steps for him, he begins to lose interest and feel discouraged. But Biji is not one to give up easily, and he decides to embrace the challenge and adapt as he goes along.
BIJI has won Best International Short Film at Kingstoon Virtual in Jamaica and LTUE Film Festival in the USA.
3. Borih, The Bidayuh Paddy Priestess by Will K & Joey Lee
In this fictionalised retelling of the Sarawakian festival Gawai Dayak, Ngomak and Sayang live a simple but contented life in paddy planting on the hilltop village of the Bidayuh tribe. After a weird dream as the chosen priestess, Ngomak suddenly suffers from a deadly illness. Out of empathy and love, the paddy spirit summons her to the spiritual realm for healing.
Borih, The Bidayuh Paddy Priestess was part of the selection for the Seashort Next New Wave (2022), Nepal International Film Festival (2023), and Mini Film Festival Borneo Category (2024). It also recently won Best Story at the 26th DigiCon6 Asia Awards Malaysia Circuit.
4. GNOME by Sacha Goedegebure
After returning home from a day of collecting nuts, a gnome finds a caterpillar struggling to reach for leaves outside his house. The good-natured gnome helps the caterpillar and gives it some leaves to gnaw on. But when it’s bedtime for the gnome, he only needs to deal with the gnawing sound.
GNOME won Best Sound Design (Short Form) at the Apollo Awards in 2016.
5. Kayuh! by Zulhelmy Rusidan
Zam, a young man, despises his father’s trishaw trade and refuses to be part of it despite his father’s illness and mounting medical bills. In a desperate attempt to change his son’s mind, Nasir, Zam’s father, challenges him to fulfil one final request: to take Tok Mami, an old family friend, on a trishaw ride around their hometown. Reluctantly, Zam agrees and embarks on the journey with Tok Mami.
Kayuh! won the Best Art Award at the 25th DigiCon6 Asia Awards.
6. KRING! by Hilmi Ismail
KRING! is a story about Suraya, a passionate elementary school teacher who faces a uniquely problematic student who is having difficulties in understanding her teachings in class. Not wanting to let her student down, she tries to give him extra classes to improve his studies but to no avail. Though she feels like she has failed her student, Teacher Suraya discovers other ways of helping her student in overcoming his struggles in learning.
KRING! won Best Animation at the 4th Festival International Du Film Sur Les Handicap and Best Animated Film for Kids at the ReAnima – Bergen International Animation Festival in 2018. It was also recently nominated for 8 awards and won Best Production Design for Animation at the SEA Kre8tif Awards 2024, as well as Best Art at the 26th DigiCon6 Asia Awards.
7. The 7th Night: MaoMao Revisits by AhLoong
According to Chinese custom, every soul will pay a last visit to their beloved family on the 7th night after they passed away. This is a story about a little boy waiting for the return of his lost beloved cat MaoMao. Will MaoMao come back for her farewell? or has she forgotten about her owner?
The 7th Night: MaoMao Revisits won Best of Show Award at ASIFAC-South and the Grand Audience Award at FICMAD Madrid this year.
8. The Dalang’s Tale by Irwan Junaidy, Maizura Abas & Atiqah Mohd Abu Bakar
The Dalang’s Tale is an animated short film about domestic violence with visuals inspired by Malaysian traditional wayang kulit or shadowpuppets. Two stories intertwine: one of a workaholic father and his growing impatience with his young son as they make their way to watch a shadow puppet master or dalang’s show and the other of a man who dotes on his son but secretly inflicts acts of abuse on his wife.
The Dalang’s Tale recently won the Vector/2D Award at the 7th Florida Animation Festival in USA, the Audience Award at the 2nd International Children Care Festival in France, and Professional Craft Award for the Best Professional Movie in the Southeast Asia Competition at the 4th CRAFT International Animation Festival.
9. The Muralz: Year of The Flying Dragon by Jeremy Lee
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, our narrative delves into the life of Tong Tong, a young boy eagerly awaiting the return of his father, Mr. Wong, a chef working abroad. Notably, Mr. Wong’s name, ‘Wong Fei Long’, translates to ‘Flying Dragon’ in English, infusing the storyline with cultural richness and symbolism. Tong Tong’s favourite dish is his father’s signature ‘Flying Dragon Char Koay Teow’.
The Muralz won the Platinum Award in Animation, Tourism & Cultural MUSE Creative Awards, hosted by the International Awards Associate (IAA). It was also recently nominated for 6 awards and won 4 categories at the SEA Kre8tif Awards, and the Malaysia Gold Award at the 26th DigiCon6 Asia Awards.
10. The Cliff House by Wong Jin Yao
The Cliff House is an animated short of an elderly man, who lives in a coastal town with his beloved wife. Their peaceful life is shattered one day by a devastating earthquake that splits their home in two, separating the man from his wife. Despite the physical chasm between them, the man refuses to lose hope.
The Cliff House won Best Animation at Flying Elephant (India), Best Animation at Ciak Un’Emozione (Italy), and Best Animation at Macau International Movie Festival (Macau) in 2017. It also won Best Animation at Just Be You Performing Arts (USA) in 2018.
11. VOW by Wong Xu Hong
The story begins with a past memory of Altan waiting at the church stage, staring at the beautiful church-stained glass when the door opens. The moment is peaceful as she joins Altan on the stage, but the scene snaps back to the present day, where Altan is desperately digging through the snow. Remembering the tragic memory, Altan screams in grief, his voice echoing throughout the empty mountains.
This year, VOW won the Excellence Award at the Rookie Awards International and was nominated for Best Animation Technical at the SEA Kre8tif Awards 2024.
12. Dead Da by Tan Hui Ci
On a dark and eerie night during the Hungry Ghost Festival, a DitDa Sifu (Traditional Medicine Master) had just settled his prayers as this season is to honour the departed. All of a sudden, a horrifying presence shows up in his clinic and Sifu is now being haunted by an ancient Chinese zombie (Jiangshi) who sets out to wreak havoc.
13. Strings by Julian Chong Kah Hoong
The story is inspired by the very real and heartbreaking experience of having a fallout with a friend and feeling like you’ve been replaced. In the beginning, Bailey found her shared friendship bracelet with her best friend, Gracie, thrown aside as Gracie runs off with a new companion. A saddened Bailey runs inside a shed and cries, flinging away their shared bracelets. The scattered charms begin to glow, and she is teleported to another realm.
Strings won the Three Acts of Goodness Award in China in 2023.
14. My Love by Tan Zheng Ning
An old lady starts her day by picking some roses from the bush in front of her cottage. She returns home to arrange them in a vase. As she does so, she is embraced by her husband lovingly. The lovely couple goes about their day.Throughout the day, her husband would appear as a skeleton, which the old lady did not notice.
15. Fish Memory by Siti Sarah Binti Sheik Sharufuddin & Hazelina binti Hezly
While setting up shop at the wet market, an old fishmonger, Tahir, experiences disturbing hallucinations. In the midst of his predicament, his notebook that contains his memories is taken away from him by an eerie figure of a boy, leading Tahir to go after him in a desperate attempt to get it back and falls into a spiral of unsettling visions. After getting his notebook back, Tahir’s memories begin to mend and the illusion of the young boy is unveiled.
Fish Memory won the Excellence Award at the Rookie Awards International this year.
Catch the Malaysia Animation Film Festival (MAFF) at selected GSC outlets nationwide from 3 – 30 October 2024. Tickets are RM15 and sold separately for the Homegrown Animated Shorts and Grimoire respectively.
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