South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), which unveiled its full program lineup Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur.
The festival runs July 18–25 and will present 65 films from 35 countries and regions in 27 languages, including two world premieres, one international premiere, three Asian premieres, 12 Southeast Asian premieres and 28 Malaysian premieres.
MIFFest president Joanne Goh described the director as “a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate across cultures and generations through its honesty, compassion, and profound understanding of humanity.” The tribute will include screenings of two of Lee’s films: “Peppermint Candy,” a reverse-chronological drama examining personal and national trauma, and “Oasis,” a romance centred on love, isolation and human dignity.
Chinese actor-director Wu Jing will receive the festival’s Excellent Achievement in Film Award. The program will screen “Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert,” directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, in conjunction with the honor.
The 9th edition opens with the world premiere of Malaysian feature “BAGA: Tomorrow Belongs To No One,” directed by Ariff Zulkarnain. Set in a conservative fishing village in Kuala Terengganu, the film follows a boatman struggling with addiction and a batik artisan whose lives intersect after an unplanned pregnancy. Closing the festival is “Yellow Letters,” directed by İlker Çatak, which won the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin Film Festival. The film tracks a Turkish artist couple whose lives come apart after their new production draws state scrutiny.
