KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 —The Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) is coming back to KL for its seventh edition and is set to transform the city into a cinematic paradise from July 21 to July 28.

MIFFest unveiled its full programmes lineup yesterday (June 24) which will end with their cornerstone Malaysia Golden Global Awards Night on July 27. It will also see three cinema icons being celebrated for their impact on global cinema that night.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda and Indonesian actress and producer Christine Hakim are set to receive the MIFFest’s Lifetime Achievement Awards while prominent Hong Kong actor, singer and director Nick Cheung will receive the Excellence in Film award.

This is followed by the MIFFest competition segment which will see nine groundbreaking films from around the world going head to head with each entry offering unique insights and fresh perspectives.

The entries includes local hit film Abang Adik by Jin Ong, Brazilian drama film Betania by Marcelo Botta, romantic social drama film Every You, Every Me by Michael Fetter Nathansky as well as a film on Afghan refugees In the ‘Land of Brothers by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli.

All four of these films are current contenders at MIFFest with each having seven nominations across various categories for the Malaysia Golden Global Awards.

Other entries on the list include films Sujo by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, Rapture by Dominic Sangma, The Editorial Office by Roman Bondarchuk, The Great Phuket by Liu Yaonan and Within a Budding Grove by Hoby Zhang.

The MIFFest Malaysia Golden Global Awards night will take place at Auditorium Seri Angkasa and a live broadcast of the event will also be available on TV2 and RTM Klik.

Meanwhile, the festival which is going with the theme Uncaged this year will have 50 films from over 30 countries on their various programme slate which includes the Homegrown Indie: Open Air Cinema, A-Lister, Neon and Afterdark programme sections.

A-Lister is a showcase of the most celebrated recent films, featuring Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, Thelma by Josh Margulin and Perfect Days by Wim Wenders.

Afterdark is a celebration of third-kind cinema, showcasing the finest in action, horror, shock, and fantasy films where the programme delves into the darker, more thrilling aspects of human experience through A24’s I Saw the TV Glow and Hood Witch by Said Belktibia.

Neon is all about bold, visionary, fiercely independent voices and boundless viewpoints, showcasing rising directors shaping the future of independent cinema. Among the titles to catch are The Lyricist Wannabe by Norris Wong Yee-lam and Dreaming & Dying by Nelson Yeo.

There will also be special programmes dedicated to Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim as well as a programme honouring the late Malaysian filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad where they will screen some of her films and commercial classics.

Although the screening venues for these programmes are yet to be announced, the Homegrown Indie: Open Air Cinema will take place at The Exchange TRX’s City Park which will feature local short films and films.

This includes titles such as ‘15 Malaysia short films, ‘Kickflip’ by Khairil M Bahar, ‘Kelab Rojak’ by Kahiri Anwar, ‘Woman on Fire Looks for Water’ by Woo Ming Jin as well as ‘Shadowplay’ by Tony Pietra Arjuna.

The festival is also set to kick off with the premiere of local horror film ‘Indera’ by Woo Ming Jin which features Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz and will close with a double feature of ‘Love Lies’ by Ho Miu Ki and ‘Peg O’ My Heart’ by Nick Cheung.

For more information, visit here.