[Press Release] Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2017 Announces Top 5 Finalists For Film Competition
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KLEFF 2017 ANNOUNCES TOP 5 FINALISTS FOR FILM COMPETITION
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – August 4th 2017 – The 10th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2017 (KLEFF 2017) have announced that 249 films were accepted for the competition. Of the accepted films, top 5 films for each of the 5 categories have been selected as finalists of the KLEFF 2017.
The 5 categories are Best Feature Film/Full-Length Documentary, Best Short Documentary/TV Documentary, Best Short Film, Public Service Announcements (PSA), as well as Best Animation.
Other than the 5 categories, KLEFF 2017 is also announcing the top 5 finalists for the Special Jury Award and ASEAN Young Film Maker’s Award. This year, 10 Malaysian film makers will be awarded a Special Merit Award to recognize their effort in producing environmental films. The Special Merit Award winners will be announced during KLEFF 2017 Award Ceremony on 27th October 2017 at Black Box, Publika Shopping Gallery.
In conjunction with the festival’s 10th Anniversary, KLEFF 2017 will also be screening 10 Official Selection films which are the must-watch films which are not to be missed out by the KLEFF visitors.
Below are the top 5 finalists for the KLEFF 2017:
1.Best Feature Film / Full-Length Documentary Award (in alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| A Bridge Between Two Worlds | Pascal Gélinas | Canada |
| Empathy | Ed Antoja | Spain |
| Longyearbyen, a bipolar city | Deiller Manuel | France |
| The girl and the typhoons | Christoph Schwaiger | France |
| ZAN | Richard Grehan | Japan |
2. Best Short Documentary / TV Documentary Award (In alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| An Ocean Mystery: The Missing Catch | Alison Barrat | United States |
| Green Transitions | Maria Martiniakova | Slovakia |
| Reaching Blue: finding hope beneath the surface | Ian Hinkle and Andy Robertson | Canada |
| Straws | Linda Booker | United States |
| The Stolen River | Kristina Danka | United States |
3. Best Short Film Award (In alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| Mas Afuera: Expedition to Selkirk Island | Patricio Mekis and Mateo Barrenengoa | Chile |
| SAVE ME! (Amidst the Trees) | Mohsen Nabavi | Collaboration between Iran & Malaysia |
| The Discarded | Annie Costner and Carla Dauden | United States |
| The Swan | Jonas Karasek | Slovakia |
| Water Warriors | Michael Premo | United States |
4. Best Animation Award (In alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| …ity (IDENTITY) | Marcela Lopez Pazos | Chile |
| Karma | Zhaoyu Zhou | United States |
| Now You See It | Rebecca Manley | United Kingdom |
| Pet Man | Marzieh Abrarpaydar | Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Thunder Head Clearing | John Teton | United States |
5. Best Public Service Announcement Award (In alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| Australia’s Gardens of Stone | Joel Robinson | Australia |
| Change Is Now | Wong Jin Xian | Malaysia |
| Heaven Or Never | Ooi Zhang Xun | Malaysia |
| Identity | Ivan Jaripio | Panama |
| Today’s Special | Madina Berkenova | Malaysia |
6. ASEAN Young Film Maker Award (in alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| Change Is Now | Wong Jin Xian | Malaysia |
| More than a tree | Khin Myanmar | Myanmar |
| Save her. Save Us. Save Me | Muhajir Anuar | Malaysia |
| The Conservation Conversation | Kah Jing Ong | Singapore |
| Today’s Special | Madina Berkenova | Malaysia |
7. Special Jury Award (in alphabetical order)
| Film Title | Film Maker | Country |
| Empathy | Ed Antoja | Spain |
| King In The Mountain | Dave Edwards | United States |
| The Discarded | Annie Costner and Carla Dauden | United States |
| The girl and the typhoons | Christoph Schwaiger | France |
| ZAN | Richard Grehan | Japan |
The films have been reviewed by a panel of judges and winners will be announced at the official KLEFF2017 Awards Ceremony, scheduled on 27thOctober 2017 at 3:00PM at Black Box in Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.The 10th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival committee would like to congratulate the top 5 finalists of each categories of KLEFF 2017!!
This year’s 10th KLEFF jury committee and judges are Azuan Muda (co-founder of TEEBTV), Dr Nurul Salmi (senior lecturer from Universiti Sains Malaysia), Al Jafree Md Yusof (scriptwriter for Paloh and P.Ramlee The Musical) and Fadly Bakhtiar (KLEFF festival director).
You can check out the panel of judges in KLEFF 2017 here and they will be attending the film festival, so do grab the opportunity to meet them there in October.
For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival or its organizer, EcoKnights, please contact info@kleff.my
About the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival (KLEFF)
The KLEFF is run and organized by local environmental NGO, EcoKnights. Now in its tenth year, the goal of the festival is to provide the Malaysian community with environmental films, workshops, talks, forums, discussions, and eco-vendors in an effort to improve awareness for environmental issues. The KLEFF2017 is supported by a variety of corporate sponsors, NGO’s, vendors, media outlets, and members of the public. Detailed information about the KLEFF, along with a complete list of sponsors and partners, can be found on their website www.kleff.my
About EcoKnights
EcoKnights is a not-for- profit environmental organization with the Malaysian Registrar of Societies. Founded in 2005 by Yasmin Rasyid, the organization focuses on community based environmental education and awareness projects that help Malaysians to understand and deal with environmental issues that affect them. EcoKnights offers a variety of programs for the community including Sentinels of Time photography competition, Knights of Nature Sustainability Camp, Anugerah Hijau youth competition, and the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival (KLEFF), which is now in its 10th year. EcoKnights also provides community films screenings, organizes environmental talks and workshops, and provides consultation and programming for environmental corporate social responsibility efforts.
For more information about EcoKnights and their programs, visit their website at www.ecoknights.org.my.