Human Rights in the Spotlight: Freedom Film Festival 2009

Amnesty International's "Free Burma" signature campaign and photos of individuals currently detained.

Kuala Lumpur: Human rights activists, lawyers, filmmakers and the general public came together over the weekend of 2-4 October 2009 to attend the screenings of Freedom Film Festival 2009 and to be a part of the award-giving ceremony of the winners.

The film festival attracted an impressive crowd from all ages and background coming from as far away as Philippines and Chile to the Annexe Gallery, Central Market. Brought together by their concerns over human rights and appreciation for independent filmmaking, the public spent the weekend participating in open forums, mingling with like-minded peers and supporting KOMAS and other organizations through petitions and merchandise.

The films screened came from all over the world ranging from light-hearted communal to serious issues pertaining to indigenous people, suppression of human rights, religion, political affairs and the plight of oppressed women.

For this year’s Freedom Film Festival, the awards went to Al-Fatehah Memali by Rahmat Haron, a docu-drama portraying the journey of two musicians to uncover the forgotten story of the Memali Tragedy in 1985; Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa, a first-hand account of the cycling expedition organized by JERIT (Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas) from Alor Setar and Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur to hand a memorandum containing the 6 major concerns of marginalized groups in Malaysia  and No Silver Lining: A Perak Crisis by The S-ploited, a documentary covering the political conundrum faced by the state of Perak earlier this year.

“(the incident of Memali) must not be seen as a religious issue, but one that spotlights the breach of human rights by the authorities that resulted in the loss of life and liberty,” said director Rahmat Haron.

The Best Human Rights Awards went to Kayuh for its outstanding and inspiring attempt to put a human face and a voice to the demands of everyday Malaysians.

Sitting at number 132 of the Global Press Freedom Index, Malaysia has not been popular among individuals advocating democracy and human rights. With draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act and Official Secrets Act suppressing freedom of expression in Malaysia, one of the effective ways to bring light on controversial issues is through independent films and utilizing the new media to mobilize activism movements.