Doctor Venoo Kuppusamy wins Rainmaker Award at Raintown Festival

The 3rd Raintown Film Festival concluded in Taiping with local doctor and filmmaker Venoo Kuppusamy receiving the festival’s highest honour, the Rainmaker Award, for his short film Petrichor: The Missing Lies of Taiping.

Held from Sept 4 to 6 at Paragon Cinemas, Taiping Mall, the three-day festival attracted an estimated 2,000 attendees and showcased films connected to Perak, alongside discussions and activities highlighting Taiping’s history and cultural heritage.

This year, the festival expanded its curatorial focus from films specifically made in Taiping to productions from across Perak. The programme featured four films, including Circus of Life, which was shot in Taiping, and Goodbye Boys, a coming-of-age film about scouts shot in the Kinta Valley.

The line-up also included Men Who Save the World, filmed in Kuala Kangsar and inspired by the Malay tradition of Angkat Rumah, as well as Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow…and Tomorrow, a film essay examining four works by the late renowned Taiping filmmaker Jins Shamsuddin.

Festival celebrates Perak’s film heritage

The festival also marked the 20th anniversary of Goodbye Boys, with a special screening that brought together members of its original team.

Taiping-born director Bernard Chauly, who travelled from overseas to attend the festival, was surprised by a special clip prepared by the film team. The reunion continued during the question-and-answer session when actors Razif Hashim and Farid Ramlee made an unexpected appearance.

Meanwhile, the Raintown Short Film Competition 2026 received 152 submissions, with 20 films making the shortlist.

The Best Short Film Award went to Daughter of the Last Journey, a documentary directed by Agnes Yap Jen Nie, who received RM8,000 sponsored by West Coast Expressway.

Actress MayJune Tan received the Best Director Award for her directorial debut, Oi-Jia. Other winners included Adam Taufiq Suharto for Best Script for Sesudah Taiping, Hana Roanne for Best Cinematography for Wowo, Julien Chen Lip Syn for Best Editing for We Remember What We Remember, and Cheun Shi Chin for Best Sound for Far From Home. Rainbow by Alli Hasrom received a Special Mention Award.

Festival aims to connect filmmakers and audiences

Raintown Film Festival founder Jacky Yeap said the festival’s significance extended beyond film screenings by encouraging audiences from outside Taiping to visit and explore the town.

“Every year, it is meaningful to see audiences from outside Taiping come to the festival, while also taking the opportunity to explore the town,” he said.

“Beyond ‘finding new audiences for local films’, we hope the festival can provide a platform for filmmakers to connect and exchange ideas, while helping more people discover Taiping’s stories, history and culture.”

The festival was supported by Taiping MP and Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, Perak EXCO member for Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Loh Sze Yee, Pokok Assam assemblyman Ong Seng Guan, Dana Kreatif Perak from Port Ipoh, and various local organisations.

Organisers said the support would help film culture continue developing in Taiping, known as the Raintown.