Programmes

JFF 20th Anniversary Short Film Workshop for Teens with Lim Kah Wai

As part of JFF’s 20th anniversary, an intensive 5-day short film workshop for teens was organized on the 28th of August to the 1st of September this year, to show gratitude and to give back to everyone who has supported the festival for the past 2 decades, in the spirit of nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. 16 young and inspiring Malaysians and Japanese teenagers, ages 13 to 15 years old, spent 5 days being coached on filmmaking by Osaka based Malaysian film director, Lim Kah Wai. From scriptwriting and location scouting to the actual shoot and footage editing, these teens were given a glimpse of the filmmaking world, along with film equipment guidance and real-world experience sharing by volunteers from the Faculty of Cinematic Arts, Multimedia University. Our partner, Canon, had also graciously provided cameras for the teens to use during the workshop. We really hope that this workshop can not only plant the seeds of filmmaking in these teens, but to also foster more cross-cultural collaboration and bridge cultures among the youth.

These teens showed remarkable interest in filmmaking, impressing both Director Lim and the university volunteers by how fast they were able to pick up the skills. While there were some teens who had experience in the film world, most had little to no experience but strong interest. For most of them, this was their first time creating a short film or even holding a camera.

Through thick and thin, they also formed bonds with each other, the kind that can crosses cultural differences. The result was 2 short films. Both these shorts was screened as part of the JFF 2024 opening ceremony, on the big IMAX screen at Aurum, The Exchange TRX. The 2 shorts by HotPink Production and Sushi Lemak Production are also available to watch on our Youtube page at youtube.com/@TheJapanFoundationKL.