KLEFF 2021 Announces Film Finalists

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15th, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The 14th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest 2021 (KLEFF 2021) has announced that 94 films have been selected to be screened virtually in the festival. Out of the submitted films, 20 films made it to be the finalists of the 5 main film categories of KLEFF 2021.

The 5 main film categories are Best Feature Film/Full-Length Documentary, Best Short Documentary/TV Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Public Service Announcements (PSA), as well as Best Animation.

Below are the finalists for the 5 main film categories of KLEFF 2021:

  1. Best Feature Film / Full-Length Documentary Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

50 Shades of Green: The Complex Story of Palm Oil

Khayriyyah Mohd Hanafiah, Andy Siti Nurhidayah Rahim

Malaysia

CLIMATE FOR CHANGE: Renewing Energy

Shanmuga Sundaram

Singapore

CO2? CO-Nee!

Joep van Dijk

Netherlands

Day Zero

Kevin Sim, Virginia Quinn

United States

Once Upon A River: Bangladesh’s Delta Disaster

Shehzad Hameed Ahmad

Singapore

  1. Best Short Documentary Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

A Community Under Fire

Harrison Thane, Matt Thane

Australia

For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives

Anna Hints

Estonia

Growing Solutions

Leo Horrigan

United States

The Naked Arctic Adventure

Paula Miquelis

Singapore

  1. Best Short Film Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

Alles hat Grenzen NUR DER MONDFISCH NICHT

Sylvia Eckermann, Gerald Nestler

Austria

Birthplace

Sil van der Woerd, Jorik Dozy

Malaysia

Day zero

Shubham Pandav

India

Djibril’s Forest

Thomas Ceulemans

Belgium

  1. Best Animation Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

Blinded By Love

Yige Yang

United Kingdom

Pongo the Stolen Orangutan: How Law Can Heal

Colin Systma

United States

The Fourfold

Alisi Telengut

Canada

It’s Not The Oil, It’s The Practice

Zul Ikhwan Aziz

Malaysia

  1. Best Public Service Announcement Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

A Community, Fighting

Zoe FitzPatrick

Ireland

Gardener of the Sea

Mok Man Ying

Malaysia

The Seed

Mauro Altschuler

Argentina

The 14th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest committee would like to congratulate the finalists of each categories of KLEFF 2021!

This year’s 12th KLEFF jury committee and judges are Fadly Bakhtiar, Festival Director of KLEFF 2020 and Programme Director of EcoKnights; OKJ, Singapore-based documentary storyteller of OKJWorks; Dr. Kendy Mitot, artist of the indigenous Bidayuh tribe in Sarawak; and Aore Ajoeni, technical officer and head of the research team in Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY).

For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest or its organizer, EcoKnights, please contact info@kleff.my.  or the festival manager, Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my. For KLEFF partnership and collaboration, you may reach our KLEFF Festival Director at fadly@ecoknights.org.my.

ABOUT THE KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more information about KLEFF, kindly visit its official page at kleff.my and for more current updates, find us on Facebook at @KualaLumpurEcoFilmFestival and Instagram and Twitter at @kleff_my.

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights is an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. EcoKnights’ core focus areas are in environmental education; smart partnerships; strategic engagement and on-ground efforts as well as capacity building of youths. In these areas, EcoKnights focuses on working with key stakeholders to deliver strategically designed developmental interventions, further contributing to positive social, environmental and economic change. More information about EcoKnights can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my. For more current updates on what EcoKnights is up to, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @EcoKnights.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Fara Amina Othman,
Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,
fara@ecoknights.org.my / 011 – 23210492

The Film Lineup Of The 14th International KLEFF 2021

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3rd 2021, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest 2021 (KLEFF2021) announces the film lineup for its 14th edition, continuing its festival committee EcoKnights’ effort in creating platform for sustainability communication and education via audio-visual tools.

The festival received a total submission of 136 environmental films from 39 countries this year, whereby the festival received the most submissions from its home country – Malaysia. Entering its second time as a digital film festival with the belief that films can be screened beyond limits via the festival’s digital screening platform, KLEFFlix, 94 films have been selected to be screened this year. Other than films that tells spectacular stories under the festival’s theme ‘Climate Change Yourself’, the festival will also screen films that focus on a spectrum of sustainability topics, thus having an myriad of interdisciplinary stories that voice out the 3 pillars of sustainability – environment, social and economy.

From 24th – 30th October, KLEFF 2021 will be happening virtually at 3 platforms – KLEFFlix, International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) 2021 and the Malaysian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Congratulations to the following selected films that will be screened in KLEFF 2021 (in alphabetical order):

50 Shades of Green: The Complex Story of Palm Oil

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Forest of LimestoneOSHIKA – Winds Of ChangeTicino, a source of biodiversity

A Community Under Fire

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Littoral Forest; Life At The EdgeOUR 4°C-ABLE WORLD

tripleF***

A Community, FightingDiscovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Magnificient Machinchang ForestsPainting By Numbers

Voices of the River

A Coral’s Journey from Reef to LabDiscovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Misunderstood Fig TreePepperwood: Rising From The Ashes

W.W.W.W.W

A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Mysterious MangrovePewén: The Earth will sayWe Are Nature

A River Reborn

Djibril’s ForestPoisoned Soil

Will You Hear Us

A Whale’s WorthDOKUMENTARI BURUNG WALITPongo the Stolen Orangutan: How law can heal

WORLD OF VIRUSES

Active (citizen)

DOKUMENTARI SAMPAHPushed up the Mountain

 

Alles hat Grenzen NUR DER MONDFISCH NICHT

Emerald Forest – Return of the Tigers

Refugio

 

As Organism (Episode 1/ BrainDagger Films Presents: Knowledge is Good)

Episode 1: Project PULIH: Mending Broken Reefs

ROADS TO OUR HERITAGE

 

Bablu From Babylon

Epoch

ROADS TO OUR HERITAGE EP 2

 

Baghjan Reels

Eternal Harvest

Seaturtle watcher

 

Barricade

Extracted: ShimulalaShoulders Deep 

Birthplace

For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives

Spring

 
Blinded By Love

Forest Hymn for Little Girls

Symbiosis

 

Cabo Verde – Island Jewel

Gaachh : The Tree

Terraform

 

Chimney of Death

Gardener of the Sea

The Bamboo Bridge

 

CHOUETTE

Growing Peace in the Middle East

The Broken Garden of the Sea

 

CLIMATE FOR CHANGE : Renewing Energy

Growing Solutions

The Circle of Life

 

CO2? CO-Nee!

HERBA AKAR GALAK

The Fourfold

 

Convergence

IFANG

The Green Amendment: New Mexico, Part One

 

Cracked

In the name of the Olive

The Land of Griffons

 

Day Zero

It’s not the oil, it’s the practice

The Naked Arctic Aventure

 

Discovering Hydrogen

May they Fly

The Secrets of Wild Honey

 

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – A Walk Around Datai Bay

Messages from the Animals: Otter Love

The seed

 

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – Adaptability; Lesson From Nature

Midang Midang

THE SHAMANS´ NIGHTMARE

 

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – In Balance with Nature

Netejant la Terra / Cleaning the Earth

The Weather Diaries

 

Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – Passages Through Time

Not Sinking, Swarming

The Whale from Lorino

 
Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak – The Fabulous Flying 5Once Upon A River: Bangladesh’s Delta DisasterThey Keep Quiet So We Make Noise

 

KLEFF 2021 film competition finalists and film screening schedule will be announced in late September. Tickets for screening will be open for sale in early October.

For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest or its organizer, EcoKnights, please contact info@kleff.my.  or the festival manager, Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my. For KLEFF partnership and collaboration, you may reach our KLEFF Festival Director at fadly@ecoknights.org.my.

 

ABOUT THE KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more information about KLEFF, kindly visit its official page at kleff.my and for more current updates, find us on Facebook at @KualaLumpurEcoFilmFestival and Instagram and Twitter at @kleff_my.

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights is an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. EcoKnights’ core focus areas are in environmental education; smart partnerships; strategic engagement and on-ground efforts as well as capacity building of youths. In these areas, EcoKnights focuses on working with key stakeholders to deliver strategically designed developmental interventions, further contributing to positive social, environmental and economic change. More information about EcoKnights can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my. For more current updates on what EcoKnights is up to, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @EcoKnights.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Fara Amina Othman,
Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,
fara@ecoknights.org.my / 011 – 23210492

14th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest – Make Films, Make Changes!

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]

10th March 2021, Kuala Lumpur – The Kuala Lumpur Eco FIlm Fest (KLEFF) is back for its 14th instalment!

Malaysia is home to South-East Asia’s first and longest-running homegrown environmental film festival for the past 13 years; EcoKnights is proud to announce that the 14th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF) has launched its call for film submission on the 10th of March 2021 via FilmFreeway, a global digital platform for filmmakers to submit their films to hundreds of film festivals.

 

With KLEFF’s strong advocacy in climate change, the theme this year is, ‘Climate Change (Yourself)’; whereby the festival seeks for thought-provoking films that explore self-initiated changes that we can make on different levels and capacities, with the right mindsets and habits.

Returning from the 2020 pandemic phase that marked a new beginning for KLEFF as a digital film festival, KLEFF is continuing its role as a media platform for filmmaking, story-telling and knowledge-sharing in the global transformational journey towards sustainability, in society, economy, and environment.

Festival Director Fadly Bakhtiar quoted, “The decision to go on with KLEFF despite the pandemic is motivated by our firm beliefs that environmental advocacy to fight climate change must go on, and the call for climate action never stops, even amidst a global pandemic. Last year’s debut as a digital festival was a huge milestone with a steep learning curve for the team. We received encouraging response and support from our loyal supporters, thus proving that we need to be innovative and dynamic to keep our mission going now that the festival has evolved digitally.”

He also shared his views on this year’s theme, and believes it will shine a spotlight on the important issue at hand for the general public and audience by highlighting the importance of behavioural change in societies, as societal norms are a key factor in addressing climate issues.

Submission is open on the 10th of March until 25th June 2021, whereby the films will stand a chance to be screened in the festival as well as run for various awards in the KLEFF Film Competition, after going through an evaluation process by the festival committee and film panel jury. The festival accepts films of different genres which are long documentaries, feature films, short documentaries, short films, animation and Public Service Announcement (PSA). Chosen films will be screened during the festival via its online screening platform, KLEFFlix.
“For the past 13 years, we have been receiving films with inspiring stories that advocate for various sustainability topics and the call for action to make changes for a better world. That’s the beauty and strength of the filmmakers, they are educators and advocators through their lenses and story-telling. Meanwhile film festivals like KLEFF are the right platform to showcase the filmmakers’ magic,” commented Nabila Shohimi, Festival Manager.

Interested or aspiring filmmakers can submit their films in FilmFreeway: KLEFF 2021 within the timeline and film submission deadlines.

Deadlines

Dates

Submission Fees

Earlybird Deadline

30th April 2021

·   Long Documentary/Feature Film: USD 25

·   Short Documentary: USD 15

·   Short Film: USD 10

·   Animation: USD 10

·   PSA: USD 10

Regular Deadline

31st May 2021

·   Long Documentary/Feature Film: USD 30

·   Short Documentary: USD 20

·   Short Film: USD 15

·   Animation: USD 15

·   PSA: USD 15

Late Deadline

25th June 2021

·   Long Documentary/Feature Film: USD 35

·   Short Documentary: USD 25

·   Short Film: USD 20

·   Animation: USD 20

·   PSA: USD 20

In case both potential filmmakers and the audience would like to have a taste of what is to come, head on down to KLEFF 2020 Films where you can find the past submissions. We recommend filmmakers to read the full Rules and Regulations before submitting your films.

After the launch of film submission, KLEFF will be building up more content and relationships to add more value to the festival’s journey in climate action and other sustainability missions. The festival committee invites those who share the common ground with KLEFF or have impactful collaboration ideas such as outreach efforts, resource mobilization and filmmaking empowerment, to develop partnerships with KLEFF.

The festival has previously collaborated with the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) for 5 years in sharing outreach platforms to educate more people about sustainability. Other than that, KLEFF has worked with a few partners to award and recognise winning filmmakers – River of Life (ROL) for the ‘River of Life Award’; and United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and Malaysian Public Work Department (JKR) for the UNDP x JKR Energy Efficiency in Buildings Award.

For more information pertaining to the festival, visit the official KLEFF 2021 website.

Contact details:
General: info@kleff.my 
Fadly Bakhtiar: fadly@ecoknights.rog.my
Nabila Shohimi: nabila@ecoknights.org.my

The Prestigious Award Ceremony of the 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF 2020) Takes off into the Digital Realm amidst a Global Pandemic

KLEFF 2020 Virtual Award Ceremony Poster

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]

22nd October 2020, Kuala Lumpur – The 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF 2020) Award Ceremony is a prestigious event to give recognition to the work of filmmakers, cinematographers, storytellers and concerned experts  from around the globe to shine light on climate crisis issues and distressing environmental problems worldwide.

The digital KLEFF 2020 received a total submission of 118 climate- and environment-themed films from 44 countries globally and out of these, 59 deeply thought-provoking films of various genres and lengths are screened throughout the week-long festival (19-25 October) via KLEFFlix, KLEFF official Digital Streaming Platform.

MEDIA KIT LINK: http://bit.ly/KLEFFMediaKit2020

The call for a digitally-run award ceremony did not come easy for the committee, yet decided necessary, especially now when it is crucial to continue the advocacy for climate justice, in line with this year’s theme of Climate Injustice: Pick a Side.

The ceremony was graced by Guests of Honour – Royal Patron of IGEM; Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-Abidin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz, Dr. Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu from the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA), KLEFF Festival Founder and Honourary Advisor; Dr Yasmin Rasyid and KLEFF Festival Director; Fadly Bakhtiar, with members of media, fellow KLEFF filmmakers, supporters and viewers tuning in from the comfort of their home – made possible with KLEFF official Digital Platform Partner, the Virtual International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) 2020.

In this current situation where people are staying at home to curb the spread of Covid-19, the call for action for climate justice has never been more convenient and pertinent.  

“I am immensely grateful to the works of filmmakers who provide us with entertainment and enlightenment when we are stuck at home, even more so, the talented people of the cinematic world who also strives for a more sustainable world”, praised Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-Abidin during his opening speech.

“For the past 13 years, EcoKnights has been immensely productive, from getting huge interest from the public with over 1,000 environmentally films being submitted to the festival from over 100 countries, in the past years,” he added.

Founded and initiated by non-governmental environmental organization EcoKnights, KLEFF is Malaysia’s longest-serving platform that promotes the notion of sustainable living through the power of audio/visual materials.

“KLEFF started with a crazy vision [that] I had in 2008, where we required a more creative approach to open up the mindsets of Malaysians to understand what sustainability is all about… Films make profound impact on people – it changes mindsets, shapes perspectives, gives you knowledge and information, and more importantly it motivates you to take actions,” shared Dr Yasmin Rasyid, KLEFF Festival Founder and Honorary Advisor.

This year’s line-up of films was none like the committee has ever seen before. Carefully evaluated by KLEFF 2020 juries – Elina Jani, Iedil Dzuhrie Alauddin, Dr Chen Pelf Nyok, Dr Kendy Mitot, Justin Wong, headed by KLEFF Festival Director, Fadly Bakhtiar, five (5) major categories were awarded to the winning filmmakers; Best Feature Film / Long Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Short Documentary, Best Public Service Announcement, Best Animation – with the annual Special Jury Award.  

“I, as one of the juries for this year’s festival, I have watched the films and I am deeply moved, inspired and motivated by all of the filmmakers hard work and we, the KLEFF committee hope that more people, if possible all of Malaysians and everyone in this world can at least manage to watch this films once in their lives or more and that they will be empowered as how these films have empowered us here at KLEFF,” commends Fadly during his opening remark.

Evolving with the digital trend and adapting to the new norm may be grappling to some during these unprecedented times. Nevertheless, one thing that EcoKnights as the organizer of KLEFF discovers is that digital advocacy must continue – especially in the current era of The Information Age, where news travel faster and important messages can be shared to a wider mass digitally.

This year’s KLEFF 2020 Award Recipients go to:

  1. Best Feature Film / Long Documentary awarded to The Future of Flight by Larissa Klinker (Germany)
  2. Best Short Film awarded to It’s Look Sunshine by Kim Seunghwan (South Korea)
  3. Best Short Documentary awarded to From Kurils with Love by Taylor Reese (United States)
  4. Best Public Service Announcement awarded to USLP Shower by Bauddhayan Mukherji
  5. Best Animation awarded to Gon, The Little Fox by Takeshi Yashiro (Japan)
  6. Special Jury Award awarded to From Kurils with Love by Taylor Reese (United States)

 

-End-

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Green Market, local performances and other engaging activities. KLEFF features ground breaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues.

KLEFF 2020 is still on-going till 25 October with more line-ups of sustainability-themed activities from film screenings, workshops and talks, a fundraising musical gig and moreFurther information may be found at kleff.my or KLEFF social media pages @kleff_my. 

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS®

EcoKnights® is a not-for-profit environmental organisation that provides and delivers development and environmental interventions to communities, government agencies, learning institutions, and companies to mobilise and catalyse the stakeholders towards sustainable development across trans- and interdisciplinary fields to build bridges towards achieving sustainable communities and companies across five main pillars. 

The pillars are CSR and Partnership, Public Outreach, Community Development & Education (CDE), Rehabilitation, Restoration and Conservation (RRC) as well as Youth Development & Volunteerism (YDV), supported by Sustainability Communications. Each pillar helps to strengthen the legacy of EcoKnights as it empowers the Knights to ideate, create, run and organise meaningful projects to impart long-lasting sustainable and economic impact to the country.

_________________________________________________________________________________

*For any media inquiries, kindly contact Festival Media Manager, Ms. Fara at fara@ecoknights.org.my

THE 13TH KL ECO FILM FESTIVAL 2020: CLIMATE (IN)JUSTICE – PICK A SIDE​

THE 13TH KL ECO FILM FESTIVAL 2020: CLIMATE (IN)JUSTICE - PICK A SIDE

Fadly Bakhtiar, Programme Director of EcoKnights, Festival Director of KLEFF 2020

21-Oct-20 14:30

 

The 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival just kicked off on Monday with more than 50 films to be screened this week. We take a look at what is happening as the festival goes digital for the first time, and discuss why films are powerful tools to generate conversations on climate injustice.

Image Source: Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival

Produced by: Lim Sue Ann

Presented by: Tee Shiao Eek, Sharmilla Ganesan

THE INAUGURAL DIGITAL FESTIVAL OF THE 13TH KLEFF AMIDST A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

[For Immediate Release]

Media Kit Link: http://bit.ly/Media-Kit-KLEFF2020

16th September, Kuala Lumpur – The show must go on; the 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF 2020) set sail towards a digital course as the coronavirus outbreak continues.

The inaugural digital KLEFF festival is set to run week-long from the 19th to 25th of October, with yet another feast of sustainability-driven activities catered for all walks of life. With the theme “Climate (in)Justice: Pick A Side”, the festival received 118 film submissions from 44 countries, with 53 films confirmed to be screened during the festival.

“The decision to create a digital platform this year is motivated by the belief that environmental advocacy to fight climate injustice must go on, and the call for climate action never stops, even amidst a global pandemic,” said KLEFF Festival Director, Fadly Bakhtiar.

“The public confidence and partnering support by stakeholders in the last 12 years have been incredible thus far, hence strengthening our commitment and determination to execute a digital festival,” he continued.

With more list of program line-ups to be announced, KLEFF 2020 is set to showcase the flagship KLEFF film screening and award ceremony, the School of Sustainability (workshops and talks), Act4SDGs (SDG-driven initiatives), Green Vibes (live performances), a Digital Fundraising campaign and more.

“As the committee gears up to organizing yet another enriching eco-themed film festival, we are hopeful and driven to continue the environmental advocacy by any means necessary,” said Fadly.

KLEFF hit its 13 years of milestone with a stronger aspiration to bring climate- and eco-themed films to the national screen. In line with its mission to provide equal access to environmental education and implant the concept of sustainability into Malaysian consciousness – this year, KLEFF introduced a nationwide call for 10,000 public signatures to bring KLEFF films (past, present and future) into the mainstream media (national TV broadcast).

“KLEFF will continue to honour the stories, experiences and movement centered around sustainability and the environment to the highest standard,” echoed Fadly.

Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates regarding the 13th edition of KLEFF in the coming weeks. Visit the official KLEFF website for more information and get involved with the activities by clicking here. For partnership inquiries about KLEFF, contact Fadly Bakhtiar at fadly@ecoknights.org.my or contact Ms. Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my for more inquiries about KLEFF.

-End –

ABOUT THE KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by the non-governmental organization, EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues.

Further information may be found at kleff.my

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights® is a non-governmental environmental organisation that provides and delivers development and environmental interventions to communities, government agencies, learning institutions, and companies to mobilise and catalyse the stakeholders towards sustainable development across trans- and interdisciplinary fields to build bridges towards achieving sustainable communities and companies across five main pillars. 

The pillars are Public Outreach, Community Development & Education (CDE), Rehabilitation, Restoration and Conservation (RRC) as well as Youth Development & Volunteerism (YDV), supported by Sustainability Communications. Each pillar helps to strengthen the legacy of EcoKnights as it empowers the Knights to ideate, create, run and organise meaningful projects to impart long-lasting sustainable and economic impact to the country.


For media enquiries, please contact:
Fara Amina Othman,
Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,
fara@ecoknights.org.my 

KLEFF 2020 ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR FILM COMPETITION

[ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ]

Media kit: https://bit.ly/PRkleffnomineefilms

Kuala Lumpur, August 2nd 2020 – The 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest 2020 (KLEFF 2020) has announced that 53 films have been selected to be screened virtually in the festival. Out of the submitted films, 18 films made it to be the finalists of the 5 main film categories of KLEFF 2020.

The 5 main film categories are Best Feature Film/Full-Length Documentary, Best Short Documentary/TV Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Public Service Announcements (PSA), as well as Best Animation. Below are the finalists for the 5 main film categories of KLEFF 2020:

  1. Best Feature Film / Full-Length Documentary Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

The Future of Flight

Larissa Klinker

Germany

MT. SUSWA – LIFE IN A VOLCANO

Oliver Goetzl

Germany

Pakistan’s Himalayan Meltdown

Shehzad Hameed Ahmad

Singapore

  1. Best Short Documentary Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

From Kurils With Love

Taylor Reese

United States

Gitxsan: Our Land, Our Culture, Our Laws

Farhan Umedaly

Canada

I Am Vital

Florian Ledoux

France

Stolen Apes – Buanoi

Colin Sytsma

United States

Vaka

Kelly Moneymaker

New Zealand

  1. Best Short Film Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

Because I Could

Niki J. Borger

United States

Ecology Lesson

Ivan Sosnin

Russian Federation

It’s Look Sunshine

Kim Seunghwan

South Korea

  1. Best Animation Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

Gon, The Little Fox

Takeshi Yashiro

Japan

Shape Me

Alex Spoerndli

Switzerland

The Secret Life of Durian Trees

Hana Abdul Aziz

Malaysia

  1. Best Public Service Announcement Award (In Alphabetical order)

Film Title

Film Maker

Country

Meet Ramon

Pilar Aldirico

Argentina

USLP Shower

Bauddhayan Mukherji

India

What happens to rain in the future

Toby Mory

Germany

Why It’s Crucial to Fight Corruption: Transparency International

Toby Mory

Germany

The 13th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest committee would like to congratulate the finalists of each categories of KLEFF 2020!

This year’s 12th KLEFF jury committee and judges are Fadly Bakhtiar, Festival Director of KLEFF 2020 and Programme Director of EcoKnights; Dr. Chen Pelf Nyok, turtle researcher, conservationist and co-founder of Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS); Elina Jani, Director of Green Innovations at Malaysian Green Technology Corporation; Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin, Malaysia’s TV/film and stage actor; Kendy Mitot, artist of the indigenous Bidayuh tribe in Sarawak; and Justin Wong, filmmaker and co-founder of SCM Asia.

For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest or its organizer, EcoKnights, please contact info@kleff.my or the festival manager, Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my. For KLEFF partnership and collaboration, you may reach our KLEFF Festival Director at fadly@ecoknights.org.my.

– END –

ABOUT THE KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more information about KLEFF, kindly visit its official page at kleff.my and for more current updates, find us on Facebook at @KualaLumpurEcoFilmFestival and Instagram and Twitter at @kleff_my.

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights is an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. EcoKnights’ core focus areas are in environmental education; smart partnerships; strategic engagement and on-ground efforts as well as capacity building of youths. In these areas, EcoKnights focuses on working with key stakeholders to deliver strategically designed developmental interventions, further contributing to positive social, environmental and economic change. More information about EcoKnights can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my. For more current updates on what EcoKnights is up to, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @EcoKnights. 

For media enquiries, please contact:
Fara Amina Othman,
Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,
fara@ecoknights.org.my / 011 – 23210492

KLEFF 2020 ANNOUNCES 53 FILMS SELECTED FOR DIGITAL FILM SCREENING

[ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ]

Media kit: https://bit.ly/PRkleffselectedfilms

Kuala Lumpur, July 20th 2020 – The 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest 2020 (KLEFF2020) film competition received a total submission of 119 environmental films from 43 countries this year under the festival’s theme: ‘Climate (In)Justice – Pick A Side’.

From 8th – 11th October 2020, KLEFF 2020 will be screening 53 films via its digital screening platform, KLEFFlix during the virtual Festival Week. The following is the list of selected films that will be screened in KLEFF 2020:

Film Title

Filmmakers/ Film Directors

Country of Origin

VAKA

Kelly Moneymaker

New Zealand

Sh*t Saves the World

Troy Hale

United States

Why It’s Crucial to Fight Corruption: Transparency International – SDG 16

Toby Mory

Germany

What happens to rain in the future

Toby Mory

Germany

The Everglades – A Watery Wilderness

Zoltan Török

Germany

Ecology lesson

Ivan Sosnin

Russian Federation

GOOD JOB

Piotr Biedroń

Poland

Gold of Cajamarca

Alexandre Regol

Colombia

Sustainable Weddings

Grace Tan, Tan Chi Yin

Malaysia

Ez, eskerrik asko! Gladys Window

Bertha Gaztelumendi

Spain

Echilibru, Bear Foot

Jérôme Fatalot, Victor Jullien, Eve Cerubini

France

Pakistan’s Himalayan Meltdown

Shehzad Hameed Ahmad

Singapore

Wildlife- Our Lifeblood

Naresh Glow

India

The Secret Life of Durian Trees

Hana Abdul Aziz

Malaysia

AYEO

Jacob Updyke

United States

Species per aquam – Biodiversity between the Ticino Valley and the Alps

Marco Tessaro

Not Specified

I AM VITAL

Florian Ledoux

France

Cascarita

Jim Barrera

Mexico

H2O

Fathima Shanaz

Sri Lanka

The Return of The Mountain Chicken

Nicolas Eguren Cleffi

United Kingdom

All Eyes on The Amazon

Andrea Marinelli

Netherlands

Wings & Wetlands – A Story Of Migration

Raghunath Belur, Sugandhi Gadadhar

India

Protected by Prawns

Katie Jewett

United States

Mexico City and Its Sacred Salamanders

Katie Garrett

United States

Shape Me

Alex Spoerndli

Switzerland

USLP Shower

Bauddhayan Mukherji

India

Because I could

Niki J. Borger

United States

The Flat

Lev Voloshin

Moldova, Republic of

MT. SUSWA – LIFE IN A VOLCANO

Oliver Goetzl

Germany

No Mad

Alvynn Diagne

France

Disappearing Spots

Hetal Teeku Patel

Kenya

THE RESCUE CENTER

Nikki Dodd

United States

Into the Dark

Michael O. Snyder

United States

Pascoal

Matt Jarvis

United Kingdom

TAIWASTE

Patrik Thomas

Germany

The Future of Flight

Larissa Klinker

Germany

GITXSAN: OUR LAND, OUR CULTURE, OUR LAWS

Farhan Umedaly

Canada

It’s Look Sunshine

Kim Seunghwan

South Korea

Man-Eaters: A Human Leopard Story

Thivanka Perera

Sri Lanka

Puri

Daniel Casado

Chile

The Last Forest

Sapto Agus irawan, Kintan Wida Bastari

Indonesia

Forest is our home

Dony P. Herwanto

Indonesia

Oxygen

Rocky Grispen, Violette Belzer

Belgium

Future Ancestor

Josue Rivas

United States

The Beekeeper

William McGregor

United Kingdom

Tsunami Memories: Faith and Science

Isaac Kerlow

United States

Meet Ramon

Pilar Aldirico

Argentina

Stolen Apes – Buanoi

Colin Sytsma

United States

From Kurils With Love

Taylor Reese

United States

Youth on Strike!

Rob Innes

Australia

MUAK

Jokin Etcheverria

Spain

TABIRA

Aner Etxebarria Moral

Spain

Gon, The Little Fox

Takeshi Yashiro

Japan

The festival committee would like to congratulate the filmmakers whose films were selected to be screened in KLEFF 2020!! We are grateful for the film makers who supported KLEFF 2020 through your inspiring and educational films.

For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest or its organizer, EcoKnights, please contact info@kleff.my.  or the festival manager, Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my. For KLEFF partnership and collaboration, you may reach our KLEFF Festival Director at fadly@ecoknights.org.my.

– END –

ABOUT THE KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more information about KLEFF, kindly visit its official page at kleff.my and for more current updates, find us on Facebook at @KualaLumpurEcoFilmFestival and Instagram and Twitter at @kleff_my.

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights is an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. EcoKnights’ core focus areas are in environmental education; smart partnerships; strategic engagement and on-ground efforts as well as capacity building of youths. In these areas, EcoKnights focuses on working with key stakeholders to deliver strategically designed developmental interventions, further contributing to positive social, environmental and economic change. More information about EcoKnights can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my. For more current updates on what EcoKnights is up to, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @EcoKnights. 

For media enquiries, please contact:
Fara Amina Othman,
Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,
fara@ecoknights.org.my / 011 – 23210492

Covid-19 Pandemic Sets Sail the Digital Course of the International KLEFF

On behalf of EcoKnights and the KLEFF committee, it is with a heavy heart that we have to share the news about the cancellation of the physical edition of the 13th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF) this coming October (8th – 11th). We were looking forward to materializing yet another gripping film festival for all as the committee has been working hard in the past months amid a global pandemic. 

Clearly, after assessing all aspects of the current situation of Covid-19, we have taken the decision to cease any public engagement for KLEFF till the condition is entirely safe for us to do so. This news is not without a positive turn as we are excited to continue the 13th edition of KLEFF through digital means, including our Film Competition and Film Screening which will be done virtually. The deadline for the film submission has been extended to 19th June 2020. 

As we explore more options and new alternatives to run KLEFF digitally at the best of our capacity, we call for all corporates and fellow long-time partners to take on this journey with us and be part of this movement as part of their CSR – as the call for climate action never stops. The public confidence and partnering support by stakeholders in the last 12 years have been incredible thus far, hence, we are committed to continue working in unison for the digital execution of KLEFF.  

We understand the gravity of the situation for all, especially for those who have submitted their films to us, devoted collaborators, vendors, supporters, and festival goers – we will continue to work hard to bring you the unique festival you love – and honor the stories, experiences, and movement centered around sustainability and our environment to the highest standard.  

EcoKnights Launches Digital Streaming Service KLEFFlix in conjunction with Earth Day 50th Anniversary Celebration

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]

Media Kit: bit.ly/PRklefflix

Kuala Lumpur, 22nd April – In conjunction with Earth Day 2020, EcoKnights announces the launch of KLEFFlix – Malaysia’s first and only streaming service for environmental and community films, a digital maneuver to its flagship event, the International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Fest (KLEFF).

KLEFFlix enables the film festival to transcend beyond its physical element and reach a wider audience by screening past and future KLEFF films digitally. This means that this year’s theme and message of “Climate (in)Justice” can now be spread virtually as well. This is further aligned with the climate action theme of Earth Day 2020 50th Anniversary – raising awareness on the threat of climate change to our future.

The launch of KLEFFlix also marks another notable milestone of KLEFF partnering with the Ministry of Environment and Water, which further helps the spread of the climate action message nationwide.

Leading up to today’s Earth Day celebration, the Ministry has run a digital contest seeking the best climate action-themed poster or video. In partnership with KLEFF, the 50 best submissions will win a Special Premium Membership to KLEFFlix – giving them access to a host of award-winning and compelling eco-themed films past and present.

EcoKnights Program Director and KLEFF Festival Director, Fadly Bakhtiar, said that the partnership with the Ministry represents positive progress in strengthening the national sustainability agenda by supporting a homegrown initiative utilizing technology as a tool to spread the message of climate action.

2020 signifies a long-term partnership of EcoKnights working closely with relevant ministries since its inception 15 years ago, with KLEFF being a strong foundation for climate action advocacy together with the Ministry – as seen in the collaborative effort between KLEFF and IGEM since 2017.

“Short movie documentaries are powerful tools to bring about environmental awareness and nudge behavioural change,” said Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang, Secretary General, Ministry of Environment and Water. He further stated that this partnership with KLEFF is to enable all stakeholders to work together to drive climate action.

Dato’ Seri Zaini Ujang felt that it’s a collective action as we chart our pathway in sustainable development and local made movies are important in mainstreaming our narrative and our perspective of these global issues. With KLEFFlix going digital, he is very encouraged that more people can enjoy these movies and he hopes it will bring a positive change and encourage Malaysians to live in harmony with Nature.

Since 2008, KLEFF has been championing the cause to mainstream the concept of sustainable living through the power of audio-visual materials, while ensuring equal access to environmental education to all. EcoKnights President and KLEFF Honorary Advisor, Dr. Yasmin Rasyid said that KLEFF, while charting positive growth since 2008 in terms of size and scope, remains very localized.

“Hopefully with KLEFFlix in a digital form, we can exponentially grow the number of people that can benefit from the festival and reach out to more global citizens who are passionate about sustainability and driven to make a change,” she said.

Fadly added that KLEFF successfully engaged over 100,000 people in the past 12 years through physical events like festivals, satellite screenings and roadshows.

“We have bigger aspirations to reach out to more people and continue to be the leader for environmental education and action – connecting stories from Malaysia and around the world to inspire a better future for all,” Fadly said.

“The digitalization of KLEFF via KLEFFlix can help us realize our mission, while giving a space for eco-themed films that would otherwise be left out of the mainstream a chance to be aired on a commercial platform.” 

KLEFF boasts a growing database of films submitted from both local and international filmmakers globally in the past years. From this database, the committee has shortlisted a significant amount of groundbreaking KLEFF films of various lengths, genre, and themes to be screened on KLEFFlix, with the film catalog to be gradually expanded as KLEFF runs its film submission annually.

 

KLEFFlix is part of EcoKnights’ unceasing efforts to enable everyone – from top corporates to everyday Malaysians – to be agents of environmental change. This can be done by simply subscribing to one of three of its membership plans; Free membership; Premium Membership; and Corporate Package.

For more details about the streaming service KLEFFlix and the membership plans, visit its official website at http://klefflix.kleff.my/

For further inquiries about KLEFFlix, you may contact our festival manager, Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my and for KLEFF partnership and collaboration, you may reach our KLEFF Festival Director at fadly@ecoknights.org.my

– End –

 ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FEST (KLEFF)

The International KLEFF is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environment-themed films, workshops, talks, exhibitions, Impact Market, local performances and other engaging activities. Organized by EcoKnights, KLEFF features groundbreaking films that kindle important dialogues, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more information about KLEFF, kindly visit its official page at kleff.my and for more current updates, find us on Facebook at @KualaLumpurEcoFilmFestival and Instagram and Twitter at @kleff_my.

ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS

EcoKnights is an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia. EcoKnights’ core focus areas are in environmental education; smart partnerships; strategic engagement and on-ground efforts as well as capacity building of youths. In these areas, EcoKnights focuses on working with key stakeholders to deliver strategically designed developmental interventions, further contributing to positive social, environmental and economic change. More information about EcoKnights can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my. For more current updates on what EcoKnights is up to, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @EcoKnights. 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Fara Amina Othman,

Digital Content Officer of EcoKnights,

fara@ecoknights.org.my / 011 – 23210492

About KLEFF

The Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival (KLEFF) is Malaysia’s first and longest-serving platform promoting sustainable living through showcases of environmentally-themed films and programs. Since 2008, KLEFF’s mission is to accelerate mainstreaming of sustainable living and stewardship of the environment through the power of audio visual materials and activities.

During the festival, KLEFF hosts the screening of more than 50 films reaching to an audience of more than 5,000. With the collaboration of partners and sponsors, KLEFF is gradually becoming the nation’s celebrated grassroots cultural and environmental event.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, KLEFF has evolved from a physical festival into a digital festival through its online screening platform KLEFFlix. The Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival is a not-for-profit program organized by local environmental NGO, EcoKnights.

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