Social Documentaries : A Vehicle of Change

Social Documentaries : A Vehicle of Change

FreedomFilmFest is now calling for film submissions

SUBMIT NOW

FreedomFilmFest is now calling for film submissions

SUBMIT NOW

In a world where people connect at a touch of a screen despite distance and differences in time zones, it is hard to imagine any community living off the information grid. With little to no internet connectivity and only three national channels on tv to provide them with all they need to know, this is the reality of most Orang Asli or  indigenous communities in peninsular Malaysia. While this may seem idyllic to some, ignorance is not always bliss, according to Tijah a/p Yok Chopil the coordinator of the Network of Indigenous Villages in Peninsular Malaysia (JKOASM) .

Speaking at the launch of FreedomFilmFest(FFF) 2016 in Petaling Jaya recently, Tijah attributed the lack of quick and easy access to information through the media, as one of the reasons why the Orang Asli were not exposed to current social and political issues affecting their community and the nation. However, this scenario has changed with the increase in the production of social documentaries such as those made through the FreedomFilmFest and their effective dissemination amongst the Orang Asli communities.

Tijah who is from the Semai tribe shared how Orang Asli communities in Peninsular Malaysia were empowered through films produced by the FreedomFilmFest that documented their community’s  struggles and realities such as Hak DiNafikan and Lot Umah Am that were uploaded on YouTube and brought from village to village in the form of DVDs. She added that the Orang Asli are more aware not just of issues that affect their communities, but also the nation as a whole. “Now you can even see the Orang Asli at BERSIH rallies” says Tijah with pride.

FreedomFilmFest director, Anna Har stressed the importance of film as a vehicle of social change during the launch. At the launch which took place on the 31st of March at PJ Live Arts, in Petaling Jaya, many instances of the impact of social documentaries were shared by a panel consisting of  Tijah; Indrani Kopal (winner of Best Student Documentary Award at the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase in Cannes, 2015) Jules Rahman Ong (filmmaker and independent journalist), and moderated by Har.

FreedomFilmFest, an international human rights documentary film festival is NOW calling for film submissions in line with this year’s theme ‘What Lies Beneath’. The festival will be held from 20 – 28 August 2016 at PJ Live Arts, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya. For more information on film submissions and to apply for a film grant, visit freedomfilmfest.komas.org.

Innity To Host Magical Forest Charity Run in Support of FRIM

Innity To Host Magical Forest Charity Run in Support of FRIM

Join the Magical Forest Charity Run for a good cause

Proceeds from the run will go to FRIM for their reforestation efforts

Be part of a fairy tale at the Magical Forest Charity Run next month. Besides learning about the importance of protecting the environment, runners will be able to meet famous fairy tale characters such as Snow White, Peter Pan, Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty too. Stick around after the run as light refreshments will be given out to the runners, and a lucky draw session will be held.

Proceeds from the run will go to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to support its reforestation efforts.

Let’s All Participate In This Magical Forest Charity Run!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Been planning to have your friends or family members be more productive and active or maybe you yourself need a little outdoor fun? Then we’ve just the thing!

Innity will be organizing a Magical Forest themed charity run to kickstart an active lifestyle whilst helping the environment and having an immense amount of fun! Of course, alongside creating awareness on preservering our planet as proceeds from the run will go to Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).

Although it is a 7KM Fun Run, of course, the event will be focused on how much fun you’ll have together with your loved ones rather than at what speed you’re running at! So families with children will guarantee to have the time of their lives in this Magical Forest with little magical obstacles along the way.. *wink wink*

Participants will get a medal, bib number, light refreshment, running tee and more than RM 400 worth of goody bag. There will also be activities that includes taking photos with the mascot as well as a lucky draw!

For more information on where to register you can check out their official event page

INNITY TO HOST MAGICAL FOREST CHARITY RUN IN SUPPORT OF FRIM

Since I am a long time publisher for Innity, I am helping them to promote their Magical Forest Charity Run happening next month.

If you are wondering, Innity is the leading digital media network that provides interactive online marketing platforms and data driven technologies for advertisers and publishers.

Innity, the leading online media and advertising technology provider in APAC, will be hosting a 7km Fun Run Magical Forest Charity Run on Sunday May 29, 2016 at Taman Botani Negara, Shah Alam as one of their CSR initiatives to give back to society and the environment.

As its name suggests, the Magical Forest Charity Run is a themed Run not only to provide a fun and magical environment to the runners, but educating them on the importance of protecting the environment as well as running for a good cause.

The cost of the registration is RM69 per person. Upon registration, each participant will be given an official Magical Forest Charity Run TShirt, a number bib and a medal for completing the route. The Fun Run starts at 6.00AM, with the flag off time at 7.15AM. Proceeds will be channeled to support Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to support their reforestation efforts.

Phang Chee Leong, the Chief Executive Officer of Innity said, “The purpose behind this run is to raise more awareness for the environment and to emphasize the urgency for all of us to act immediately to safeguard our Earth.”

Interested? Details are as below:

Date: 29th May 2016, 6am to 11am
Venue: Taman Botani, Shah Alam
Registration fee: RM69

Malaysia’s Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards is here!

Malaysia’s Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards is here!

The time has come for e-sellers to shine as the very first Top EC merchant will be chosen.

Leonardo DiCaprio waited 12 years to get his Oscar, and he did not take the night for granted. But what about our local e-commerce merchants? In recent years, there have been many homegrown merchants rising to the challenge of doing e-commerce, and we believe that the time has come to recognise their excellence, innovation and creativity!

As such, the Malaysia Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards, the first of its kind in the country, was brought into existence by the Selangor Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (SITEC), with the support of major industry players such as Lazada Malaysia, Lelong.my, Logon.my, Youbeli, 11street, MOLPay, iPay88, Exabytes and eCommerceMILO.

The aim of the competition is to honour and recognise the efforts of the most innovative, creative and well-received e-merchants, helping to boost their brand names through a friendly competition, in turn helping e-merchants find out how they can improve their services and offers.

Since the launch of the competition on Feb 18th, there have been over 30 (and counting!) local e-merchants registered for this prestigious competition. Just as Leonardo DiCaprio did not take the night of the Academy Awards for granted, Malaysia’s e-commerce merchants should not miss this opportunity to showcase their products and services either.

In order to stand a chance to win some sweet cash from that RM25,000 prize pool, the merchant must have achieved at least 200 transactions or have over RM50,000 in sales volume for any single month in 2015.

Additionally, winners will receive other attractive prizes such as trophies, industrial recognition and credibility through official certification by SITEC, co-working spaces in SDCC for 1 year, and mentorship by industry experts.

12 Distinguished Judges Make The Call

Actual judging will be split, with the competition’s distinguished panel of judges holding 50% of the weightage while the remainder 50% of the weightage will come from public voting, representing the targeted customer base of the merchants.

The competition has the strong support of major industry players, with the panel of judges fielding 12 of the e-commerce sector’s pioneers and e-marketplace administrators, each able to provide their own insights into the judging process.

Of the 12, there are names such as Hans-Peter Ressel, the CEO of Lazada Malaysia, Andy Lau, the CEO of Youbeli, Adrian Foong, the GM of Lelong.my, Hoseok Kim, the CEO of 11street, and Bernard Yap, the chief digital officer of Logon.my. These gentlemen represent the most popular e-marketplaces in Malaysia, with the public no strangers to the brands they represent.

Also on the panel of judges are big players in the e-commerce scene, such as the co-founders of eCommerceMILO, Adrian Oh and CK Wong, the founder and CEO of the Exabytes Group of Companies, Chan Kee Siak, Chief Executive of SITEC Yong Kai Ping, and EC Class Manager Goh Boon Peng of SITEC. These gentlemen, being experienced and knowledgeable in e-commerce themselves, will be able to provide valuable insight and offer critique into the processes of the competition’s participants.

At the same time, an online business is not considered functional without a payment gateway. Following that train of thought, payment gateways are represented among the judges as well, with MOLPay CEO Eng Sheng Guan, as well as iPay88 CEO Chan Kok Long.

For more information, please contact Mr Loke Chee Hoo at 012-670 5026 or [email protected].

Tackling baby-dumping in Malaysia

Tackling baby-dumping in Malaysia

Produced by Megan C. Radford and Shufiyan Shukur

In 2010, ninety-one babies were abandoned by their mothers in drains, washrooms, mosques, and other public places in Malaysia. Then, in the first week of 2011 alone, seven babies were abandoned, an average of one a day.

Experts say that the main cause of Malaysian baby-dumpings is the stigma that young unwed mothers face from the conservative Muslim community.

Even health care providers have been reported to demand marriage certificates from women in labour, to prove that their children are legitimate.

Girls are sometimes no longer welcome in their homes or families when they become pregnant. Under this kind of pressure, many feel that the best way to deal with their unwanted baby is to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Malaysiakini spoke to two NGOs and the office of the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development to try and get a handle on what these young girls go through, and what is being done to help them and their fragile newborn children.

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Abandoned Babies in Malaysia (Part 3)

Abandoned Babies in Malaysia (Part 3)

Reported by Aidila Razak, video by Shufiyan Shukur and Indrani Kopal

An exclusive interview with Rashidah Abdullah, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM).

“…in Islam, abortion is allowed up to 4 months, when the soul is regarded as entering the fetus, so it not regarded as alive, so it’s not a sin,…”

Rashidah Abdullah is an activist and independent consultant in the areas of women’s health and sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s rights and NGO organisational development in Malaysia. She is the founder director on ARROW’s Board of Directors, Co-Coordinator of RRAAM, a member of the Malaysian Aids Council’s Programme Review Committee, the Programme and Management Committee of Sisters in Islam, and a trustee of Women’s Aid Organization (WAO).

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