KiniTV features 7 documentaries in conjunction with Human Rights Day

Synopsis: The rainforests of Borneo are home to many flora and fauna including the little-known Pygmy elephant. Not many people know that Malaysia is home to several of these elephants, the smallest species of elephants in the world. They are known to be smaller and more temperamental compared to the other species in Asia. However, their numbers are dwindling as over the years as a result of irresponsible human activities.

Synopsis: Armed with only a high school education, Tijah Chopil is an indigenous Semai from Peninsular Malaysia. As the ethnic group with the longest history in West Malaysia, seeing the discrimination and injustice that her people are subject to made her pick up activism from the age of 17. This is the story of how she joined the fight for the rights of the indigenous people of Malaysia.

Synopsis: Can you imagine what it is like to be 16 years old and not be allowed to go further than 10KM from your home for an indefinite period of time? This is the true story of Ang, a boy who has been under house arrest for more than a year and who walks around with an electronic monitoring device fitted to his leg.

Synopsis: Despite poverty and socio-cultural hindrances, some Orang Asli youths do rise above and complete their secondary education. Nevertheless, their struggle doesn’t pay off. Despite achieving good results in their Form Five examinations, they had received rejections from higher education institutions. The film explores the responses from the community and educators on the factors leading to this issue.

Synopsis: After witnessing his wife taken away into preventive detention during the 1987 security crackdown known as Operation Lalang, filmmaker Dave Anthony embarked on producing a film documenting the ordeal as he put the crackdown on trial in search for answers. However, the fear of authoritarian politics kept the tape unpublished for 30 years. In 2017, on the 30th anniversary of the crackdown, KiniTV obtained the rights to publish the video. (This documentary was first released on November 27, 2017)

Synopsis: In 2002, a Lun Bawang woman named Kam Agong living in Sarawak succumbed to excessive blood loss after delivering her eighth son. Over the next six years the family embarked on a tireless legal battle, seeking justice for Kam. The court finally found the local clinic doctor and the Malaysian government guilty of clinical malpractice and sentenced them to pay RM50,000. Sixteen years later, Kam Agong’s daughter Agnes brings her youngest brother back to their hometown to honor her memory. (This film is produced in a collaboration between KiniTV and the Freedom Film Network.)