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Miffest assembles its strongest line-up of ambassadors yet, Bront Palarae returns, joined by Siti Saleha and Daiyan Trisha sets a purposeful vision for the future of regional cinema with asean on screen launch, hong leong bank multi-year partnership, and landmark collaboration with european film festival for its 25th anniversary

The Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) has unveiled key highlights for its highly anticipated 8th edition, taking place from 19-27 July 2025. The announcement was made during a press conference hosted at Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, the festival’s official hotel partner. This year’s festival will open at MyTOWN Shopping Centre, marking a vibrant return to its signature annual in-person celebrations and reaffirming MIFFest’s role as a leading platform for cinema and cultural exchange in the region.

A Renewed Circle of Storytellers: MIFFest Names Its Festival Ambassadors

Leading the refreshed line-up of Festival Ambassadors are acclaimed actresses Siti Saleha and Daiyan Trisha,...

Malaysian cinema takes center stage as the 8th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) revealed its strongest ambassador lineup yet, with celebrated actor Bront Palarae returning for a sixth consecutive year, now joined by acclaimed actors Siti Saleha and Daiyan Trisha.

The trio represents what festival organizers describe as “a generation of storytellers deeply connected to audience, culture, and community,” embodying MIFFest’s mission of elevating cinema that speaks to contemporary issues while looking toward the future.

The festival has unveiled its ambitious vision for its July 19-27 run. Themed “Infinity” this year’s festival taps into cinema’s capacity to forge connections during times of change.

The festival’s international footprint continues to expand, with partnership developments highlighting this year’s edition. As Malaysia assumes the Asean chair position in 2025, MIFFest has partnered with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) to launch “Asean On Screen” – a dedicated program celebrating Southeast Asian film and television.

Amazon Prime Video has announced its first slate of Malaysian content and localized user experience, including its first Malaysian Originals, romantic drama series That Cover Girl and action film Budak Flat.

Budak Flat is produced by Skop Production, with Syafiq Yusof on board as advisor, and co-directed by Eugene Lim, Woo Ming Jin and Faizal Ishak. The cast is headed by Pablo Amirul, Zahiril Adzim, Nabila Huda, Aaron Aziz, Balan Kash and Yung Raja.

“The film explores the rivalry between two criminal brothers who find their relationship tested to a deadly conclusion when a murder triggers a gang war in their flat,” said Budak Flat producer Shamin Yusof. “It’s a uniquely Malaysian action film that we hope will find audiences across the globe on Prime Video.”

Skop Productions is one of Malaysia’s biggest production houses with credits including hits Mat Kilau, Munafik and the Abang Long Fadil franchise.

Korean fantasy thriller romance “Black” has been given a Malay-language adaptation with a more supernatural spin. The series is produced by Malaysia’s Alpha47 Films, from a Cj E&m format.

It is co-directed by award-winning directors, Razaisyam Rashid and Kroll Azri. Cast includes Kamal Adli, Siti Saleha, Nabila Huda, and Zoey Rahman. It will air with this month with four back-to-back episodes each on Dec. 17 and 24, on pan-Asian streaming service Viu.

In the original Korean series, Black follows a grim reaper who enters the world of mortals and finds himself falling in love with a woman who can foresee death. (All 18 episodes of the original are available on Viu.)

The Malaysian adaptation replaces the concept of grim reaper with Bunian, a supernatural being from another dimension in Malay folklore. It sets the eponymous Black on a mission to track down his fugitive partner in the human world. Despite detesting humans for their primitive ways,...