Monday 30 March 2009

Back in KL

KL Raw!

I have not posted since a couple of weeks as I have been busy, busy sorting out the KL Photoawards 2009 since the closing date of 1 March. I have shot very little also, mainly due to the fact that I had a slight injury to my toe and thus have been limping everywhere the last 10 days or so. Luckily, I can still drive, so getting around is no problem, its just that I have to wear flip flops, and the recovering bruise of the left knee hurts like hell.

Last Sunday past, I managed to wander a little around my favourite part of KL, that is the streets around Central Market. On a Sunday, these streets are full of immigrant workers hanging out, in video stores, groceries, chatting and just meeting their colleagues. Nepalese and Bangladeshis mix openly with Chinese mobile phone sellers. I grabbed this photo of a man happily selling fresh (!) cuts of lean beef by the kilos right on the sidewalk. It was an amazing sight, not unusual perhaps in Bangladesh, China or India, but especially in KL.

Now, about the KL Photoawards 2009. What a fantastic range of entries we received! As an inaugural contest launched, unfortunately in the midst of a global recession, we did well to garner 500+ entries from all over the world. The judges had a tough time making the final cut of 46 finalists. Please visit www.klphotoawards.com to view and vote your People's Choice portrait.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Who Speaks for You? : FREEDOM FILM FEST Retrospective in LONDON!!

4 x 30 : Spread the Word





The KOMAS team are bringing 4 of their award-winning documentary shorts to London on the 28th March at The Garden Court Chambers in Lincoln Inns Fields. This is a retrospective showing of their highly successful roadshow in Malaysia 2008 showing 30-minute documentaries on various aspects of human rights, social injustices and prejudices in the nation, made in 2004 - 8. Tickets at £5 are available at : http://freedomfilmfestlondon.blogspot.com
Go watch some of the brightest documentary filmmakers in Malaysia today and their works, you will be amazed.

The film schedule is below :

11:00am
Democratic Space

No Damn Right
by Anna Har

Pilihanraya Umum Ke-12 (The 12th General Elections)
By Abror Rivai

12:00noon Activism and the British Connection
Penusah Tana (The Forgotten Struggle)
by Hilary Chiew, Chi Too

Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka (Ten Years Before Independence)
By Fahmi Reza

1:45pm Minority Groups and the Authorities
Rainy Days
by Rajan Paramesran

The Invisible Children
by Hariati Azizan

Kopi-O Khau Kurang Manis (Strong Black Coffee, not too sweet)
by Andrew Sia


3:45pm Prescribed Development
Binatang Pun Perlu Tanah (Even animals need land)
by Anna Har

Twelve 11
by Claudia Theophilus, et.al

Alice lives here
by ReelPower

Wednesday 4 March 2009

KL Photoawards 2009 for Portraits : Judging begins!


I will be back in Malaysia this weekend to conduct the judging of the entries received for the first KL Photoawards. The last few days was frantic with so many last minute entries. ( Is this a typical Malaysian thing for last minute efforts? ) Thank you to all who have sent in your entries. We received work from as far away as Russia, US, Italy and Japan. The majority was of course from Malaysia, where the awards are held. Please do visit the website www.klphotoawards.com to vote for your favourite People's Choice portrait beginning March, 20th.