KUALA LUMPUR: Sabahan filmmaker, Bebbra Mailin’s short film ‘Ninavau’ recently took the Grand Prize at the Malaysian International Film Festival 2019 (MIFFest 2019) and Sabahans will get the chance to view her award-winning short film in September.
‘Ninavau’ will have its Sabahan premiere at the Kota Kinabalu International Film 2019, which goes from the 7th till the 15th of September. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online through the KKIFF Facebook page, or on the day itself at MBO Imago Mall as part of the CINEBALU Short Film Programme.
It was earlier screened at cinemas in Kuala Lumpur as part of MIFFest 2019.
Actress and TV personality, Jovenea Jim plays ‘Ninavau’ while newcomers Dianna Gilbert and Edward Sinsong play her sister and father. The film is about the titular character, Ninavau, a young Kadazan woman who is working in Peninsular Malaysia and returns to Sabah to visit her devout Catholic family – with a change of heart.
‘Ninavau’ was produced by Nadira Ilana (The Silent Riot, Lastik) of Telan Bulan Films and made entirely with a Sabahan cast and crew. ‘Ninavau’ was among the seven short films which were awarded a short film grant by Projek Dialog, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on promoting healthy dialogue and featuring marginal voices in Malaysia. ‘Ninavau’ premiered in Kuala Lumpur on March 2019 at Pesta Filem Kita.
No stranger to film festivals and awards, Bebbra Mailin graduated with a Masters Degree of Communication (Screen Studies) at University of Sains Malaysia. Her first experimental short film, “Eye Love” won Best Film at the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival in 2011. Her second short film, “Langad di Odu” (Grandma’s Longing) won Best Film at the Borneo Eco Film Festival in 2012.
In 2016, her documentary Rapuh (Fragile) was selected for the Visual Documentary Project organised by Kyoto University and traveled to Tokyo, Japan, and the Philippines, among other countries. Bebbra’s “Linguistik Kedai Makan” (The Linguistics of Restaurant) screened at the FLY Film Festival 2017 in Busan, South Korea. The Kota Kinabalu-born filmmaker currently lectures at the Faculty of Film, Theatre and Animation, Universiti Teknologi MARA.