Raintown Film Festival Educates Public to Appreciate Local Indie Works

TAIPING: The organisation of the Raintown Film Festival (RFF) here over the past three years aims to provide understanding and knowledge to the public about the function and role of films, so that they view indie works as a high-value storytelling medium.

RFF Founder, Jacky Yeap Swee Leong, said the national film industry has never faced a shortage of talent or new film producers; instead, the main challenge still faced is building a quality audience base that understands the meaning of the works produced.

“The step of bringing artistic works to small districts like Taiping allows the general public to experience for themselves the role of films in highlighting social issues, culture and human values through free screenings.

“This festival is also not solely focused on film screenings, but also involves dialogue sessions, writing workshops, and face-to-face knowledge sharing with directors and experienced film crews,” he told Bernama here last night.

The director of the film “Sometimes Sometimes,” which was once nominated for the Asian New Talent Award at the 2023 Shanghai International Film Festival, said RFF was first organised in conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebrations of Taiping town in 2024.

The Taiping native, who has more than 11 years of experience in the local film industry, said the festival was founded out of a realisation to contribute to the town, which is rich in historical and cultural value as well as its own unique identity.

Yeap said the first two editions of the festival focused on screenings of local films shot in Taiping, before going further with the organisation of a short film competition themed “After the Rain” which required storytelling based on the identity and environment of Taiping town.

The competition received an extraordinary response, recording 150 participants involving various genres covering short films and documentaries, before 20 of the best works were shortlisted for screening and evaluation.

Additionally, Yeap said the third edition of RFF introduces a creative sandbox project involving film students from IACT College as exposure to festival organisation and the creative industry, which is hoped to be developed into a specialised platform to attract participation from more higher education institutions.

Yeap said the three-day third edition, which began yesterday, is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 viewers based on ticket registration numbers.

Meanwhile, Perak State Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee Chairman, Teh Kok Lim, said the organisation of RFF has the potential to benefit the tourism and local economy sectors through increased visitor numbers to Taiping.

“A successful film festival not only benefits film producers, but also brings in visitors, supports local businesses and opens new opportunities for Taiping,” he said.

Meanwhile, West Coast Expressway (WCE) Chief Executive Officer, Lyndon Alfred Felix, said Taiping holds a special place for them because the WCE alignment, which begins in Banting, Selangor, traverses the west coast towards its northern entry point in Taiping.

“The highway may be our business, but the community is the heart of what we do. Roads connect places, and stories connect communities,” he said.

RFF 2026 is organised by WuBen Film Magazine and Studio 1914 with strategic support from WCE and receives support from the Perak State Government, Port Ipoh, the Taiping Member of Parliament and various industry partners.

BERNAMA