In conjunction with International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) this Thursday (December 3rd), the first-ever True Colors Film Festival (TCFF) aims to acknowledge the more than 1 billion people around the world with disabilities.
The 10-day virtual event is set to stream about 30 award-winning full-length and short films, documentaries and dialogues from 15 countries - ALL FOR FREE!
It might be interesting to note that the festival features two Malaysian films:
Talentime (2009)
Directed by Yasmin Ahmad
A music teacher organizes a talent contest to celebrate her school’s 70th anniversary. Malay-mixed Melur serenades deaf Indian boy Mahesh who is assigned to escort her home from auditions. Chinese Kahoe puts pressure on himself to defeat his Malay rival Hafiz. Although they come from different family backgrounds and are each facing their own problems, music binds them together. As with other Yasmin Ahmad’s films, the youths inherit much of the racial prejudices from their parents but luckily, they are more inclined to friendship and love. The swan song of Yasmin brings us a chorus of hope, humour and sentimentality. Winner of Best Southeast Asian Film, Cinemanila Film Festival 2009 and Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Malaysia Film Festival 2009.
Here Away (2019)
Directed by Amin Kamrani
Yusra, a refugee from Yemen and a single mother living in Malaysia, inspires others with her fearlessness and resilience. Despite her uncertain situation, she is an active community leader who strives to help other refugees cope.
Here are 10 more reasons why you should check TCFF out:
1. There’s an Oscar contender
Listen (2020; Portugal/UK), a portrayal of the tireless fight that immigrant parents wage against the law to keep their family together, was selected as Portugal’s Oscar entry for Best International Film last week.
2. Relevant then, relevant now
Moral (1982; Philippines), by the late great Marilou Díaz-Abaya, features four female protagonists who contend with issues like rape, abortion and sexual freedom in a patriarchal society.
3. Some films have come a long way
The Chess Game of the Wind (1976; Iran) has come a very long way indeed. Screened only twice in 1976 to a hostile audience and then presumed to have been lost after the Iranian revolution in 1979, it was accidentally discovered in a junk shop in 2014 by the children of filmmaker Mohammed Reza Aslani. Still banned in Iran, it was smuggled into Paris, where restoration work was overseen by Martin Scorsese’s non-profit organization, The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project. The Chess Game of the Wind is a gothic family tale about a paraplegic heiress who’s surrounded by predatory men and how she forms an alliance with her maid. It’s every bit as dramatic as its discovery, and certainly not to be missed.
4. Their protagonists sure have come a long way
Journey with Simone, a man with down syndrome who yearns for independence in Elsewhere, (2015; Italy) or see the world through the eyes of Alexander Zhuravlev, a photographer who, armed only with a smartphone and 2% of his residual vision, takes pictures as he travels the world in Over the Horizon (2017; Russia). Follow the lives of refugees who’ve left their homes even as uncertainty and danger may lie ahead in Dahdi (2014; Singapore) and Here Away (2019; Malaysia).
5. Women power
Experience some strong performances by female directors and cast members in our film selections. There’s 37 Seconds (2019; Japan) which earned its director, Hikari, Best New Director, Asian Film Awards 2020, and its lead actress, Mei Kayama, Best New Performer (Mei Kayama), Faro Island Film Festival 2020. Then there’s Dahdi (2014; Singapore), by Kirsten Tan, Moral by the legendary Marilou Díaz-Abaya, and Talentime (2009; Malaysia), the final masterpiece by Yasmin Ahmad before her untimely passing.
6. A young, Singaporean curatorial team
The curator is Singaporean filmmaker Tan Bee Thiam, whose film Tiong Bahru Social Club, premiered at the 25th Busan International Film Festival in October this year. His film is a quirky social commentary on tiny Singapore’s obsession with big data. Based in Singapore, Bee Thiam directed Kopi Julia and co-directed the film adaptation Fundamentally Happy.
7. Asian representation
There’s plenty of Asian representation at the True Colors Film Festival 2020. Not only do they offer a feast of films by Asian filmmakers, the stories told also spotlight the Asian experience and perspective. In the documentary Mental (2008; Japan), for example, see how patients and staff at a mental health clinic in Japan break with convention to openly discuss the shame and social anxiety of coping with mental illness.
8. Spotlight on the disability experience
TCFF’s launch date – 3 December – is also International Day of Persons with Disability (IDPD), observed around the world to promote the rights and well-being of the more than 1 billion people around the world living with disabilities. TCFF offers a selection of films to mark the date, and these include 37 Seconds about a comic artist in her 20s with cerebral palsy who’s trying to establish a career as an illustrator in the adult manga industry, The Soul of Sophanna’s Song (2017; Cambodia) one man’s will to live and serve against incredible odds, and who can forget Stand By Me Music Video (2020; Singapore) our rendition of Ben E. King’s classic hit performed by 46 artists from 15 countries/regions, recorded and released online, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic?
9. Life comes to art
The festival is curated around the theme, One World, One Family, so each of the films turn the spotlight on the universal experiences of connection, hope, dreams, struggle, and transformation. Our selection offers real and important stories that need to be seen and heard.
“We hope that the carefully curated film selection will deepen our understanding of what an inclusive world can be and equip us with the vocabulary and sensitivity to discuss social issues such as disability, so that these dialogues are captured and represented well,” said TCFF curator Tan Bee Thiam.
10. It’s free to stream
All TCFF films are available to stream for free. Feature films can be streamed via The Projector Plus, and features are available to viewers in most Asia-Pacific countries.
TCFF will be held from December 3rd-12th.
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
