The eighth Malaysia Worldwide Movie Competition (MIFFest) will open July 19 with “Ninavau,” a Malaysian function exploring cultural identification and emotional heritage by director Bebbra Mailin, and shut July 27 with “Transamazonia,” an environmental epic spanning France, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and Taiwan from director Pia Marais.

The bookend titles underscore MIFFest’s twin mission of championing homegrown storytelling whereas embracing worldwide co-productions, because the Kuala Lumpur-based competition positions itself as a key participant within the Southeast Asian circuit with a sturdy 62-film lineup spanning 48 international locations.

The fest will honor Hong Kong motion icon Ti Lung with a lifetime achievement award. The 78-year-old star, whose profession spans the golden age of martial arts cinema, will obtain the distinction on the Malaysia Golden International Awards ceremony July 26 at Zepp KL.

The tribute consists of screenings of John Woo’s “A Higher Tomorrow” and Jess Teong’s “The Child from The Large Apple,” with Ti Lung collaborating in Q&A classes and internet hosting a grasp class. The programming is a part of MIFFest’s “Grasp At Work” sequence, which this yr additionally celebrates Indian nice Raj Kapoor’s centenary with screenings of “Awara” and “Bobby.”

MIFFest can be rolling out the crimson carpet for Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian, who will obtain the Award for Glorious Achievement in Movie. The “Habibie & Ainun” star will be part of the competition’s jury panel alongside British documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia (“Senna,” “Amy”), Malaysian actress Diana Danielle, Hong Kong’s Jennifer Yu, and Indian filmmaker Rima Das.

The competition’s competitors slate options 9 titles, with Palestinian-German drama “All That’s Left Of You” by Cherien Dabis main the Malaysia Golden International Awards race with seven nominations. Chinese language entry “My Good friend An Delie” by Dong Zijian follows with 5 nods, whereas “DJ Ahmet,” “Pink Path,” and “To A Land Unknown” every scored 4 nominations.

MIFFest has additionally partnered with the twenty fifth European Union Movie Competition to current 15 European titles. The “MIFFest x EUFF” sidebar opens with Czech drama “Yr of The Widow” and options Nordic noir “The Woman with The Needle” and Ukrainian entry “Style of Freedom.”

The collaboration represents MIFFest’s technique to place Malaysia as a cultural bridge between Japanese and Western cinema, with competition organizers eyeing elevated worldwide co-production alternatives.

Capitalizing on Malaysia’s rotating ASEAN management, MIFFest is spotlighting regional cinema with six Southeast Asian titles, together with Vietnamese drama “Cu Li By no means Cries” and Singapore thriller “Stranger Eyes.” The programming is backed by Malaysia’s Nationwide Movie Improvement Company (FINAS) and consists of an trade summit that includes “Prepare to Busan” producer Lee Dong Ha.

The fest is spotlighting feminine voices with “Lenses of Indian Girls Filmmakers,” that includes 4 titles together with “Village Rockstars 2” by Rima Das. This system displays rising trade consideration to gender parity in filmmaking throughout Asia.

With 38 Malaysian premieres amongst its 62 titles, MIFFest is betting that Malaysia’s multicultural inhabitants and strategic location will help set up Kuala Lumpur as a competition vacation spot to rival Singapore and Bangkok within the regional circuit.