KUCHING: Hong Kong film legend Simon Yam, Malaysian music icon Datuk M Nasir and acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz will be among the stars attending the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) 2025 from Nov 12 to 15.
The seventh edition of the regional festival will feature new categories — the Borneo Documentary Awards and the ASEAN UNIFEST Awards — alongside screenings, workshops, exhibitions and a star-studded Gala Night at Pullman Hotel’s Colosseum here.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the festival would once again bring together some of the region’s most prominent names in film and entertainment.
“Simon Yam will be coming over for the festival. He will be having his meet-and-greet session at the Kuching Waterfront at the Godown Amphitheatre.
“Apart from having Yam for the Gala Night, the AIFFA team will also be bringing in the Indonesian singer Ruth Sahanaya and Malaysian singer Datuk M Nasir.
“These two popular entertainers are very well known in the ASEAN region,” he said during a press conference here on Monday.
While in Kuching, Yam will visit places of interest, including the Sarawak Cultural Village and Borneo Cultures Museum to experience local culture and history.
He will also meet fans at the Kuching Waterfront on Nov 15, beginning with a cruise along the Sarawak River before a press conference onboard.
The session continues at 4 pm at the Godown Amphitheatre where the public will be able to meet him in person.
Festival director Livan Tajang said Diaz, a leading figure in world cinema, would also make his long-awaited appearance at AIFFA.
“Another person who is very big in the world of film is Lav Diaz. He has won awards in Cannes and Berlin, and his film Magellan recently opened the Berlin Film Festival and is the Philippines’ entry for the Oscars 2026,” she said.
The festival, first held in 2013, will be hosted at The Spring Mall, Borneo Cultures Museum, the Kuching Waterfront and Pullman Hotel.
It has attracted more than 200 film submissions from across ASEAN this year.
Programme highlights include masterclasses, short film screenings under the ASEAN UNIFEST awards, celebrity meet-and-greet sessions, as well as the debut of the Borneo Documentary Awards on Nov 14 at the Borneo Cultures Museum Auditorium.
The Gala Night on Nov 15 will present 12 AIFFA trophies to the best films, with performances by top ASEAN entertainers.
