World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2020 Virtual Festival

14 Jan

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2020 Virtual Festival

Date: 26 October – 1 November 2020 (Monday – Sunday)

Organized by: World Heritage Moving Image Centre (WHMIC)

In Collabration with:

Suruhanjaya Kebangsaan Unesco Malaysia (SKUM)

Perbadanan Kemajuan Filem Nasional Malaysia (FINAS)

UNESCO Memory Of The World Asia Pasifik (MOWCAP) Asia Culture Centre (ACC)/ Asia Culture Institute (ACI)

Warisan Negara (JWN)

Arkib Negara Malaysia (ANM)

Unifilm Studio Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Jabatan Kesenian & Kebudayaan Negara (JKKN) Negeri Melaka

Yayasan Hasanah

A virtual festival in celebration of this year’s ‘World Day for Audiovisual Heritage’ fulfills UNESCO’S main agenda to uphold the importance of audiovisual as an impactful medium and platform known in today’s world. The 7-day festival features

11 activities/events which are run online with the purpose of supporting and discussing issues through the context of the Memory of the World program.

This event is a collaborative effort in achieving UNESCO’s agendas at a national level, with the use of digital platforms as alternative means in facing the restricted conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this event also creates spaces to advocate aspirations regarding UNESCO films at a global scale, which is believed to have received little attention in the past.

This festival will highlight 11 special events as an effort to bring forward the world’s efforts, especially in the experience of fellow Malaysians, in adapting to new norms in facing the COVID-19 pandemic, without denying the need to keep creative activities and pursuits in motion through digital platforms and mediums.

To allow the success of this initiative by WHMIC since 2019, the program aims to move forward with the celebration of Audiovisual Heritage Day at a national level in Malaysia.

Moreover, this program is an extension from WHMIC’s efforts in providing the exposure and awareness (accessibility and appreciation) to Malaysians specifically through the importance of preserving and acknowledging audiovisual heritage with its recognition as a valuable treasure, to align with the respect towards other forms of heritage such as manuscripts, traditional art, and more.

This virtual festival has gathered the involvement of various parties, including authoritative figures from the heritage sector, in coming together to discuss on the issues as well as potential undertakings to uphold the eminent value of audiovisual heritage.

This event has also extended through the UNESCO global organizations, which are the UNESCO Jakarta Office, who presented the opening speech at the grand launch of the festival, and even the UNESCO Bangkok Office, with their assitance in the digital exhibitions. This virtual festival was also graced by the Chairman and Secretary General of UNESCO Memory of The World Pacific Asia who presented the opening remarks and offered his expertise as one of the keynote speakers for our forum/webinar sessions.

Advantages and Impacts from the Programe:

Through the success of this program, we were given the opportunity to discuss the Malaysian audiovisual heritage with the Secretary General of the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia Pacific (MOWCAP), in creating awareness towards the significance of the Malaysian audiovisual heritage collection, which would ease the efforts to include a selection of the materials under MOWCAP in the near
The exclusive screenings of the Malaysian audiovisual collection has given an exposure of the national treasure to Malaysians, and even extending to worldwide audiences as they were able to view the festival
The program was not merely specified for a particular community, in fact, the 7-day program has garnered reception from people of various backgrounds, including university students, as well as authoritative figures and the general public.
The success of the program also involves many parties as colloborative partners, who witnessed their efforts to celebrate the audiovisual heritage gather the attention and support from other parties, as a larger awareness of the importance of the local audiovisual heritage
The program has also developed into spaces for activists, administrators, governmental parties and UNESCO to discuss on the concerns from distinct, specific and structured perspectives in planning for future efforts to continually develop and construct policies.

Screening of ‘Khazanah Dari Utara’ Documentary