Arriving in Kuching during festival season has a subtle allure. With shophouses piled up against the waterfront and the distant scent of pepper and char kway teow wafting through the evening air, the city, which is situated along the Sarawak River on the island of Borneo, exudes a certain carefree confidence. It doesn’t seem like a location attempting to make a statement. Nevertheless, it became the focal point of something truly important for Southeast Asian cinema for three days in November 2025.
About 300 business professionals from all over the region attended the seventh edition of the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards, or AIFFA, which took place from November 12 to 15. Actors, directors, cinematographers, producers, and film students flocked to Kuching for something more authentic than glitz. Prior to the event, over 120 film entries were submitted and shortlisted in a number of competitive categories, including Best East Malaysia Short Documentary and Best Borneo Feature Documentary. That number of entries indicates that the reputation is growing for a festival that operates outside of the typical European circuit, regardless of whether the international press is keeping up.
Simon Yam, a producer and movie star from Hong Kong, was the main attraction at AIFFA 2025. Instead of being ceremonial, Yam’s presence felt significant. His appearance in Kuching demonstrated how seriously the festival is being taken outside of Malaysia. He is a figure whose career spans decades of Asian cinema, including independent work, crime dramas, and action films. It’s difficult not to interpret this as a sign of increasing regional ambition, even though it might just be excellent programming.
The organizers appeared committed to upholding the tone established on the festival’s first night. Alongside the screenings, masterclasses and workshops were held. Actress Vanidah Imran and Malaysian actress and filmmaker Dato’ Erma Fatima led acting and scriptwriting classes. These are the kinds of programming that set a working industry event apart from a red carpet extravaganza; they are not merely extras. Presumably, students who watched the film came away with something more practical than a selfie.
The diversity of nationalities among the award nominees was noteworthy. Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines were among the contenders for Best Supporting Actress; Filipino actress Katrina Halili was nominated for AbeNida. Leading the Philippine delegation of honorees for the evening was multi-awarded Filipino director Lav Diaz, an auteur whose work has won major prizes at Venice and Berlin. The presence of a filmmaker of Diaz’s caliber in Kuching implies that the festival has gained a degree of legitimacy that transcends local politeness.
Most regional festivals lack the formal institutional weight that AIFFA has because it is approved by the ASEAN Secretariat. The stated goals—building cross-border industry networks, supporting ASEAN filmmaking, and promoting cultural heritage through film—read easily as bureaucratic language, but the evidence from the 2025 edition points to something more lived-in than a policy document. The films that are being submitted, discussed, and given awards here tell tales that aren’t usually seen in theaters outside of the area. Because Kuching isn’t Jakarta, Bangkok, or Manila, it seems to offer a kind of neutral space where the movies can express themselves without being overpowered by background noise.
It’s genuinely unclear if AIFFA will ever become as prominent in the global discourse as the festivals in Busan or Hong Kong. With every edition, the programming gets more complex, the talent keeps coming in, and the infrastructure keeps expanding. One thing is certain: Kuching is no longer a footnote in Southeast Asian cinema. In a few years, it could be the first name that people bring up.
