JOHOR BARU: Seven award-winning Russian films are being screened for free throughout a three-day film festival.
The Russian Kazan Muslim Film Festival, held at the Johor Public Library Corporation (PPAJ) in Jalan Yahya Awal here, is open to the public until Saturday (June 15).
When officiating the film festival, Regent of Johor’s consort Che Puan Mahkota Khaleeda Bustamam said the programme provides an opportunity for the public to enjoy works of art from Kazan, the largest city and capital of Tatarstan, Russia.
“It is also an opportunity to understand Kazan's life values, being rich in history, culture and unique traditions.
“I hope that the film festival can also change the mindset of local filmmakers to use libraries as a platform to showcase their works so that more people can enjoy their films,” she said in her speech.
Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Naiyl Latypov said the seven films were selected for their presentation of the local culture.
“Russia is a multinational and multi-religious country where we have more than 100 ethnic groups living in peace for centuries.
“These films not only represent Tatarstan but Russia as a whole. Two of the films that will be screened also show how Islam entered Russia and the way Muslims are living in Russian society,” he said.
Johor is the second and last stop for the film festival after previously being held at the Raja Tun Uda Library in Shah Alam, Selangor from June 8 to 10.
It is a joint venture between the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) and PPAJ.
IAIS chairman Prof Dr Maszlee Malik said Johor was chosen as one of the locations for the festival as it was the southern corridor to the country and could attract visitors from Singapore and Indonesia.
“Through the programme, the state government can also promote Johor to Russian tourists as the state has the potential as a tourism spot in the south of Malaysia,” he added.
Besides movies, visitors can also look at the art, history and fashion exhibitions at the festival.
Visitors would be given a free drink and popcorn during the screening.
The movie titles and screening times can be found on PPAJ’s Facebook page.
