Live & Learn

We're continuing our coverage on past films that were released under the FreedomFilmFest, which has been bringing socially relevant, human rights-themed films to Malaysians since 2003. As we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing a specially curated Freedom film playlists - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, for a look-back at the many thought-provoking films that have been released throughout the years. Earlier this month, they released a playlist on the topic of the environment, and two of the featured documentaries were The Hills and The Sea' (2017) and Doa Seorang Nelayan (2019), which were both made by filmmaker Andrew Han, and which tackled the topic of development projects in Penang, and how those plans directly impact local communities and the environment. Andrew joins us to share more, alongside Jo Leen Yap, a Wildlife Researcher with the Langur Project Penang, who was also featured in The Hills and The Sea.

Image source: Freedom Film Network

Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now underway. In this ongoing series, senior citizens who have gotten their jabs share their stories, to allay fears and concerns about getting the vaccination. This episode features veteran actor Fatimah Abu Bakar, 66, from Petaling Jaya.

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), which comprises of various NGOs, such as WAO, AWAM and Sisters in Islam, released a statement recently urging Parliament to reconvene immediately, so that the issue of the growing gender disparity in Malaysia, can be address and debated. As we all know, Parliament has not been in session since Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin declared a state of Emergency back in January. 

Joining us on the show today to discuss the issue, and share their thoughts on why Parliament should be allowed to reconvene ASAP, is Yu Ren Chung, Deputy Executive Director, Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) and Syirin Junisya, Programme Manager, All Women Action Society (AWAM).

Image source: Yu Ren Chung Facebook, Syirin Junisya Facebook 

With Malaysia now in the midst of our fourth lockdown, we have seen increased calls for more aid to be disbursed to the rakyat, especially individuals and families who are from the lower-income group or who have fallen into that group because of the pandemic. Here’s where we often hear the use of the terms “B40”, “M40” and occasionally “T20”, with regards to who needs assistance. But do these categories capture the right demographic who are struggling during the pandemic? What impact will the pandemic have on income inequality in the long-term? We find out from Dato’ Dr Madeline Berma, Fellow from the Academy of Sciences Malaysia

*Correction: Dato' Dr Madeline Berma mentioned that the income threshold for B40 is up to RM4,850 and for M40 is between RM4,851 to  RM 10,970. Based on data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the threshold for B40 is below RM4,850 and for M40 is between RM4,850 to RM10,959.

Image source: Shutterstock

World Refugee Day is observed on the 20th of June each year, to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. The theme of World Refugee Day 2021 is together we heal, learn and shine. 

In light of that, Saba Ahmed, a Pakistani refugee who’s an administrator and case worker at the Refugee Emergency Fund Malaysia (REF), shares her story and experiences of living as a refugee in Malaysia.

 Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now underway. In this ongoing series, senior citizens who have gotten their jabs share their stories, to allay fears and concerns about getting the vaccination. This episode features Puan Sri Dr Rebecca George, 87, who is one of Malaysia’s earliest female paediatricians.

The FreedomFilmFest has been bringing socially relevant, human rights films to Malaysians since 2003. Now, as we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing a specially curated FFF film playlist every Friday - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, giving us plenty to watch, and lots of food for thought. This weekend's playlist is centered around the theme of refugees, as it's World Refugee Day this Sunday, and we speak to Hari Azizan, the director of the short documentary The Invisible Children, which explores how refugee children in Malaysia lack access to education, and how that impacts their life and development.

Image source: Shutterstock 

The FreedomFilmFest has been bringing socially relevant, human rights films to Malaysians since 2003. Now, as we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing a specially curated FFF film playlist every Friday - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, giving us plenty to watch, and lots of food for thought. This weekend's playlist will be focussing on the lives of refugees, in conjunction with World Refugee Day this Sunday. We speak to Nor Arlene Tan, the co-director of "Selfie with The Prime Minister" which is a short film about Ziaur Rahman, a Rohingya refugee who grew up in a refugee camp and was trafficked seven times by human traffickers, before ending up in Malaysia. The film is a short look into his day-to-day life as a refugee in Malaysia, and his quest for normalcy and freedom.

Image source: Freedom Film Network

2020 was a school year like no other, and 2021 seems to be pretty much the same. The Covid-19 pandemic threw the process of learning, and lives of teachers and students into disarray, but despite the challenges, uncertainty and strained bandwidth, many teachers devised ideas to better serve students through these times. With the aim to help teachers address these shortcomings presented by the pandemic, the Cikgu Kickstart Awards was devised, to provide them with professional development and support to run projects to improve education. We find out more from Samuel Isaiah, the co-founder of Edufication, and a top 10 finalist of the Global Teacher Prize 2020 who organised the awards, and also Ishwaar Singh Teacher, SK Tebrau Bakar Batu, who was one of the top three finalists for the award.

Image source: Edufication Facebook

Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now underway. In this ongoing series, senior citizens who have gotten their jabs share their stories, to allay fears and concerns about getting the vaccination. This episode features Kanesan, 61, from Petaling Jaya.