The Freedom Film Festival sets out a theme each year to inspire regional and international filmmakers to explore and engage with topical human rights and social issues of the day. The Freedom Film Festival then celebrates the finest international and regional feature films, documentaries, shorts that tell the most compelling human rights stories with the Justin Louis Award.
In 2018 The Festival starts to award the prize to student film makers as we realized the need to recognise student filmmakers for their unique perspectives and the immediacy of their voices to our cinematic tableau.
The best of the Films in Competition each year are selected by the Festival Jury and awarded the Justin Louis Award, in recognition of the human right activist, in the following categories.
- Best Feature Film
- Best Feature Film from South East Asia (regional)
- Best Feature Documentary
- Best Short Film
- Best Short Documentary
- Best Student Film
- Special FFF Film Grant Program Winners
In addition to its regular films in competition, the Freedom Film Festival Film Grant is a highly competitive pre-festival Call to Pitch program to grant funding to selected films that we believe address issues that need greater exposure and financial backing.
Past FreedomFilmFest Award Winners
FFF2019
Harga Naik, Gaji Maintain
(Prices Rise, Wages Stagnate)
Best Feature Film
Best Feature Documentary
Push by Fredrik Gertten
Special Jury Prize
Sisters for Sale by Ben Randall
Best Short Documentary
Mother, Daughter, Sister by Jeanne Hallacy
Special Jury Prize
50 Years of Silence by Tham Seen Hau
Best Student Film
Day of a Doctor by Fahmi Sani
Special Jury Prize
Bridge Commuters by Venus Oh
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Azreen Madzlan for Demi Paymitra -– Freedom Film Fest Grant Winner
FFF2018
Mend The Gap
Best Feature Film
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Film
Best Short Documentary
Best Student Film
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Lawrence Jayaraj for The Story of Kam Agong
Low Watan for In The Dark
Yusri Sapari for Trailer Boys
FFF2017
All Human Being Are Born Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights
(Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Best Feature Film
Best Feature Film South East Asia
Best Short Film
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Nor Arlene Tan & Graco Cho for Selfie with the Prime Minister
FFF2016
What Lies Beneath
Best Feature Film
A Syrian Love Story by Sean McAllister (United Kingdom) 2015, 75mins
Special Jury Prize
Among the Believers by Hemal Trivedi & Mohammed Ali Naqvi (Pakistan/ USA) 2015, 84mins
Best Feature Film South East Asia
Best Short Film
Unsilent Potato by Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar) 2016, 22 mins
Special Jury Prize
Stories from my Father by Ashleigh Lim (Malaysia) 2016, 25 mins
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Nova Goh for Unlocking Bengoh
FFF2015
Unseen, Unheard, Untold
Best Feature Film
Best Feature Film - International
Best Feature Film - South East Asia
Best Short Film
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Nizam Andan for Sindiket
Chan Seong Foong & Victor Chin for Memory as Resistance: Grandma Kong defending her Village
J. Arrivu Jacob for Di Sebalik Runcit
Jason Soo for 1987:Untracing the Conspiracy
FFF2014
Freedom
Freedom Film Fest Film Grant Winners
Zunar & Mic Hoo for Fight through Cartoon
Azhar Rudin for Lebuh Agraria