Ricardo Unto：'Ninavau' earns double honours at KL film critics

Kota Kinabalu: Sabahan filmmaker Bebbra Mailin received the Best Director award at the 11th Kuala Lumpur Film Critics Awards (AMPFKL11) on Saturday for her feature film 「Ninavau」.

The film also earned the Best Screenplay award for Bebbra and co-writer Muzammer Rahman.

Presented annually by the Kuala Lumpur Film Critics Circle (MPFKL), the awards recognise outstanding Malaysian films based on artistic, aesthetic and cinematic merit.

「Ninavau」, Bebbra』s first feature film as director, tells the story of a Kadazan woman who returns to Sabah for her younger sister』s wedding while concealing her conversion to Islam from her family.

The story centres on family relationships, personal choices, and acceptance as the title character navigates expectations within a household closely connected to the local church.

Bebbra, who was born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, previously said her experiences growing up in a Catholic family and later moving to the peninsula inspired the film』s exploration of identity, faith and belonging.

She described 「Ninavau」, which means 「light」 in Kadazan, as a story that examines family, love, sacrifice and the choices that shape people』s lives.

The film stars Sabahan actors Jovenea Jim, Tati Eliana Tonny and Edward Sinsong, with cinematography by Indonesian filmmaker Bayu Prihantoro Filemon and music recorded in Japan under the direction of Andrew Boong.

Bebbra has previously earned recognition for works including 「Eye Love」, 「Langad di Odu」, 「Rapuh」 and the short film version of 「Ninavau」, which won Best Short Film at the Malaysia International Film Fest (Miffest) in 2019.

Produced by Kristal Azmir Sdn Bhd and Le Mediator Studio Sdn Bhd, 「Ninavau」 opened Miffest 2025 as the first Sabah-made film to receive the honour before its nationwide release in December last year. （Sat, Jun 20, 2026 Sabah Daily Express）

Transformation or Boundary Crossing? When “McKinsey’s Left Brain” Meets “LUNAR’s Right Brain”: The Paradigm Shift of Creative Education in Higher Education Institutions

In 2015, global consulting giant McKinsey & Company acquired the leading industrial design firm LUNAR. This integration between business strategy and creativity was not merely a corporate expansion, but a symbol of a major transformation in the creative industry: creativity was no longer regarded as a final decorative element, but became a strategic force in creating business value.

Previously, design was often viewed as a “finishing touch” applied after product development and business strategies had been completed. However, the combination of McKinsey and LUNAR demonstrated that design thinking, user experience and creative innovation had become essential elements in high-level decision-making. Creativity has evolved from simply producing attractive objects into a powerful tool for solving complex social and business challenges.

This transformation presents significant challenges for creative education in universities. The traditional separation between business and design disciplines must be reconsidered. Today’s world requires talents who can integrate aesthetics, culture, technology and market thinking. Therefore, higher education institutions need to promote interdisciplinary learning, such as the integration of “design + business”.

Furthermore, creative education should move beyond technical skill training towards solving real-world problems. Students should not only learn “how to create designs”, but also “how to use creativity to generate meaningful impact”. Understanding data, user research and commercial value is equally important, enabling creative ideas to be transformed into valuable strategies.

However, this transformation also brings risks. If creative education becomes overly controlled by KPIs, profitability and market efficiency, creativity may lose its critical thinking, humanistic values and courage to challenge existing norms. Universities should not become factories that merely produce industrial workers; they should remain spaces that protect independent thinking and innovation beyond short-term commercial interests.

In conclusion, the future of creative education requires a balance between business rationality and artistic sensitivity. Creativity must possess economic value, but at the same time, it must preserve its soul, social awareness and humanistic spirit.

[Golongan Penyelidikan iCONADA] Apabila Bahasa Dialek Menjadi Kekuatan: Fenomena Dear You dan Arah Baharu Kreatif Filem Malaysia

Kejayaan filem Dear You (給阿嬤的情書) di Malaysia membawa satu mesej penting kepada industri kreatif: masa depan filem tidak semestinya bergantung kepada bajet besar, teknologi canggih atau barisan pelakon terkenal. Kadangkala, kekuatan terbesar datang daripada sesuatu yang dekat dengan kehidupan — bahasa, memori keluarga dan emosi manusia.

Filem kecil berbahasa Teochew (Chaozhou) ini berjaya menarik perhatian penonton Malaysia melalui kisah hubungan nenek dan cucu yang sederhana tetapi menyentuh hati. Versi asal dialeknya turut mendapat sambutan hangat, membuktikan bahawa bahasa daerah bukan penghalang pasaran, sebaliknya boleh menjadi aset budaya yang membina hubungan emosi.

Fenomena ini selari dengan kajian 爱墾網 (iconada.tv) mengenai “Model Produksi Drama dan Filem Malaysia Era 2035 serta Strategi Emosi”. Kajian tersebut menegaskan bahawa industri kandungan Malaysia boleh bergerak ke arah model “aset ringan” — memanfaatkan dialek tempatan, warisan budaya tidak ketara dan cerita kehidupan sebenar, berbanding bersaing semata-mata melalui kos produksi yang tinggi.

Kejayaan Dear You memperlihatkan bagaimana strategi emosi berfungsi. Penonton bukan hanya menonton sebuah cerita tentang keluarga Chaozhou, tetapi turut melihat pantulan pengalaman sendiri: kasih sayang terhadap orang tua, kenangan zaman kanak-kanak dan hubungan dengan akar budaya.

Bagi Malaysia yang mempunyai masyarakat berbilang bahasa dan budaya, fenomena ini sangat bermakna. Dialek seperti Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka dan Kantonis bukan sekadar alat komunikasi, tetapi menyimpan sejarah komuniti serta memori generasi. Apabila elemen ini diterjemahkan dalam karya kreatif, ia mampu melampaui batas etnik dan bahasa.

Dear You membuktikan bahawa cerita yang sangat lokal juga boleh mempunyai daya tarikan universal. Inilah arah yang pernah diramalkan oleh 爱墾網: masa depan kandungan kreatif Malaysia mungkin terletak pada kemampuan mengubah identiti tempatan menjadi pengalaman emosi bersama.

Dalam era persaingan kandungan global, kekuatan sebenar bukan sekadar menghasilkan karya yang lebih mahal, tetapi menghasilkan karya yang lebih bermakna. Kadangkala, satu bahasa lama dan satu kisah keluarga kecil mampu mencipta gema yang jauh lebih besar.