KUCHING: Hollywood action movie star Steven Seagal will be meeting his fans in Kuching on April 27, as the special guest for the 4th Asean International Film Festival Awards (AIFFA) 2019.
Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the American actor is well known for martial arts films that go back as far as in the 80s, such as Under Siege and Hard to Kill.
Steven Seagal will meet his fans at the Old Courthouse at 3pm, followed by a Gala Dinner Pullman Hotel at 7pm.
“His local fans will have the chance to meet him while we hope those (fans) in the neighbouring countries will also make a trip here as it is such a golden opportunity,” he said.
“In the past, we have Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, making AIFFA one of the premier film festivals in the Asean region,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference held today, Karim said Sarawak is the perfect site to turn film scripts into a visual spectacle of an unforgettable landscapes, unique ethnicities and colourful customs and cultures.
Besides, the event also contributed in putting Sarawak on the global tourism map and continues to attract more visitors into the state as part of the strategies to boost tourism industry.
The three-day event, which begins on April 25, will feature a Starcraft Workshop on the first day for aspiring actors and filmmakers at Restoran Budaya, from 9am to 5pm.
On the second day, there will be digital film talks conducted by speakers from Netflix, Astro and Beach House Production.
On April 27, a pitching session will be held at Old Courthouse, starting at 10am where filmmakers may pitch their ideas to financiers to secure funding for production.
Karim said AIFFA is a biennial competition for filmmakers from 10 Asean countries, offering awards in 17 categories covering all major aspects of the creative and technical areas of filmmaking.