25 Aug – For the first time ever in Malaysia, fans of anime will get to enjoy a film festival focused entirely on Japanese anime films. Anime Film Festival Malaysia 2017 (AFFM2017) starts from today onwards until 3 September at Paradigm Mall, Petaling Jaya. Despite its name, the inaugural AFFM2017 also features live-action titles alongside the selected anime films, all set to be screened throughout the week at GSC Paradigm Mall. Peter Go Wei Ho, Managing Director of Singapore-based Odex Private Limited, who organises the film festival alongside GSC Movies, said to Cinema Online that while AFFM2017 is the first of its kind in Malaysia, similar film festivals have been held by the company in countries such as China and Singapore before. "We hope to do it as an annual event," said Peter, while adding that AFFM2017 has been specially adapted to fit Malaysian consumers. Tickets for the following AFFM2017 films are available for RM5 each: - "Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale" - "One Piece Film: Gold" - "Detective Conan: The Crimson Love Letter" - "Kuroko's Basketball: Last Game" - "Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry" Meanwhile tickets for "The Irregular At Magic High School", "Jojo's Bizzare Adventure" and "Mumon: The Land Of Stealth" are available for RM30 each, as these are newer titles and come with imported merchandise for every purchase.
However, the screenings are not the only thing to look forward to at AFFM2017. Aside from watching the eight selected films, fans can also head to the Upper Atrium at Paradigm Mall to enjoy daily activities such as the "Sword Art Online" Dubbing Booth and Detective Conan Mascot Appearance. Fans who come dressed up as their favourite anime character can even walk away with a goodie bag filled with assorted premiums. They simply have to enter the Cosplayer Selfie / Wefie Photo Giveaway by snapping a photo at the event space in their anime getup and post it on Instagram.
Another special event for anime fans is the "Sword Art Online" Fun Run. The 1 kilometre run will take place at 10am on 3 September within the vicinity of the mall itself. Registration is open from 26 August until 2 September, also at the Upper Atrium, where there will be two packages to choose from, priced at RM50 for Package A and RM150 for Package B. For those who would like their hands rather than their legs do the winning, they can join the "Sword Art Online" Colouring Contest, taking place on 2 September at 3pm. Registration can be done online on a first-come-first-served basis. Showtimes for Anime Film Festival Malaysia 2017 can be found HERE: AFFM2017 Showtimes