The International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival (KLEFF) is Malaysia’s first and longest-running environmental film festival, as well as in Southeast Asia. In the past eleven years, the Festival has reached out to approximately 90,000 people from Malaysia and other countries through its film screenings and programs at selected venues in Kuala Lumpur.

Conceptualised and organised by a not-for-profit environmental organisation, EcoKnights, the Festival is a platform to facilitate the building of a nation of ecologically conscious businesses, individuals, and communities through on-ground activities and film screenings focused on critical environmental issues and stories such as pollution, transboundary haze, indigenous people’s rights, wildlife protection, nuclear energy, climate change, sustainable food production, waste management, local environmental heroes and more.

Festival objectives:
• KLEFF is a celebration of the power of film to inspire, educate, and motivate audiences. KLEFF presents thought-provoking films and dialogue that raise awareness of a wide variety of interconnected ecological, social, and economic themes. The Festival provides an experience for the audience that goes beyond passive film viewing – converting the awareness into action.
• The mission of KLEFF is to be one of the region’s most respected and sought-after environmental film festivals. With so many urgent environmental issues that need to be addressed in the Southeast Asian region, KLEFF aims to be at the forefront of highlighting these urgent issues to a broader audience with the aim of encouraging “call for action.”
• KLEFF aspires to continue its efforts to introduce the world’s best and award-winning environmental films. It also seeks to elevate the festival to one of the strongest filmmaking platforms for international and Malaysian environmental film makers.

Awards & Prizes

Best Feature Film/Full length Documentary (Overall): Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Best Short Documentary/TV Documentary: Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Best Short Film: Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Best Animation: Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Best PSA: Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Special Jury Award: Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

ASEAN Young Film Maker Award (only for students): Cash prize, a plaque, certificate and hamper

Special Merit Award (only for Malaysian): A plaque, certificate and hamper

Rules & Terms

Clause 1: Thematic
The festival’s themes are the environment, ecology and sustainable development in a comprehensive sense. Our mission, to celebrate the power of film to inspire, educate, and motivate audiences on environmental topics, is an excellent starting point in considering if your film is relevant for KLEFF. Films most likely to be selected will fit with our mission. The festival accepts films that question the global place and impact of Man in and on his environment: biodiversity, environmental and human stakes, climate change, natural resources, science and research, evolution of borders, alternative energies, indigenous communities and issues, environmental health, urbanism, mobility, environmental activism, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and so forth.

Films should cover environmental topics, but can certainly overlap with social, economic, spiritual, or other themes. We do not limit the films chosen to ones that, to us, have the right answers. It is more important that the films are thought-provoking. This is an open forum designed to inspire awareness and action on a myriad of worldwide environmental topics. The quality of the film production will also be considered and weighed. All genres, including documentaries, narratives, shorts, children’s films, and experimental films are all welcome and will be given equal consideration.

Clause 2: Competitions
At present, the festival’s official competition involves five (5) sections:
• Feature or Full Length Documentary
- Non-fictional motion picture intended to document and reflect reality
- Film run-time: above 45 minutes
• Short Documentary
- Non-fictional motion picture intended to document and reflect reality
- Film run-time: under 45 minutes
• Short Film
- Original motion picture of any genre: drama, action, comedy, thriller,
etc.
- Film run-time: under 45 minutes
• Animation
- Includes: traditional animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, and
stop motion
- Film run-time: no restriction
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
- A commercial/advertisement that is able to disseminate information quickly, clearly and efficiently
- Film run-time: no restriction

Clause 3: Awards
The jury for all film submissions to the 12th KLEFF competition consist of personalities from the worlds of environment, media, movies, and audio-visual, as well as entrepreneurs or artists engaged in and/or sensitive to environmental issues. The jury attributes the following awards to films submitted as part of the official competition:

1. Best Feature Film/Full length Documentary
2. Best Short Documentary/TV Documentary
3. Best Short Film
4. Best Animation
5. Best PSA
6. Special Jury Award
7. ASEAN Young Film Maker Award (only for students)
8. Special Merit Award (only for Malaysian)

14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Harvests of Hope

    Great festival, excellent communications. We hope to make it there next time!

    January 2019
    Helpful
  • Dr. Vilas Padhye

    My best wishes to the organizers! I couldn't attend the festival personally but thanks to the fair selection, our film Let's save Bobby could make it there.

    December 2018
    Helpful
  • Chema Sarri

    Attending KLEFF was a great experience. The festival is very well organized and the team behind is great, very committed. Honored to receive Best Short Documentary for our film!

    November 2018
    Helpful
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Chema for coming all the way from Japan and congratulations on the Award!

  • Allen Dobrovolsky

    Really great festival with a wonderfully supportive team!

    November 2018
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  • Isaac Kerlow

    Great experience, with a meaningful ECO impact in the region. Honored to receive Best Feature award for our film.

    November 2018
    Helpful