11 Apr – Pitt Hanif's "Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang" and Jin Ong's "Abang Adik" have been officially selected for competition at the 25th Udine Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Italy. This will be the first time that "Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang" is screening at an international festival, while Jin Ong's first feature film, "Abang Adik" previously won two awards at the recently held 37th Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF). "I feel very honoured to receive the awards and I'm so glad I could bring a Malaysian film to share with them," said Jin Ong regarding the selection. Directed by the late Pitt Haniff in collaboration with Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, "Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang" was a box office success, hitting RM5 million within two weeks of screening and was selected at FEFF. To that, producers of this film, Arie Zaharie, Muhammad Hady Yusry Makmor, Rozita Mat Isa and Azlan Zaharie are over the news, saying, "On behalf of all Malaysian filmmakers, we are so proud and honored to represent Malaysia in this 25th edition. Wish us all the best!"
Said Joanne Goh, the founder of MIFFEST, which is the festival partner of Udine FEFF, "We are honoured to have these two films to be selected in FEFF. These films have received huge success and can represent Malaysia well. It is truly a privilege for Malaysian films to receive recognition by FEFF. After these two years of partnership with FEFF, we hope to continue to build a long time relationship between Malaysia and Italy." The 25th Udine Far East Film Festival will be held from 21 to 29 April 2023.