As the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) approaches its 10th anniversary next year, founder Joanne Goh is looking beyond expansion.

“We expect the festival to become a hub of Southeast Asia,” Goh tells Variety, outlining her vision for MIFFest as a meeting place for filmmakers, producers and industry leaders across the region.

That vision gained momentum this year when MIFFest’s ASEAN On Screen program received official recognition from ASEAN Records, a milestone Goh sees as only a beginning.

Unlike many Asian festivals competing for world premieres and international attention, Goh believes MIFFest can distinguish itself by strengthening regional collaboration. She points to Malaysia’s multicultural identity and growing role in the film business as key advantages.

“Malaysia has already become one of the most important partners in the industry,” she says.

Goh believes Southeast Asian cinema’s next breakthrough will depend not only on growing global interest, but also on solving longstanding financing and distribution challenges. She sees ASEAN co-productions as a promising path forward, while emphasizing that industry discussions on financing models and emerging technologies have become an increasingly important part of the festival.

This year also gave Goh a chance to experience MIFFest from another perspective. Alongside running the festival, she is also the producer of “BlueFish,” which premiered during the event.

“Being a producer is for sure a totally different role, but these two roles are helping me expand my vision in the film industry,” Goh says.

Producing the film has reinforced her belief that festivals should serve as more than exhibition platforms.”The festival is like a wonderland to me, where I achieve everything I enjoy in cinema,” Goh says. “It’s also a place where friends from the industry can come together for sales, marketing and future collaborations.” 

The festival’s growth reflects its expanding profile. The ninth edition received some 700 submissions, up from around 100 when MIFFest launched in 2017, according to Goh. Despite MIFFest’s rapid growth, Goh says the festival’s next chapter will be defined less by scale than by regional impact.

“It’s more about cross-border collaboration and strengthening Kuala Lumpur as a regional film hub.” Goh says.