04Dec

‘Huminodun’ complements Sabah’s creative industry aspiration — Musa

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman commended producers of the Kadazan-language film ‘Huminodun’ which premiered at a local cinema yesterday for their effort which complemented the Sabah government’s aspiration to develop the creative industry in the state. “The state government has identified the creative industry as an important area of development and seeing the work of so many Sabahans brought to life through this film complements our aspiration. “The effect of the creative industry on development is something that policymakers around the world have been waking up to with countries such as South Korea and New Zealand, making it the cornerstone of their economic growth,” he said in his speech text delivered by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Musa was also glad to note that the filmmaker, Siung Films Sdn Bhd, comprised of 99 per cent of Sabah talents and had worked closely with various organisations in the state to ensure a true depiction of Sabah’s heritage displayed in the film. Among the organisations involved were State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, Sabah Tourism Board, Sabah Cultural Board, Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA), KDCA Women’s Council and Kadazandusun Language Foundation. — Bernama   Source: Borneo Post
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28Nov

Five Sabah buildings identified as historic monuments

KOTA KINABALU: The oldest training college in Sabah and the former location of the Cobbold Commission are two of five structures identified in a move to preserve more historical buildings in the state. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment now provided a larger scope for older buildings here to be preserved. The 2017 Ordinance widened the scope of subjects under its purview, Masidi added. He said the state had not set a deadline for these buildings to be gazetted as heritage sites, which were built more than 50 years ago. “We will continue the listing until all those that qualify are gazetted.” Gazetted building sites must be preserved in their original form. Tabling the 2018 state budget last week, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman said Sabah aimed to preserve buildings that were at least 50 years old and have great historical value. These include Turnbull Hall at Sabah College, which was named after Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull, the second-last British governor in North Borneo. Others include Kent College in Tuaran, built in 1952 and the oldest teacher training college in the state. Also to be preserved is the former Wisma Radio Sabah along Jalan Tuaran here. It was once used as the secretariat for the Cobbold Commission – the enquiry set up to determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak supported the proposal for the formation of Malaysia in 1962.
Source: The Star News
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28Nov

Much-awaited film on Sabah legend to premiere on Sunday

KOTA KINABALU: A much-anticipated film on the Sabah legend of Huminodun will premiere here on Dec 3. The hour-long film tells the story of Ponompulan the daughter of gods Kinoingan and Sumundu, who sacrifices herself amid a famine so the people would have food. She later becomes known as Huminodun. The legend is the basis of the annual two-day Kaamatan or Harvest Festival in Sabah. The film was produced by Kota Kinabalu-based Siung Film Productions and directed by Aaron Cowan who was involved in Hollywood hits, including The Lord of the Rings, Avatar and Man of Steel. There has been growing anticipation over the movie Huminodun since the release of its trailer on social media earlier this year which estimates the show attracted almost a million viewers. This proves the interest the film continued to generate, Siung Films said in a statement yesterday. It said Huminodun, filmed entirely in Kadazandusun, was a boost to Sabah’s burgeoning film industry. Almost the entire cast and crew are Sabahans, with all the 250 visual effects created in the state, the company said. The production was supported by the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, and the Kadazandusun Cultural Association, the latter’s Women’s Council and Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen) committee.   Source: The Star News
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20Nov

MATTA welcomes move to boost rural tourism in Sabah

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is glad that the Sabah state government is channelling funds for infrastructure development to boost rural tourism.
MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said he welcomed the announcement by Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman during the tabling of the budget on Friday (Nov 17).
He said that as arrivals of international tourists had contributed significantly to Sabah's economy with its spin-off effect rippling across the state, RM228mill had been allocated to support the sustainability of tourism programmes.
"The state government is also stepping up efforts to develop rural tourism, with Kiulu and Kadamaian selected for pilot projects,” said Tan.
He added in a statement on Sunday that these sanctuaries are ideal for soft adventures such as hiking and trekking,
Tan also said that an additional RM15mil was allocated to encourage rural communities to be involved in providing facilities for community based tourism, such as homestay programmes, recreational centres and tourism centres with public toilets; developing, upgrading or commercialising eco-tourism products, ranging from conservation of local species to promoting native cultures, arts and handicrafts.
"Rural folks need not be bystanders and merely watch those in urban areas reap the benefits of tourism. By empowering them to participate in eco-tourism, they need not leave their ancestral land, heritage and traditions,” said Tan.
Source: The Star
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09Nov

Beautiful Sabah 3.0 contest attracts int’l participants

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism Board’s Beautiful Sabah 3.0 online photography and video contest, ended on October 8 and attracted participation from eleven countries through social media. The countries were Australia, China, France, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Philippines, UK and Malaysia. This is the third edition of the contest and has the most submissions from overseas. A total of 800 photographs and 15 videos were submitted during the two-month online contest. “The participation from most (of the) international countries is through the power of social media. Through social media, every post shared can lead to a site visit and eventually a conversion,” said Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, chairman of Sabah Tourism Board at the prize presentation ceremony, yesterday. Winners of the competition were presented with their prizes yesterday at Sabah Tourism Board by Joniston, who urged the participants to use their talents and skills to keep promoting Sabah through their lenses and video making skills. Also present at the event were general manager of Sabah Tourism Board Gordon Yapp, deputy general manager (support services) Noredah Othman and communications manager Hana S. Harun The top five winners of the photography competition were Tsen Lip Kai, Rustam Razali, Clement Liew, Tirado Jupirin and Mohd Erwin Mohd Ussdek, and the top five winners of the video competition were Sharif Putra Sharif Ubong, Leon Kuan, Danny Daniel Nguai, Sharif Putra Sharif Ubong and Ivan Ong Jian Hau. The Beautiful Sabah 3.0 sponsorship, worth about RM15,000 were from the private sector, namely the Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort,  Sutera Harbour Resort, Promenade Hotel Kota Kinabalu, Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, Grandis Hotel and Resorts, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan, Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai, Techfix, Canon Marketing (Malaysia), Syarikat Percetakan Suria, Toppoint Company Sdn Bhd, Ebiz Design & Communications, and Videographics Productions Sdn Bhd.   Source: Borneo Post
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