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Webinars and Talks Issue no. 2 | 2022

Busan Award-Winning Malaysian

Documentary Screening and Panel On Sexual

Harassment

By Dr Vilashini Somiah
The Gender studies Programme, together with the
support of the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), held
the first public screening of "THE BOYS CLUB'' by
Malaysian Filmmaker Chen Yih Wen on the17th of June
2022, at Lecture Hall B, FASS. The film debuted at the
39th Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF),
winning the Netpac Award, the first for a Malaysian
documentary. The 20 some minute autobiographical
documentary follows Chen Yih Wen’s journey in
making her first feature documentary, and reveals her
deeply personal and harrowing experience of enduring
sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny.

Poster of the event Prior to the screening, the filmmaker addressed the
audience of approximately 50 attendees to briefly talk
about her past experience while working in a media
organization and the misogynistic behavior she and
many other women in the industry have to constantly
endure.

The screening was followed up with a panel discussion
focussing on the drfting and challenges of passing of
the Sexual Harrasment Bill, legal recourses and action
to protecting victims and survivors of sexual
harrasment, sexual harrasment and bully culture at the
work place, as well as the personal experiences of
sexual harrasment by women and men of all walks of
The panelists on their experiences and challenges on passing of the
Sexual Harassment Bill life.

The panel consisted of Daniella Zulkifili, Vice President
of Association of Women Lawyers; Nandini
Balakrishnan, SAYS Video Lead, REV Media Group,
Media Prima Berhad; Dr Lai Suat Yan Senior Lecturer a
the Gender Studies Programme as well as Sexual
Harasment educator; and was moderated by second
year student at the Faculty of Law, UM, Kamiliacheng
Binti Achmadcheng Hikman.

The panel discussion can be viewed in full at the
Gender Studies Programme Facebook page. The event
ended with with members of the panel and the
organisers making a call to action to end Sexual
harrasment. If you or anyone has been affected by
Sexual harasment or bullying please visit
https://www.awam.org.my/awamresources/sexual-
harassment/
11 | Pulse @ FASS