KUCHING: Argentina’s La Gorda Azul Teatro won the Grand Prix award at the closing ceremony of the Rainforest World Puppet Carnival 2019 which took place at the auditorium, Old Courthouse here, last Saturday.
The prize was presented by Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee who was representing the minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
A total of 20 awards were given away that night with Vietnam’s Lotus Puppetry bagging the Audience award and Danny & Dessi Theatre from Bulgaria, the Children award.
Other winners were Tarbol Theatro de Titeres from Peru who won the Best Artistic Creation award, followed by The Philippines International Ventriloquist Society (Best Comedy award), National Puppet Theatre from Albania (Best Puppet Musical), Yuri Filipov from Russia (Best Children Show), Chun Fai Cheung from Hong Kong, China (Best Puppet Animation), Ha Hong Lee from Vietnam (Best Director ), Heechan Lee from South Korea (Best Actor), Kharisma Pompon from Indonesia (Best Actress), Dinesh Madhukar Salunkhe Show from India (Traditional Theatre award), Titeres y Marionetas El Tenderete from Mexico (Original Puppet Design), Kkachidong Theatre Company from South Korea (Original Scenery), Puppetku’s Theatre from Malaysia (Storyteller Show award), Horizon Theatre Company from Australia (Original Story award), Ubuntu Theatre from Brazil (Experimental Show Award), Atanas Evtimov from Bulgaria (Innovation in Puppetry award), Dr Loy Chee Luen from Malaysia (Outstanding Rainforest Puppet Workshop award) and Irene Chen and Her Children from Kuching (The Best Rainforest Carnival Spectator award).
Speaking to reporters after the event, World Puppet Carnival Asia Continental director Gerald Goh noted that 56 puppeteers from 16 countries including Malaysia participated in the event.
Gerald who was also the Puppet Parade organiser on the same day stated that they had managed to create a national record when a total of 630 puppeteers turned up in a single puppet parade, earning them a spot in The Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for “The Most Number of Puppeteers in a Puppet Parade”.
“The parade (on Nov 16) attracted about 2,000 participants but we only considered those people with a puppet as eligible to register as a puppeteer in our attempt to achieve the MBOR record…and we did, with 630 puppeteers,” he said.
