On the 17th July 2005, PWTC was suddenly crammed with so many filmmaking industry who’s who and a whole host of cameras vying to capture their smiles that a can of sardine would say they have ample room to move about. The event was the 18th Malaysian Film Festival (FFM18-Festival Filem Malaysia ke-18), the Malaysian equivalent of the Academy Awards. Everyone knows what goes on in the Kodak Theatre… cinema online has a lowdown on what goes on in our own ceremony as yours truly covers from the point of view of an invited guest.

Long red carpets stretch the length of the corridor on the 4th floor of the PWTC. Movie posters and balloons line the glamorous walkway where celebrities are lit from a constant stream of flashes and reporters vying for their attention. Once inside, an usher will guide the nominees to the appropriate seating at the front of the theatre. There’s an upper floor of spectators and fans in attendance, those lucky enough to win a ticket to the ceremony from road shows held prior. Once seated, a wide video screen that extends the length of the stage, two big video screen beside it that shows you the live telecast, a camera on a giraffe crane that swoops over the crowd and a many busy people serves to further ignite the excitement of the night.

A while after I am seated next to Auntie Fati, Sharifah Amani’s Mother and a winner from a previous Festival Filem Malaysia, the ceremony began with a obviously Cirque Du Soleil rip off as soldiers descent from the ceiling on ropes. Funnily, the motive include some of them landing on the ground and point guns into the crowd with weird semi-stern faces. Then suddenly a pile of film ( it kinda looks like a pile of garbage) on stage come to life with silver dressed dancers. Next up, our host for the evening, Bob Lokman and Linda Onn took hold of the microphone and it’s the moment of truth for all nominees in the crowd. The first award of the night went to Gangster for box office collection. It’s a surprise that they are presenting this award at all, as though Gangster lead the pack in ticket takings; it took a mere two million something ringgits, which isn’t really much to scream about.

The ceremony continued with stage performances intertwined with awards but after an inspired performance of Kayu, the others like Pontianak Menjerit, Gerak Khas, Gangster and Puteri Gunung Ledang were lackluster with the gerak khas song? bubbles? To be brutally honest, the choreography of the dance seemed rather repetitious and when the dancers were getting into set pieces it became a little clumsy too. However, amusingly edited backing video with bullet shots like that seen on time crisis video games serves to sway your attention away from it all (Writer’s note: FFM should all learn how the academy awards uses simple fades to really dramatic effects) As a whole, the presentation at least gets you get engrossed in a myriad of colours and an applause to the fact that they tried... Other highlights…hmmm….‘bagus cina menang!’ was heard coming from the crowd when Saw Teong Hin won best director.

A truly Million Dollar Baby / Aviator moment ended the night as Bob Lokman said ‘pemenang filem terbaik ialah’ (the best film is) and squinted his eyes…to loud thunderous cheers!! At this point Amani reached over and grabbed this frog to go out on stage. Enjoy the pictures!

Glittering, Glamorous Lights and a Frog.

Self help seminars are all the rage nowadays with big names speakers like Anthony Robbins of ‘Awakening the Giant Within’ fame making it to our shores so it is hardly surprising that the local filmmaking industry with the initiative of one man in particular, Mr. M.P. Nathan, is looking to import Hollywood expertise to our shores. Self help for moviemakers anyone? Welcome to the Action Cut Seminar.

This seminar is returning after an initial bout in 2002, yup…they did it once before, all the way out in the now down trodden dessert that is cyberjaya but to their credit they have manage to arouse enough interest and collaborations even then (yours truly was there in attendance) to lure Mr. Guy Magar back for a second round. It is hardly surprising that the seminar is now within much reachable venue, that of Sunway University Campus.

Anyway, seated at my desk upfront here in Sunway, my arsenals of stationary primed, I feel so much like a schoolboy once more waiting in anticipation of a teacher who’s flying in from that mystical place of filmmaking Hollywood. Yes folks it is Hollywood Comes To Malaysia right here today! A quick glance around, I see some familiar faces…Actors - Aflin Shauki, Animator -Syed Hassan, Film Critic -Hassan Muthalib, Infamously Vocal Producer David Teo of Metrowealth, Commercial Director - Virginia, K.L. menjerit’s Director of Photography - Mukriz, Film Exhibitor Yvonne of GSC, Film Distributor Patrick Wee of Audio One and even Dave, the Camera Department personnel of film equipment rental house F.E.G. Among them, sits an army from Finas and other companies, all geared to up their game I suppose… in this seminar.

The compulsory speeches and thank you starts the day leading up to the launch gambit where the James Bond theme screams out from the speakers with confetti cannons blasting left right corners effectively awaking those still sleepy in this cold Friday morning.

blah blah blah blah.....FULL VERSION IN CINEMAONLINE...blah blah blah

After a day, everyone looked tired but appropriately enlightened with a wealth of information. Pacing for the seminar was good and the information relayed made you felt satisfied, an ‘Ooomph’ if you will. Audiences earned a quite through understanding of the process. Though its not what I don’t already know having been in a feature film, producing commercials under my company and also having sat through Action Cut 3 years back, I personally gives the thumb up for Guy. It’s nice to have what basic essentials of filmmaking you know sorted out for you, re-looked and reinforced. In the words of an Akademi Filem Malaysia graduate, it’s equivalent to an entire semester of pengarahan ( direction ) and penerbitan (producing classes).

Self Help for Filmmakers

the need to do… very small words...

How come we can go to school and study when we cannot do so at home? Or so it seem so to me it's because we hapless beings become stingy when it comes to giving a measly donation but willingly fork out huge sums of money to pay for tuition whether it be an after school tuition or in the context of college. Remember that line from Good Will Hunting? Something about books and how one can choose to actively better oneself through books at the library? There're so many books out there...if you are armed with a basic workings of how to read (you'd be surprised at our literacy rate)... technically you can bring yourself to the ranks of any scholar if you just work at it and consume information like how we say consume food when we are hungry...Given, it is not an easy nor fun task...hence the meaning of the word DISIPLINE hence why we have to have tuition so we can be whipped and forced to do so by our tutors...

I am provoked to writing this because today (July 10th) I was talking to a friend about when he will start shooting his own film. Correction, I wasn't talking but sneering him as to when he will start. Rewind a little...this friend of mine is a hardworking crew member of a huge production entity but that's all he does...he's a crew. He doesn't get any say whatsoever and he doesn't get much real satisfaction from what he does...he always whines about how he admires independent filmmakers who have day job and yet prolifically makes films. He longs to tell his story like them but never seem to start despite me offering as a friend to give him the support both technically and morally. Duties as a friend and as a filmmaker who craves tales, I want to see his stories told too and wish I could kick his skinny but lazy ass to work on it. He tells me a good premise. I say work it into a story and write it down. Foward one month...we meet up, he has yet to write anything saying he wrote it already in his head...I say fine...next week...a week pass he says he cannot write it out in English. I say fine...write it in chinese...a week later I am to repeat my frustration again due to another excuse...The world can be filled with excuses...I don't have my homework...my dog/cat/hamster/turtle ate it...the wind blew it out of my hand...it got soaked as my mum spilled her drink...I used it to wipe my smelly ass as the public toilet has no toilet paper...yeah right....an excuse is an excuse...you didn't do IT! Hence the work is undone, unfulfilled and uncreated…human kind didn’t progress….end of story.

In a world where lock stock and barrel half hearted merely money making shop-lot colleges proliferate and where we are all too consumed by the word intelligence, degree and graduation, I think we missed the point entirely…its all a matter of discipline and taking an initiative…I would say. The world’s smartest can be beaten if by mere means of overpowering and overthrowing his need to do.This article will be continued... I need to watch a movie.

Urgency and the Need to do.

Just moments before writing this, I received an sms from a lady excitedly exclaiming that SEPET is HMV no.1 best selling Asean film in Singapore. That lady has every right to be happy, her baby, SEPET has touched hearts, is loved by many and has claimed a number of firsts for a Malaysian film. To add to it’s mantle, it has become the first Malaysian film to play in Nokia Starlight Cinema. Ahh…the starlight cinema, though there is always the risk of rain, the presence of the occasional irritable insects, no soft seats to cushion your butt; there is a certain wonder of watching a film in starlight cinema, of watching a film under the stars amidst open skies and friends sharing a mat laid out in a field. Take off your footwear and short grass gently brushes your toes that curl in bliss. In addition, tonight there was also SEPET.

In the field there was a mix; hardcore SEPET fans whom seen the film before and has come for another serving, new crowds who have come to see what all the news about, as well as their unknowing friends who are about to discover a little movie about a chinese boy, a malay girl and an unforgettable love story. Just before the movie, the making of it was screened as to share with the crowd the joys and friendship that was born in making this film a year and a half ago in the land where pomelos are aplenty Ipoh. After the short video my two friends Sharifah Amani (ORKED), Ng Choo Seong (AH LOONG) and I presented a few gifts consisting of sepet T-shirts and posters to the crowd. It’s then that I have an odd feeling that a few of the collectables have been nicked, as there were fewer that I brought to the site. I should frisk all the staff of starlight. hahaha.

Then it came time, the lights dimmed and the movie starts…me, Choo Seong, Sharifah Amani and another cast member Alan Yun (Jason’s brother who answers the phone, one of Malaysia’s top models) sat and it bated breath just hope that they loved the film. Throughout the film we reminisce, we made fun (Alan jokingly stood and clapped momentarily for his short bat an eyelid and miss it moment in the film) and we changed dialogue (take for example … add lib dirty dialogue to Ida and Harith’s not naughty enough bed scene) Then, the film ended. It started with some starlight staff asking for autographs on their crew tags and lead to a whole queue of people with this funny grin asking for autographed and photo opportunity. After quite a number of John Hancocks, smile and flashes, the crowd cleared…as we walked out of the field, I just thought how fortunate it was for me to have this experience of being in this film…and also how surreal it was for me to have once watched a film here to be now on screen and making people laugh teasing Jason about cutting of his little brother. I was snapped out of the trance when I received a text message, “Thanks for the invite, enjoyed the movie and looking forward to the sequel ” I am a tad sad that my character will not make it to the sequel but you’ll have the sweet Orked and the King of Puteri Gunung Ledang who has a controversial LRT ad... Adlin Aman Ramlie. Your goose bumps up yet?

SEPET amongst the stars