Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cinema
Although Malaysia's film industry dates back to the 1930s, its heyday was the 1950s, when
P Ramlee took to the silver screen. This Malaysian icon acted in 66 films, recorded 300
songs, and even became a successful film director - his directorial debut,
Penarik Becha
(The Trishaw Man; 1955), is a classic of Malay cinema.
On the international art house scene, a well-known Malaysian director is Taiwan resident
Tsai Ming Liang. His starkly beautiful but glacially slow interracial romance,
I Don't Want
to Sleep Alone,
was filmed entirely on location in KL. It was banned and later released with
massive cuts for presenting an allegedly 'negative depiction of Malaysia'.
Amir Muhammad's work also pushes the boundaries on issues that the government
prefers not be discussed in the public arena. His movie
Lelaki Komunis Terakhir
(The Last
Communist Man; 2006) was banned, along with his follow-up movie
Apa Khabar Orang
Kampung
(Village People Radio Show; 2007) - find out more about them at
www.redfilms.com.my
. Look out for Muhammad's book
120 Malay Movies
.
Muhammad's producer and a pioneer of the Malaysian new wave of directors is James
Lee, whose best-known pictures are
Room To Let
(2002) and
Beautiful Washing Machine
(2004). You can find out about and purchase some of these films and those of other local
indie directors at
www.dahuangpictures.com
.
YASMIN AHAMAD
The multi-award-winning Yasmin Ahamad was only 51 when she died after suffering a stroke in July 2009. Start-
ing her career in advertising, Ahamad made just six movies for the cinema and one for TV but established such a
reputation that she was feted both at home and abroad and is considered the most culturally important Malaysian
film-maker since P Ramlee.
It was Ahamad's 2004 film
Sepet
that first shook up contemporary Malaysian cinema. About a Chinese boy and
Malay girl falling in love, the movie cut across the country's race and language barriers and in turn upset many de-
vout Malays, as did her follow up,
Gubra
(2006), which dared to take a sympathetic approach to prostitutes. Caus-
ing less of stir were
Mukshin
(2007), a romantic tale about Malay village life; and what would be her final movie,
Talentime
(2009), about the run-up to an inter-school performing arts contest.
Find out more about her work from Amir Muhammad's tribute book,
Yasmin Ahamad's Films
(
www.mataharibooks.com
)
, written just a month after her funeral.
