NOVEMBER 3 ― I would love it if one day I got to watch the “live” presentation of the Academy Awards and Malaysia is the winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
Ok, I would even settle for Malaysia being one of the five nominees for that category.
Reading a news report a few days ago that Malaysia would not be submitting any film for the category was disappointing.
Perhaps there are economic reasons behind our non-participation or perhaps there are no entries worth considering. In either case, it was sorely disappointing.
According to the news report, the movie Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004) was the first to be nominated.
While the film was epic, it did not have the “X factor” to push it to the top. One would simply forget it after viewing.
I find it disconcerting that a film like Amok (1994) was not even considered for submission. While I understand that It was made before we thought about submitting our films to the Academy Awards, Amok’s quality was such that it should have been enough for us to consider submitting even if we had never done so before.
I remember how bowled over I was when I first watched it. Amok’s story is perfect Oscar material. It portrayed, firstly, something uniquely Malay – the tradition of running amok (where do you thinking the word “amuck” comes from? Try saying it out loud!).
Secondly, it gave the phenomenon something of a mystical bent, using Nasir Bilal Khan’s immense talents (now sadly wasted on the pointless Tanah Kubur series) to evoke a sense of dread as he descended into the manic state. It would have made it to the final list of nominees, I feel. Instead, it was hotly debated over for being unorthodox!
Apart from Finas’ support, what would it take for Malaysia to win the Best Foreign Film Oscar? In my opinion, a great story. Jagat had it but was for some reason passed up. But we still have countless stories to tell. The thing is, we must have the courage and honesty to bring these stories to light.
Here are some ingredients which I feel can help make a great Malaysian film:
* Race and religion: Quite obviously, the race and religion dynamic in Malaysia is a big story to tell. This is especially potent given the fact that Malaysia practises institutionalised racial preferentialism and considers one religion more privileged than others. The stories surrounding such a dynamic must be countless.
* Politics: Our history has witnessed a few upheavals in its time. Perhaps the fictional story of politicians trying to introduce meaningful change to the nation?
* Human interest stories: I am especially interested in the 70s when the mass exodus of Malays to the cities was happening throughout the country. They were moving from their respective kampungs to the cities to start new lives as city folks. This social movement was documented in various satirical magazines (Gila-gila), movies (Setinggan) and even songs (Sudirman’s Pulang Dari Kerja).
The stories that can be told are endless. The pain of leaving behind one’s kampung halaman and conversely, the joys of balik kampung. Even the tiring experience of Pudu bus station during that time has potential.
The cramped spaces of the newly-built flats and dealing with one’s neighbours. The dreams of moving to suburbia. There is a whole generation of Malaysians, now in their forties and fifties, who literally grew up in this era.
These are the stories which remain untapped from the consciousness of the rakyat. I believe, with the right level of film making, they can easily tell a unique story and bring Malaysia to the forefront of the Oscar nominations.
This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
