KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 ― Multi award-winning documentary St. Louis Superman, produced by two US-based Malaysian women has made it to 92nd Academy Awards shortlists.
The short documentary, produced by Washington DC-based Teng Poh Si and Los Angeles-based Cheyenne Tan, has been making waves at top tier documentary festivals ever since it was released last year.
To date, the film has won numerous awards from international festivals including Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Indy Short Film Festival, Traverse City Film Festival and Rhode Island International Film Festival.
It was also acquired for US distribution by famed American television producer Sheila Nevins for MTV Documentary Films.
The 25-minute film, directed by US-based filmmakers Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan, is about the story of Bruce Franks Jr, a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives where he had to overcome both personal trauma and political obstacles to pass a bill critical for his community.
In an interview with Malay Mail, Teng expressed her gratitude for being among the shortlisted Academy Awards top 10 Documentary Short Subject films and said it was surreal when they found out about it.
The Penang-born Emmy Awards-nominated director and producer said she still can’t believe it as thousands of short documentaries that are put out into the world every year.
“This year, 96 short documentaries qualified for Oscars, and our film is now among the top 10,” she said.
Teng also attributed the film’s incredible success to Franks, both directors and her co-producer Tan.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of our executive producers, Fiona Lawson-Baker who heads Witness, Al Jazeera English’s flagship documentary strand, and Nevins,” she added.
Sharing similar sentiments, Tan said she was excited when she saw St. Louis Superman on the top 10 shortlisted films for the Oscars.
“I honestly don’t think it has hit me yet but we gave ourselves a day to celebrate the milestone.
“It definitely feels amazing,” she said.
The 25-year-old Sarawakian filmmaker, who started her career in 2017, also said her biggest blessing in life is to have been surrounded by strong, powerful women who are fighting injustices, stereotypes, privilege, entitlement, racism and sexism.
“The two most influential people in my early career thus far have been Smriti and Teng and I think they will always have that central role throughout the rest of my career,” she added.
Speaking about the documentary, Tan said it was a true honour for her to be able to tell Franks’ inspiring story and life journey, while working alongside Teng.
With years of experience under her belt, Teng’s portfolio has been illustrious.
Born and raised in Penang, Teng relocated to the US over a decade ago to pursue her career as a journalist.
She was previously a journalist and producer for The New York Times, where she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interview, a National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Award and a Society of Professional Journalists’ Deadline award for her documentary, Flirting With The Islamic State.
Prior to being a staff journalist at the Times, she was an independent reporter, producer and cinematographer based in New Delhi, covering South Asia for The New York Times, Agence France-Presse and the Wall Street Journal.
She was also previously a journalist and producer for the Associated Press.
Teng is currently the commissioner and senior producer for Witness, Al Jazeera English’s flagship documentary strand.
She said the idea to make the documentary was fuelled by her desire to make a film about international activist movement Black Lives Matter, which campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
“I wanted to commission and produce a film about Black Lives Matter and movements like it, and whether it could transform into actual policy and change.
“Of course it could, but I wanted to make a film where we could see it through a character-driven journey and in scenes,” she added.
Commenting on the Malaysian documentary-making scene, Teng remained optimistic and said there’s a lot of potential for the documentary industry here with many organisations doing outstanding work to support emerging filmmakers.
She also paid tribute to local non-profit organisations Freedom Film Fest and Komas as well as Malaysian filmmakers Anna Har and Brenda Danker for supporting her make her debut as a documentary maker with Pecah Lobang short film in 2008.
Teng also noted that it is important for Malaysians to support filmmakers and organisations telling stories that matter.
Oscar nominations in all categories will be announced next year on January 13, and the ceremony is set to be held on February 9.
