Of Deaths and Resurrections

Yusnor Ef claims to talk about P.Ramlee's works and not about him as a person. Many have hurled defamatory and accusatory comments at this petite man who has composed 250 songs in his life.

I managed to secure an exclusive with Yusnor Ef (yes, the merits of being the first to arrive!) at his talk on P.Ramlee and his works at Woodlands Library.

I talked to him about the 'deaths' and possible 'resurrection' of the Singapore Malay Film industry, like how it was in the 50s. I felt honoured to be talking and discussing issues about the local film industry with such a been-there-done-that person.

Mohamed Noor Bin Mohamed Yusofe, or better known as Yusnor Ef, is a 73-year-old man, full of zest and cheer for the local production industry.

Currently, he has a lot on his plate: MD of his company YKNA Network, President of PERKAMUS (Malay Professional/Musician Association), Vice-Chairman for Malay Muslim Development Committee, Member for Artistic Resource Panel NAC, Panelist for COMPASS.
This highly IT-savvy grandfather has also garnered the PBS Medal (Pingat Bakti Setia) and PBM Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) in recognition for all his efforts to boost the local production scene.

He has also produced Jalan Ampas and the Malay Film era documentaries such as 'Tokoh-Tokoh Perfileman'.

SMFS caught Yusnor Ef at Woodlands Library on the 4th of April 2009.

SMFS Advisor Encik Jaafar Ibrahim (Left), SMFS Founder Isnor Dzulkarnain (black on the left), Yusnor Ef (4th from the right), SMFS Co-Founder Shahrezza Zuhri (2nd from right), SMFS Creative Md. Yassar (Right).

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"Saya rasa terkilan kerana pihak-pihak tertentu Singapura seperti stesen TV, melebihkan kepada program-program 'terkinja-kinja'. Ia ibarat mencurah air di daun keladi. Program TV boleh dijadikan bahan rujukan, nostalgia. Namun, saya tak salahkan Suria kerana ia mendapatkan financing daripada MDA, di mana ia harus menepati penakatannya," Encik Yusnor said regarding the local production scene.

"Persoalannya: Apakah masyarakat harus mengikuti perkembangan filem? Pembuat filem berkualiti dan bermaruah; karya seni adalah kerja Tuhan dan buatlah kerja ini dengan bersungguh-sungguh dan buatlah apa yang anda fikir betul.

"Dahulu, mereka tidak fikirkan publisiti dan kebendaan. Kini, lebih kepada dunia glamor, materialisma. Dunia kini kian berubah."

He then touched on the evolution of the film industry in Singapore, starting from the bangsawan or stage play, in the 1920s. It then moved on with the entrance of film companies in 1933. In 1947, Malay Film Productions was run by Shaw (that's where SMFS got its name according to Isnor!).

He cited that competition from the television in the 60s has dragged the film industry down to its eventual demise. Also, the relocation of the film studios to Malaysia made Singapore's film industry slow and eventually 'die off'.

"You orang muda concentrate dengan apa you all buat. Saya ucap syabas kepada anak-anak muda yang buat filem-filem pendek," he quipped.

With that, Mr Yusnor Ef also suggested that the archipelago should combine forces for the good of local films. Malaysia and Singapore should have a joint partnership in order to liven up this gamble. He also said that our films can be sent to the West, just find strong connections and discuss with the leading film authorities.

"Jangan patah semangat. Kita harus tembusi pasaran. Saya ada keyakinan bahawa anak-anak muda kita akan timbul jua. Tapi dengan syarat: bakat mesti jelas, usaha mesti kuat dan peluang mesti ada. Cari punca masalah dan huraikan bersama. Jangan bunuh-membunuh dan jangan cari popularity. Jaga reputation anda. Yang paling penting adalah peluang. Ini maruah kita. ini adalah sebahagian identiti Melayu, jati diri orang Melayu," he ends the interview.

My Opinion

I will have to agree with Cikgu Yusnor that indeed, we are struggling with heavy competition from the other mediums. However, the film circle can definitely overcome this with much cooperation and understanding with one another. But I can see that this cooperation and mutual integration are making quantum leaps in terms of its development.

Substation, for one, is a great platform for exposure and a tool necessary for the maintenance and revival of the film industry in Singapore. With Yusnor Ef's talk and encouragement, I am finding myself more deeply seeded into the world of filmmaking, a world where many have taken for granted with the advent of newer mediums.

I'm not sure about the 'bunuh-membunuh' part in the film industry, but I haven't noticed that sort of thing happening here.

The industry here is definitely on the rise and I am not surprised if one fine day, Jalan Ampas or somewhere in Singapore will be bustlingly noisy and busy once more with mega-productions that can challenge the BIG BOYS and not to forget, revamping the industry into a much more buzzing area than the Gemilang Era of the 50s!

This entry was written by
Singapore Malay Film Society
(SMFS)
'Nurturing and Inspiring the Passion for Filmmaking'