IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I LAST POSTED!

But I have something in surprise, for those who still come to this blog!

Stay Tuned soon! :)

Jangan tegur yeah?

Jangan Tegur

by Mohd Pierre Andre

So, I had won 2 passes to the media screening of 'Jangan Tegur' and bugged fellow SMFS Blogger, Sharmee, to scream along (pardon the lame pun, please).

I was frankly quite excited to be viewing first hand the latest Pierre Andre instalment, looking at his promising productions and involvements like 'Jangan Pandang Belakang', 'I'm Not Single', '9 September' and 'Congkak'. Also the media coverage was quite heavy, with Manja/MediaCorp Hafeez Harun, Warna's AB Shaik Banafe, BH's Haryani Ismail. I had raised my hopes real high for 'Jangan Tegur'.

Simple Synopsis

'Jangan Tegur' is about a woman (Julia Ziegler) whom after an accident has visions of another woman (Nadia Mustafa). Then she starts getting scary visions, and disturbances. She goes to investigate and after a devilishly scary possession by a supernatural power, she solves the problem. That's all I can say.

My Opinion

You MUST catch this Pierre Andre instalment. I GUARANTEE it is worth your every cent!

However, my experience watching this film was somewhat marred heavily by the fact that at least 100 girls were screaming inside the theatre at Eng Wah Suntec. Ahmad Idham (Director Advisor) and David Teo (Producer) were in the theatre with all the lucky people who got to view 'Jangan Tegur' one week in advance.

I really like how the plot unfolds at each and every cliffhanger in 'Jangan Tegur'. It has many cliffhangers, but despite that, the story surprisingly flows with a nice swoosh to a fantastic irony and smashing final devil possession and ending.

I must admit that the first few minutes I was a bit confused, but as the story progresses, I began to understand. At some point, I even screamed at the audacity of the character to do something so foolish.

I think this was Nadia Mustafa's big, much-needed break. Her acting was extremely effective and highly realistic. She overshadows Julia Ziegler's expressionless wife character, with her powerful facial expressions and gestures.

Technical-wise, I find not many faults. Except maybe the cinematography could have been tweaked better. Overall, I feel Pierre Andre's DOP was creative, but I found myself cocking my head to preseumably view the events better (to no avail duh).

The other production technicalities, like the lighting especially, created an accurate portrayal of the mood. Pierre Andre really knows how to style or create the look for his films. The locations were accurate in a sense that they had fitted the storyline and the scenes properly, adding a whole new dimension and accuracy to the effect that Pierre wanted on his audience.

MAKE-UP, COSTUMES, DESIGN was the BEST in this production. Everything looks so realistic that if it weren't a film, I would have believed it 100%. However, what struck me most was Julia Ziegler's make-up in the final possession of the devil. It was very frightening and I cannot erase her image from my mind at all, until now, 4 weeks later. It was that effective. Imagine a bluish face and agile body, VFX disgustingly long tongue, raspy voice, eyes that are deep, dangerous and threatening.

You will have to see it for yourself. In the mean time, try to 'Jangan Tegur'! Check out the press release at Julia Ziegler's blog on my Links on the right!

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

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'

A Dose of 'Sasha Isabella' and 'Eton Waikiki'

As a member of the Singapore Malay Film Society (SMFS), I am privileged to have the chance to meet many like-minded individuals from both within SMFS and outside. However, the most engaging duo has to go to the Sasha-Eton pairing! Better known as Ezzam Rahman and Ghazi Al-Qudcy, SMFS met up with them for a supremely chaotic (KECOH!) interview session.

Ezzam Rahman, 28, is a full-time speech and drama teacher. Trained as a sculptor with a Diploma in Fine Arts from LaSalle College, Ezzam is also an active, avid filmmaker. Ghazi, 25, is a full-time student at NTU's Art and Design. He graduated last year from RP with a Diploma in New Media.




















Ghazi Al-Qudcy (photo) and Ezzam maintain great networking, allowing them to be known in the local arts scene. Photo Courtesy of Ghazi Al-Qudcy

Ex-prefect and librarian of Si Ling Primary, Ezzam and Ghazi met again during a 'hateful' encounter in NS. From then on, the duo started off filmmaking, carving their niche in the local film community. Both of them are known for their alter egos, or the chemistry when they are put together, Sasha Isabella and Eton Waikiki.

The Sasha and Eton personas made their debut in the short film, Demam Jantan, for the Panasonic Digital Film Fiesta (PDFF), a competition similar, but predecessor, to the 48-Hour project. The theme was 'Fever' and Demam Jantan (Male Fever) is about two 'mak nyah's (trannies) who came to the cemetery and prayed there to get their boyfriends back.

"We were the only Malay film, but with English subtitles. We know that people were liking it. We didn't know until we searched our own names on the Internet (laughs) that Tan Pin Pin and Yuni Hadi sent the film to film festivals in Jakarta, Bangkok," Ezzam explained, "That's how, slowly, we break through."

Ezzam Rahman in an undated photo.
Photo courtesy of Ezzam Rahman.

From then on, there was no turning back. 'Guerilla of the guerillas', 'indie of the indies', Ezzam and Ghazi are permanent fixtures on PDFF. They have submitted throughout the years works like Mistake (Honourable Mention), Adam Up There and their 4th entry, Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (AKOK), which gained much accolade.

"We knew we could win. People call us the 'genre-setters'. We conceptualised in the train to KL. The film was a musical. We were the only film that was shot overseas. We relive the 80s; very skit, very sketch, slapstick but it's (our kind of) film," mused both Ghazi and Ezzam.

Many filmmakers, including pioneering Sanif Olek himself, have postponed or delayed productions due to the lack of funding. But funnily, for Ezzam and Ghazi, funding and equipment has never been an issue.

"We never take that as a factor. If we follow Malaysian filmmakers, group up. That's how you work and create that strong bond. Like paying it forward. Let's say this time I beome a director and a team helps me. Another time, another person will be the director and the rest help out. Follow the industry from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia," Ghazi methodically enlightened, "We don't care of how much we earn. It's all about the joy of collaborating, of having the same mind."

A film poster of a collaborative work between Ezzam and Ghazi, 'If Anything Blame the Govt'. Photo Courtesy of Ghazi Al-Qudcy

Instead, the loud, cheery-dispositioned duo puts heavy emphasis on the storyline, which many may neglect and fail to develop in the face of financing, technicalities and formalities.

Indeed, their films have a solid message and plot. I had truly enjoyed their works, like Ghazi's narrative documentary 'Blk 46', and Ezzam-Ghazi collaboratives like 'Hidden Treasures' and 'Reflections of Insanity'.

'Blk 46', though fictional, felt very 'humane'. It is about 6 individuals who committed a mass suicide. I was genuinely surprised that it was fictional because the narration and opinions by the people felt so surreal. To me, all the 3 films had a unique feel about them and touched on issues like death, transsexualism, intercultural relationships in a modern contemporary manner and can be accepted by everybody.

"Even if you have the best gadgets, but if your story is crap, it's crap. Perfection can be pretentious, raw can become beautiful. Look at the rawness of Yasmin's Sepet. But it's beautiful," Ezzam steadfastly stood his ground.

The local production scene has much to change. Ezzam and Ghazi agreed wholeheartedly that the local productions need to move on. They said productions like 'Hanyut' by Screenbox were relevant then, but people needed to move on. Taste and relevance, like how P.Ramlee did the Bujang Lapoks, are of importance to them.

L to R: Ezzam, Royston Tan and Ghazi Al-Qudcy. Photo courtesy of Ezzam Rahman.

"Melayu pasal cinta, gangster, gaduh. When we made (abovementioned) stories, it is different from the Malay society. It is unknown and untold. People know but untalked about. Think before you do. It all boils down to the responsibility of the artist, what message he wants to show. Take time to conceptualise, don't jump into the deep pool if u don't know anything," gushed Ezzam, "People say Malays can't do it and all that. Bull****."

If given the opportunity, Ezzam and Ghazi would love to have actress Pon Bachik of Singapore and Adibah Noor of Malaysia to act for them. Currently, they are working with The Substation for a documentary feature.

For now, catch Ezzam's sculptures at the Singapore Arts Museum. I am going to look out for their upcoming works like 'We the Citizens of Singapore' and 'Joyride', shot in Cambodia. YOU SHOULD TOO!

This entry was written by

Singapore Malay Film Society

(SMFS)

'Nurturing and Inspiring the Passion for Filmmaking'

Uncleboy @ Substation's First Takes

Did you know that The Substation has a free-for-all indie film screening every first Monday of the month?

Frankly, I am super-addicted to First Takes (name of the screening) because I can view all the works by local indie filmmakers from various backgrounds. You can learn the various techniques to filmmaking and most importantly, avoid the mistakes that they have made :) You should come down and view it for yourself and meet fellow film enthusiasts. Do come by on the 6th of April!

UNCLEBOY
By Jannah Monjiat

On 2nd March, I caught 'Uncleboy', a 24-minute documentary, made in 2007 by Jannah Monjiat, 22, a graduate of the Diploma in New Media from Republic Polytechnic (RP).

Basically, 'Uncleboy' is about a 43-year-old Uncleboy, who is fighting alcoholism. The documentary charts his day-to-day life and even has successfully captured moments when Uncleboy was fully intoxicated! 'Uncleboy' shows the different parts to Uncleboy: a dog lover, a friendly man, a drunkard. The documentary had also included a mention of his trial at the subordinate court and what close friends had to say about him.

A MOMENT WITH JANNAH

I caught up with Jannah, the director! Her past works include Carousel Love (2007). FYI, 'Uncleboy' was featured in the debut episode of Channel NewsAsia's iJournalist in 2008.

"The reason why we picked Uncleboy is because of the way he lived his life. How loving he was, how successful he was. It could happen to any of us. We'll never know that we could be him," Jannah explained.

As with any filming, Jannah faced difficulties too: "We had to predict how his life is. On the day (we wanted to shoot), he was drunk and we didn't expect that. So, it was upclose and personal with Uncleboy. It was a pretty much personal relationship with him."

Her secret to a wonderful documentary? Ghazi Al-Qudcy. A name synonymous with filmmaking. Ghazi was also a student from RP. "He encourages me, so-called my mentor. If I do something bad, he'll be critiquing."

Jannah has a few words for aspiring filmmakers. "Be humble. Jangan cakap besar sangat, then in the end, cerita tak menjadi. Also, just enjoy what you are doing, even simple things like FYP (Final Year Projects)."


PHOTO














L to R: Director Jannah Monjiat, Yusri a.k.a Shaggy and Brandon, all are from RP

MY OPINION

To me, 'Uncleboy' was a truthful experience, where an alcoholic's life was exposed and not viewed through rose-tinted glasses. I saw how drunk Uncleboy got and laughed heartily at his antics. Each time Uncleboy gets drunk he would say out the same two phrases to his dog! Truthful because we saw how a man lived his life, how a commoner lived day to day: what he ate, what he did, where he went.

However, technically, I suppose 'Uncleboy''s editing can be better since there were parts where the transitions, both plot and technical, were not smooth enough. I was trying to guess what he would do next and I found it tiring after a while.

I found the documentary had an overall heartwarming effect and I believe, has successfully tugged the heartstrings of the audience. The message was not quite spot on, but through a more careful eye, we can see messages of perseverance, taking life not so seriously and the idiom 'still waters run deep', where we should take time to get to know people around. Watch out for more of Jannah Monjiat works.

This Uncleboy review was brought to you by

Singapore Malay Film Society

SMFS
'Nurturing and Inspiring the Passion for Filmmaking'

Genggam grips!

HELLO! Saya adalah seorang penulis sukarela bagi SMFS atau Persatuan Perfileman Melayu Singapura! I am a writer with SMFS and you can email me regarding this blog or its contents at nurul_ain@smfs.sg.

For this inaugural post, the team of writers from SMFS will discuss Isnor's short film, 'Genggam', which is about silat, a Malay martial art. 'Genggam' is the first collaborative project under the Sinema Incubator Programme!

And also Lynn Malik's MTV production for her song, Pen Merah Pen Biru, directed by Shahrezza Zuhri and Rezzuraction, the first Singaporean Malay production company to produce an MTV Video simultaneously!

GENGGAM

Directed By Isnor Dzulkarnain Jaafar

Genggam is about 2 'pendekar' or warriors who had battled. The pendekar who lost had died from the battle, supposedly. His daughter, Zulaika, seeks to avenge her father's death and faces Indra, the son of the victorious pendekar. SMFS catches up with Ashmi and Zamberi at the Genggam shoot!

Ashmi Roslan

Ashmi Roslan, 28, of Anugerah Skrin, X-Tion, OKB and Yazid Pakai Lampin fame, is Indra, the son of the victorious pendekar in Genggam.

He started his TV career in the 80s, as a child through Bengkel Kanak-Kanak like Imran Ajmain. Later, he was inspired to join Anugerah Skrin just "for the sake of trying" but from then on, he got offer after offer in the acting scene. Genggam is his 2nd 'serious' (non-comedic) acting.

Despite being tired after the acting, Ashmi willingly granted SMFS an interview. Talking about Genggam and his experience, Ashmi explained with determination.

"I was flattered when Isnor asked me (to do this film)," Ashmi quips, "because there are veterans like Rafaat, Zamberi and I'm honoured to be acting with mentors."

Specially for this film, he and Rafaat Hamzah (acting as the victorious pendekar) had been undergoing training in silat with the Kembang Wali group since the fasting month last year.
"I have to convince people that I'm a pesilat. I have to do my homework," he explained.

Not your ordinary actor, Ashmi also can sing and knows the many behind-the-scenes work! He took vocal classes from Iwan and Man Toyak on the correct techniques of singing. Asmi also writes songs! The bubbly actor also is inquisitive about behind-the-scenes.

"I'm the type of actor who likes to learn, like lighting, camerawork. At the end of the day, you have to know," he said.

For those who wish to pursue performing arts?

"If you minat sesuatu, take it one by one. Seni ni halus tau and you kene ikhlas," he advised, smiling cheerfully.

Zamberi Abdul Patah

Zamberi Abdul Patah, 41, needs no introduction. A veteran in the local theatre, drama and productions scene since the past 20 years, he acts as the silat assistant of Rafaat Hamzah's character. Genggam is his first involvement in short films. Zamberi has been going freelance, dealing with camerawork, directing and producing.

"There are a few things which can be improved on, like communication, but so far, so good. I wish I could contribute more (laughs)," Zamberi said of the Genggam production.

On the local film scene and SMFS in general, he said: "SMFS can do a lot more. It's a good idea. Kalau kita lagi active, lagi best. I'm proud to be a member! For me, it's a beginning, it's a start. I'm excited," Zamberi told us.

GENGGAM MISCELLANEOUS

Witness the Genggam production first-hand!!

Find out more about the Incubator Programme: http://www.sinema.sg/incubator/

MY OPINION

To me, it's hard to find any weaknesses in this Isnor instalment. It was very professional and smooth. The overall production semangat or enthusiasm was very high.

I went for the shooting at AsiaWorks gym at Davidson Rd in MacPherson for 2 days. Everyone just knew what to do and were task-oriented; the PA was timechecking, managing the extras. I felt I wanted to contribute to the production: maybe carrying the dolly, helping the art director or re-angling the lighting!! The semangat was infectious I must say. The crew was Rezzuraction's.

I feel the storyline involves too many actor parts. I'm ok with a lot of actors (cameos, appearances), but in this film, every actor has a major role influencing the whole plot. I think it's going to be a little tedious for the audience to focus on the storyline. However, it's like a double-edged sword. More actors can mean the storyline is more developed and complete.

There was a PA to manage the actors, but I think she was busy also with the production. When I was interviewing the actors, I observed that they were left hanging around and doing nothing. Maybe, we could have like one or two personnel to handle the actors and to cater to their needs and welfare?

One thing for sure, this film has the potential power to attract more people into the indie film circle. I think the overall concept and angle of the film is good and deserves a chance by everybody.

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This Genggam review was brought to you by the Singapore Malay Film Society (SMFS). Catch the next entry on Shahrezza Zuhri's MTV of Lynn Malik!

Rezzuraction produces MTV

Pen Merah Pen Biru

Directed by Shahrezza Zuhri

Lynn Malik, who had recently entered a Malaysian talent competition, had done an MTV with Rezzuraction. I witnessed the scenes when they were shooting at a local club, on the 7th of February. Lynn Malik had sought Rezzuraction Pictures to produce her video.

MTV MISCELLANEOUS

Witness the MTV production in action!

This is a link to Rezza's YouTube account to view trailers of his work: http://www.youtube.com/user/rezzuraction

MY OPINION

My focus would be production-wise. To check out about the director and singer, check out the other 2 blogs.

Production-wise, it was tip-top. We're talking about the task-oriented crew of Genggam remember? But there was a timing error. The team was supposed to be packing up at 3.30pm, but it was only done at 3.50pm since there were quite a few repetition of the shooting of the shots. Perhaps, we could have the PA (Production Assistant) to alert us more frequently and keep us going. In that way, we could avoid unnecessary tension and the shoot could end on a sweet note at that scene.

Nevertheless, I thought that Rezza had put in a lot of thought to the look of the video. I liked the shots that he had taken: Lynn's MCU at the corridor and the development shot at the dance floor.

Overall, the working attitude of everybody and the camaraderie was present, and it seems that everybody was enjoying the shoot, despite the stress.

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This MTV review was brought to you by the Singapore Malay Film Society (SMFS). Stay connected for the next entry!