Munafik & Syamsul Yusof

Film maker Syamsul Yusof speaks to the Sun about his  latest horror movie Munafik. Here is the full story.

Headline: In His Father’s Footseps

By Bissme S

Syamsul Yusof has been directing since he was 19. The son of Malaysian renowned director Datuk Yusof Haslam made his directing debut for a TV series under his father’s production company, Skop Productions Sdn Bhd.

Three years later, he directed his first feature film, Evolusi KL Drift, which collected RM3 million at the box office. Since then, the 31-year-old has helmed nine films, two of which earned him the best director award at the Malaysian Film Festival, the first in 2010 for Evolusi Kl Drift 2, and the second in 2011 for KL Gangster. His latest effort is the horror, Munafik (above), which has a lot of of Islamic elements. It opens in cinemas on Feb 25.

“The holy Al Quran was one of my main references when I wrote the script,” says Syamsul.

“I spoke to many ustaz (religious scholars) before making this film. I did not want to cross any religious boundaries that may offend anyone.”

Munafik centres on Adam, an Islamic medical practitioner, who is having a difficult time coming to terms with his wife’s death. A woman named Maria believes she is being possessed by something sinister and begs him to help her. But Adam doesn’t realise that the spirit haunting Maria will also attack him. Syamsul  also takes on the role of Adam, while actress Nabila Huda plays Maria. Others in the cast include Fizz Fairuz, Pekin Ibrahim, Datuk Rahim Razali and A. Galak.

“I gave Nabila a tough time on set, but she rose to the occasion,” he says.

“Her performance will dazzle you.”

Munafik is Syamsul’s second horror movie after the 2012 Khurafat, which became a box-office hit, with takings of more than RM8 million. The trailer of Munafik looks frightening enough to ensure another success for Syamsul.

“I believe that the recipe for a good horror movie is to pay attention to the script,” he says.

“Most young filmmakers neglect the script, and put more attention in creating scary and suspenseful moments.”

Syamsul cited horror movies such as Thailand’s Nang Nak and Shutter, which have solid scripts. As for hitting box-office success, Syamsul spoke of his bitter experience with his previous film, KL Gangster 2. Before the film opened in cinemas, pirated copies of the movie were already selling in the streets.

“KL Gangster made just over RM11 million, while KL Gangster 2 only made RM5 million,” he says. “I am sure KL Gangster 2 would have made more money if not for the piracy. I worked very hard on my film. [And] someone just came along and copied my film, and made a lot of money from it. I did not get anything from the pirated copies. I felt frustrated. I almost wanted to quit making films. But I could not bring myself to do it, as making films is in my blood.”

At 15, Syamsul already knew he wanted to be a filmmaker just like his famous father.

“Most people assume my road to becoming a filmmaker was easy because [of my father],” he says. “Well, they are wrong. When I started my career, I had actors who disrespected me on the set. I had critics who doubted me. But if you want to be successful in your field, you have to develop a thick skin, and learn to ignore your critics.

“If you are in the film business, you will always have to face the critics. Even great films like Avatar have critics. You cannot impress everyone.”

What does his famous father think of him as a filmmaker? With a laugh, he says: “My father has never praised me. He is my fiercest critic. Strangely enough, behind my back, my father will say great things about me and my films to his friends.

 “When I met [those people], they would tell me how my father is very proud of me, but I had a hard time believing them.

“Now I am older and I understand my father’s motivation better. He criticises me because he wants me to improve my skills as a director. He does not want me to be complacent with my success.”

Scenes from Munafik 

A Review on OlaBola

Today, theSun runs a review on OlaBola Here is the full story 

  

THE STORY starts in the present time with a young professional broadcast journalist (Marianne Tan) who is disillusioned with life in Malaysia and prepares to head for greener pastures in England. She is given a final assignment: to do a story about a multicultural team of footballers who are trying to overcome the odds and their personal problems to achieve international Olympic glory. The film goes back to 1980s and focuses on three individuals in the team – team captain Chow Kwok Keong (Chee), striker Ahmad Ali (Luqman), and goalkeeper Muthu Kumar (Saran). Chow is torn between giving his family a better life and his passion for football. Muthu faces objections from his father over his fascination with football and Ahmad wants to be the best player in his team, but has p r o b l e m controlling his temper. I am sure director Chiu is feeling some pressure.

Two years ago, he delivered the touching The Journey, which went on to break box-office record as the then highest-grossing Malaysian film, collecting more than RM17 million. (That record has since been broken by Polis Evo last year.) Now, everyone is expecting him to recapture the magic with OlaBola. I am sure most of them are going to make comparisons between the two films. Well, I will try not to succumb to temptation, and instead judge OlaBola on its own merits.

For starters the movie was well shot. The cinematography was beautiful. The football matches were intense, and will have audiences at the edge of the seats. Chiu has managed to capture era magnificently. A lot of attention has been put on the costumes and the set. The actors also gave convincing performances including the new ones like Chee, Luqman and Saran. Sometimes, new actors have a tendency to look awkward on the screen. This did not happen here. Yet, OlaBola is far from perfect.

The biggest flaw I felt lies in the script and dialogue. The message of unity among different races and the ultimate love these characters have for their country is continuously drummed into the audience. These messages of patriotism can be overwhelming and at times, a little irritating, and could have been delivered in a more subtle way. While Chiu has given us a very sweet cake of a movie, what it badly needs is a little bitterness to cut down on that overt sweetness.

The Look of Silence

theSun got Joshua Oppenheimer to talk about his documentary The Look of Silence that is being nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary feature.  Here is the full interview 

Headline: A Festering Wound   

By Bissme S

Director Joshua Oppenheimer and his team opened the world’s eyes to the genocide that took place in Indonesia from 1965 to 1966 in their 2013 landmark Academy Award-nominated The Act of Killing. The documentary highlighted the large-scale killings in Indonesia that targeted communists, ethnic Chinese, and alleged leftists. It is estimated that 500,000 people were killed. The purge was a pivotal event in the elimination of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as a political force, the downfall of then-president Sukarno, and the rise of Suharto as the second president of Indonesia.

Oppenheimer and his team have since followed up that story with a second documentary The Look of Silence, which showed what it is like for those who survived the genocide. The Look of Silence has already won awards at international film festivals in Berlin and Venice, and has given the director his second Academy Award nomination for best documentary feature.

This documentary focuses on Adi Rukun an optometrist who was born after the genocide. Yet, he is haunted by the fact that his brother Ramli was murdered during the brutal event. His mother cannot come to terms with Ramli’s death. What makes her pain unbearable is that the men who carried out the killing are still free.

With the help of Oppenheimer and his team, Adi is able to confront the men who killed his brother. He had hoped to see some regret and remorse in their eyes. Instead, most of them try to justify their actions. The Look of Silence is a compelling, intense and heartbreaking documentary of the pain that still festers in the heart of those left behind.

The scene where a mother laments her son’s death, and hopes that the killers and their descendants will lead horrible lives is heart-rending. Another touching scene is when a daughter of the one of the killers pleads with Adi to forgive her old and sick father, and to let bygones be bygones.

This is indeed a well-made documentary that deserved its Oscar nomination. In an interview with theSun, Oppenheimer says: “It is incredibly humbling to be nominated, again. We could not have made this film without our anonymous Indonesian crew, and our gentle protagonist Adi, who risked their lives to share their story.

“The genocide began years ago. But it hasn’t ended for the survivors because the perpetrators are still in power, and millions are still living in fear. The Look of Silence helped Indonesians express their yearning for truth, justice, and reconciliation.”

The documentary also features the risks undertaken by the team and by Adi during the course of filming. In the scenes where Adi confronts the murderers of his brother at their residence, there is a palpable sense of danger in the air and fear for Adi’s safety.

“These confrontations could have been dangerous,” Oppenheimer says, explaining how they had to take many precautions to prevent any untoward incidents. When he met with the perpetrators, he only brought along Adi and a small crew.

“Adi would come with no identification card,” he says.

“All of us would empty all the numbers from our handphones and bring a second car so that [we could switch vehicles] minutes after leaving their houses, making it harder for the perpetrators to follow us.”

Oppenheimer is thankful that none of the confrontations ended violently. He feels the reason for that was because of Adi’s patience and empathy with his brother’s killers, and the fact that the perpetrators were not quite sure how to react to the confrontation.

“I was aware Adi would not get any apology from them and I did not hide this fact from him,” Oppenheimer said. “But I told Adi that by documenting the perpetrators’ inability to apologise, maybe we could show how torn the social fabric of Indonesia is.”

Oppenheimer believes that if he could film their complex reactions of fear and guilt at being visited by their victim’s brother, then perhaps, he could shed a light on how these feelings represent the divide between Indonesians and their own past, and from each other.

As to the possibility of making feature films, Oppenheimer has no plans to do so. “Non-fiction filmmaking is my way of working with real people to create occasions in which the mysteries of being become palpable,” he says. “Why would I want to give this up?”

Adi and his mother talking about the past

Yellow Boat Of Hope

I am highlighting a feature story where some children had to swim their way to school to get an education. This article was published in theSun today.  

Headline : The Yellow School Boat

By Bissme S

Going to school was not easy for the children of Zamboanga City in the Philippine district of Mindanao. Up to 2010, they had to literally cross the river on foot with their schoolbag,  that contained not only their books but also their school uniform and shoes, over their heads to get to school. Once they reached the other side, they had to change out of their wet clothes into their uniform and shoes, and put the wet clothes wrapped in a plastic bag into their schoolbag. And they had to do this every day to and from school.

When philanthropist Jay Jaboneta (below) first visited this community, he was impressed by the children’s determination to get an education despite all the obstacles they had to face. He posted their story in his Facebook and it created some interesting discussion between him and his friends. They then decided to collect money and buy a boat that could ferry these children to and from school so that the children would no longer get wet going to school.

Jay had the boat painted yellow (bottom) because he wanted the boat to resemble the colour of the yellow schoolbus that one sees in movies.

“Both of them have the same function,” he says.

“Their aim is getting the children to school. The only difference is that one travels on the road and the other travels on water. Yellow is also the colour of hope.”

Their contribution did not end with one boat for one community. Jay and his friends went on to create the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, and over the last five years, the foundation has presented some 2,000 of these yellow boats to more than 50 communities in the Philippines.

“One story that truly touched me was [about this] boy who was placed second in his class … but since [getting the boat to go] to school, he [is now the top student] in his class,” says Jay.

 “We never imagined that one day, a single Facebook status and a single yellow boat would launch thousands of [such] boats and even inspired other organisations to start their own school boat projects.”

Jay firmly believes that every individual can make positive changes in society.

“The great thing a little lamp can do which the big sun cannot is to give light at night,” he says.

“It shows no one is superior by size. If we cannot do great things, we can do small things in a great way. “In my eyes, all our volunteers in the yellow boat [project] are ordinary heroes who strive to make a difference in their specific communities.”

 The foundation has since building classrooms, schools and dormitories for those children who not only have a hard time getting to school but are also studying in dilapidated classrooms or even under a tree! As Jay says, they want to create a comfortable environment for these students to study in comfort.

 For him, the biggest challenge he faced running the foundation is raising the funds needed to help all the needy communities.

“Our approach is volunteer driven and it is also quite hard to find local volunteers who can implement our projects on the ground. We are looking at raising enough funds to pay people to work for us and make our work more sustainable.”

 Jay says there are 7,107 islands in the Philippines and the Department of Education has identified more than 1,000 communities where children may need either boats or other forms of transport such as bicycles to get to school.

“I believe it was Nelson Mandela who said education is the best weapon which you can use to change the world,” says Jay.

“Education allows those who live at the bottom of the economic pyramid to gain access to opportunities so that they can provide for themselves and their families. It is our undying hope that one day there will be no child left behind and all children of school going age who want to go to school are in school.”

For more, go to http:// yellowboat.org/

Going to school without getting wet 

Children has to swim to school

Bront Palarae

Bront Palarae has a small role in OlaBola but he left a lasting impression. He talks to theSun about his passion for acting and directing.  

Headline: A Passion  For Movies

By Bissme S

When  I first saw Bront Palarae  in a television show 17 years ago, I did not think highly of his abilities. To me, he was just a handsome actor churning out a superficial performance. Now, I see the 37-year-old actor in a totally different light.

Bront has certainly sharpened his acting skill. Put him in any role and he will give a convincing performance. Indeed, Bront has become an actor to be reckoned with. He has been giving memorable and varied performances, from portraying an eccentric filmmaker chasing after UFOs in Terbaik Dari Langit to a mentally disturbed person in PSIKO: Pencuri Hati. His current show-stealing role as a hyper sports commentator in sports drama OlaBola is another feather in his cap.

Bront has also been roped in by several well-known Indonesian directors recently for their projects. Among them are awardwinning director Joko Anwar, who has cast the actor in the HBO Asia supernatural TV series Halfworlds, and Upi Avianto who picked him for her comedy film, My Stupid Boss.

Bront will next be seen playing a police inspector in the action thriller Headshots, under the direction of The Mo Brothers (consisting of two friends, Timo Tjahjanto dan Kimo Stamboel), which is expected to hit cinemas this year. In a recent interview with theSun, Bront shares some insights on his career.

*Tell us about your experience in Indonesian productions.

Only the directors who hire you have seen your movies, and know of your talents. Others in the production team, from the cast to crew, may not have heard of you or seen your movies. You are like a rookie, all over again. You have to prove that you are a good actor [to them all].  This experience is exciting and humbling, at the same time. Working on those productions is like being in an acting workshop where you will learn new lessons to make your craft better.

*Do you have plans to be based in Jakarta and do more Indonesian projects?

(Laughing) If Christoper Nolan calls me to act in his movie, I will go to Hollywood and do his movie. “But the moment his film has finished shooting, I will head straight back to Malaysia. My base will always be Malaysia  There is no place like home. I have always wanted to be a part of the Malaysian film industry. If you are based overseas, you will be a part of their film industry and I do not want that.

*Tell us some of the lessons you’ve learned after having been part of the Malaysian entertainment industry for 17 years.

That you should not get too happy with your highs and you should not get too down with your lows. The feelings of rejection and dejection are part and parcel of the job. When I first joined the entertainment industry, everyone kept telling me that it is a dog-eat dog world, and that I should not trust anyone; that genuine friendships do not exist here and people are eager to backstab you. Well, I have made some great friends in the entertainment industry. Nothing works without trust.

* Do you get frustrated when you are presented with terrible scripts and horrible roles?

The phase of getting frustrated has come and gone. I have come to accept how the industry works, and there is no point dwelling on the issue. I count my blessings as an actor. There are more talented actors than me who do not get the opportunity to showcase their talent like I do. I would rather spend my energy on making things better in the entertainment industry than wasting my time feeling frustrated. I am slowly moving towards production and direction, and hopefully, I can make some difference there.

* You studied to be a film director. But you became an actor, instead. Why?

While waiting for my break as a film director, I have to earn my bread and butter, so I took any job both behind and in front of the camera. But I have stuck to acting. As an actor, you have a better view of how a film is being made, and the working process of your director, your crew and your castmates. Observation is important if you want to be a good director.

* You have just directed one film, Kolumpo. Do you have plans to direct other films?

I have two projects in hand. My first project is called Dawn Raid, which is based on a real event where a group of Malaysian businessmen managed to take over the hugely-successful British-owned company, Guthrie, through the London Stock Exchange.

My second project is called Sabotage and it centres on how the government recruited some ethnic Chinese to infiltrate and spy on the Malayan Communist Party during the Emergency.

*After being an actor and now director, which do you prefer?

I love both, and I need both. Acting helps me to be a better director and directing helps me to be a better actor. When you are sitting in the director’s chair, you have to help your actors shape their performances. Indirectly, you are learning something about acting. When you are an actor, you are taking orders from directors, and you are constantly observing your director. Indirectly, you are learning something about directing.

Actors from OlaBola

OlaBola is a Malaysian movie that is everyone is waiting to see. Today, theSun published an interview I have done with the three young actors from the movie.  

Headline: Reel Football Heroes

By Bissme S

The New Movie by director Chui Keng Guan (of The Journey fame) may turn quite a few first-time actors into national heartthrobs. Opening in cinemas this Thursday, OlaBola follows the trials and tribulations of a team of young footballers in the 1980s as they struggle to reconcile their personal relationships with their love for football. It also showcases their journey towards international glory as they strive to win a place in the Olympics. The ensemble cast features a mix of familiar and new faces. Among them are Bront Palarae, Marianne Tan Poh Yee, Katrina Ho Fooi Tin, Daphne Low Sin Mun, and Mark Williams. At a recent preview of the film, local media were introduced to three of the fresh-faced actors who have been gaining positive reviews for their work – J.C. Chee, Luqman Hafidz, and Saran Kumar. These young actors from different backgrounds stood out thanks to their convincing performances. theSun spoke to them on their reel ambitions to make a mark in the Malaysian film industry.

From left, Saran, Luqman and JC 

*JC. Chee J.C. (short for Jun Cherng), 26, plays Chow Kwok Keong, the captain of the Malaysian national football team who is torn between wanting to give his family a good life and pursuing his dream as a footballer. The Perlis-born J.C. started his career as a model five years ago but decided to switch to acting last year.

“You cannot be a model forever because there are always new faces who will replace you,” he says. “You need to branch out and try other things.”

So he chose to be an actor. His first film was the Taiwanese comedy drama, When a Geek Meets with a Serial Killer, released last year. OlaBola is his second film.

“Modelling and acting are totally different ball games,” he admits.

“As an actor, you will have to be in character all the time and you have to use a lot of imagination.”

 J.C. cites one scene in OlaBola where they were shooting a football match, but there was no crowd in the stadium. The crowd would be added in later using computer- generated imagery (CGI).

 “We had to pretend that we were playing to a crowd,” he recalls.

After OlaBola, J.C. will next be seen in Girl Generation, a Taiwan-Malaysia production where he plays a handsome boy who is the object of desire of all the girls in his school. The film will be due out this year. However, J.C. doesn’t want to depend on his good looks alone to shine as an actor. He says he does not mind taking on challenging roles where he doesn’t have to look dashing.

“I love eating and I could easily put on weight,” he adds with a laugh.

*Luqman Hafidz Luqman, 24, plays dedicated footballer Ali who wants to be the best player in his team. But that driving ambition somehow makes him come across as an arrogant overachiever.

“I love football,” says Luqman.

“When I heard there was a movie being made on football and the production team was looking for extras, I decided to attend the audition.”

As it was his first attempt at acting, he never expected to be offered one of the lead roles. Since then, he has been bitten by the acting bug. After this experience, the quantity surveyor is seriously considering pursuing a career in acting.

He says: “In acting, you are constantly expressing your emotions and when you do that, you are being truthful to yourself. And I loved that feeling.”

He appreciates the fact that director Chui had put his young cast through an intensive acting and football training before the cameras started rolling. Chui had three acting coaches from Taiwan to train his young cast.

“As a result, we could [deliver] a believable performance,” says Luqman.

“We worked hard, but the director worked even harder on the film.”

 Luqman also has a keen interest in music and would love to try singing.

*Saran Kumar Saran, 21, plays Muthu, the best goalkeeper on the national football team. Unfortunately, his love for the game has caused a rift between him and his father.

“I have never been interested in acting,” confesses the Kuala Lumpur-born lad who is currently pursuing a degree in electrical engineering in Universiti Tenaga Nasional. Saran was playing a friendly football game with his friends when he was spotted by a talent scout. Eventually, he bagged the role of Muthu as his first film role.

“Muthu and I are very different,” says Saran.

“Muthu is a very serious guy, and I can be funny.”

Like Luqman, Saran has also been bitten by the acting bug.

“I hope OlaBola will open up opportunities for me,” he says.

His favourite actor is Indian veteran Rajnikanth, whom he regrets not being able to see when the actor was in Malaysia last year to shoot his latest film, Kabila.

On OlaBola, Saran says the movie’s greatest strength is its multiracial cast and indirectly, that gives the film a Malaysian touch.

“OlaBola is not only about football,” he says. “It is a movie that highlights our unity as Malaysians.”

The cast in costume ... from left JC Chee, Saran and Luqman

Osman Ali's Choice

Osman Ali has directed Langit Cinta and it is currently playing in the cinemas. theSun got Osman Ali to pick his favourite 10 movies that depicts love.  The full article below ....  

Headline:  For Love & Glory

By Bissme S

A scene from Langit Cinta 

WE ALL need love in their life. Osman Ali’s Langit Cinta, currently playing in cinemas, certainly depicts this emotion. The film centres on the star-crossed romance between Khadejah, who is from a small fishing village, and Aliff, the son of a rich businessman. They marry despite his parents’ objections, but one day Aliff seemingly walks away, leaving behind Khadejah, who is now pregnant and wondering why she has been abandoned.

We asked Osman (far right) to pick 10 favourite movies that depict “this strange thing called love”. Here are his choices:

*Alaipayuthey (2000)

This Indian film, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring R Madhavan and Shalini, is about a couple who fall in love and marry without their parents’ consent. The couple soon learn that falling in love is easy but keeping a marriage afloat is hard.
“Very few movies discuss how you keep love alive in a marriage, and Mani Ratnam has done that brilliantly here,” says Osman.

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*Dil Se (1998)

Another Mani Ratnam film, this time starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Osman likes the fact that Mani has shown that even a terrorist wants to love and be loved, and how a radio producer is willing to leave behind his stable life just to love a terrorist. “Falling in love is about taking risk,” Osman says.

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*Dr Zhivago (1965)

This British-American effort directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin, is an epic love story that takes place during World War I in Russia, where a doctor is torn between his mistress and wife.

“The director has beautifully captured the scenery and the tormented emotions that the characters face,” Osman adds.

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*Suara Kekasih (1986)

This love story, directed by Ida Farida, stars Fauziah Ahmad Daud and Azmil Mustafa as a nightclub singer and rich boy, whose relationship encounters parental opposition

“I love one scene where Fauziah cries in the arms of her mother when she learns the man she loves will be marrying another woman,” says Osman.

“I have a similar scene in Langit Cinta [between Fazura and her mother] when she learns that her husband has abandoned her.”

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 *Plae Kao (1977, 2002 and 2014)

This Thai movie was remade twice after the first film under different directors and stars. The story is about two people in a small farming village falling in love despite their families hating each other. The story ends with the lovers drowning in a river in each other’s arms.

Osman, who enjoys all three versions, says: “The story will bring tears to your eyes.”

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*Romeo and Juliet (1996)

Osman loves how director Baz Luhrmann has set Shakespeare’s tragic love story in a modern setting. He also applauds the actors in the lead roles, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, for giving a brilliant performance.

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*Titanic (1997)

James Cameron’s mega-hit about a rich aristocrat and a poor artist falling in love onboard a ship that eventually strikes an iceberg and sinks, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the lead.

Osman says: “The antagonist in this love story is nature. You can see a lot of nature in Langit Cinta. “

The director also manages to prick our emotion where we pine for the lovers to be together in the end.”

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*The Notebook (2004)

This touching tale stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams under the direction of Nick Cassavetes. It’s about an elderly man at a nursing home reading a romantic story from his notebook to a fellow patient. His story centres on a poor country boy who falls in love with a rich heiress.

“What do you do when you remember every detail of your love story, but your lover keeps forgetting everything?” Osman asks.

“This is one love story that will touch your heart.”

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*Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

This Chinese film, by renowned director Zhang Yimou, stars Gong Li in the lead as a young woman named Songlian who hopes to find love and romance. Instead, she is forced to be the fourth wife of a wealthy lord played by Ma Jingwu. She must then learn to live under the strict rules of his household and compete for the attention of the master from his other concubines. “Your heart really sympathises with Songlian, and Gong Li really performed her role well,” Osman says.

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*Nang Nak (1999)

Nonzee Nimibutr directs this Thai horror-romance starring Intira Jaroenpura and Winai Kraibutr. The story is about a man who goes to war, leaving behind his pregnant wife behind. When he returns, he begins to notice something different about his wife and young child, something which has gotten all the other villagers terrified.

“Even death cannot kill love,” Osman says.

“I really admire the way the director incorporated romance and horror in the film.”