MALAYSIAN SHORTS: Dec 15 & Dec 16

The latest MALAYSIAN SHORTS is back! About a dozen new short films directed by Malaysians — for the world! Curated by Diffan Norman & Amir Muhammad. Screening Sunday 15 December, 5-7pm as part of ART FOR GRABS: RIGHTING MALAYSIA at the Annexe Gallery, Central Market KL. FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/326649644139672/ The same programme will be shown at our usual venue (HELP University auditorium, Pusat Bandar Damansara KL) on Monday 16 December starting at 8:15pm. Admission is free & all are welcome. THE LINE-UP: 1) DAIN by Isyraqi Yahya (11 min) 2) Rumah/ Tok by Azharr Rudin (10 min) 3) Strength by James Toh & Michael Chen (14 min) 4) The Sempiternal by Ainan Cawley (2 min) 5) Soli by Adrienne Marcus Raja (10 min) 6) Gong Xi Fa Cai 2012 Part 1 & 2 by Andrew Stiff (7 min) 7) Dream Cradle by Nadira Ilana (13 min) 8) Mist by Sidney Chan (4min) 9) Basikal Biru by Nawfal Zamri (11 min) 10) Monsters by Fairul Nizam (3 min) 11) Crossing The Arctic by Zahariz Khuzaimah (12 min) TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 97 min * Meet many of the directors! Vote for your 3 favourite shorts of the evening!

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Penang short films for George Town Literary Fest

I am choosing short films to show in the 2nd annual George Town Literary Festival which will take place 29 November - 1 December in a few venues in the beautiful capital city of Penang.

I am particularly interested to show new work set in Penang.

If you have a short film made in 2013 — fiction, documentary, experimental, animation — set in Penang and/or with a Penang theme, do send me an email at matahari.books@gmail.com . Of course, you are welcome to start making a new short right now!

Minimum length: 1 minute. Maximum length: 20 minutes. Works not in English will require English subtitles.

Deadline 1 November 2013. Upload your short on Youtube & Vimeo and then send me a Facebook message with the password/link. Selected shorts will be announced by 8 November. (Depending on the number of entries received, it may not be possible to screen everything.)

There will be two public screenings of short films during the festival, open to the public. Ideally the filmmakers should also be present to take part in a short discussion after the screenings. 

I look forward to your entries!

My 1994 interview with Elmore Leonard

The American writer who died recently left an indelible impact and is being mourned worldwide now. Nothing for me to add, except maybe this: The first scene in Freaky Deaky, the one that ends with 'ceiling' — that IS how it's done.

Here are 3 shorts by a new director named Yuga J Vardhan

He observes well, his empathy shines through and I am so glad he made them.

He is planning his first feature film (the final short here is a documentary sketch he made while researching it) and this is cause for even more optimism.

My interview with Usman Awang from 1998

The above was published on 2 December 1998 in the New Straits Times. 

It was the only time I ever met him.

Almost 15 years later (who wouldda thunk it!) I now publish a collection of his short fiction and poetry:

I wanted the title to have 'nakal' because the word 'kenakalan' is the one I remember most from the introduction to a compilation of his which was published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, and which I read as a teenager. I thought it was an odd word to use for someone with the venerable title of Sasterawan Negara. But when I read the contents of that book (especially that poem with the pun on 'punai') I appreciated how apt it could be. (But it was much later that I came across his short story "Betisnya Bunting Padi" and was pleasantly startled by its – but I suppose this is a spoiler – homoeroticism). I initially thought of Kerja-Kerja Nakal as a title but the editor of this selection Hafiz Hamzah wisely changed it to Yang Nakal-Nakal.

Thanks so much to Haslina Usman for consenting to this project!

More details on Yang Nakal-Nakal here. It launches this Sunday. 

Box-office figures for the first 25 local movies of the year

1. HUSIN, MON & JIN PAKAI TONCIT – RM5.89 million

2 = THE WEDDING DIARY 2 – RM4.61 million

2 = ONCE UPON A TIME – RM4.61 million

4. ROCK OO – RM3.95 million

5. JUVANA – RM2.86 million

6. MINYAK DAGU – RM2.37 million

7. LAWAK KE DER? – RM1.66 million

8. LANGGAR – RM1.6 million

9. WAWA SEMPUT – RM1.48 million

10. GANGSTER CELUP – RM1.33 million

11. KERAT 14 – RM1.1 million

12. SEMBUNYI – RM880,000

13. BISIKAN SYAITAN – RM790,000

14. 2 KALIMAH – RM670,000

15. BOLA KAMPUNG THE MOVIE – RM610,000

16 = KECOH HANTU RAYA TOK CHAI – RM520,000

16 = GILA-GILA REMAJA 2 – RM520,000

18. MENCARI CINTA – RM350,000

19. 99 KALI RINDU – RM290,000

20 = AWAN DANIA THE MOVIE – RM200,000

20 = PADA SUATU CINTA DAHULU – RM200,000

22. CERITA KITA – RM180,000

23. PAPER MOON – RM170,000

24. OPS KOSSA DAPPA 3 – RM70,000

25. KALIYUGHA – RM23,000

THE BIG DURIAN (2003), THE YEAR OF LIVING VICARIOUSLY (2005) and LELAKI KOMUNIS TERAKHIR (THE LAST COMMUNIST) (2006) all on Youtube

If you've never seen any of them, I suggest viewing in chronological order :-)