I was approached by a cohort of students who will be taking 'A' Levels in 2020 with regards to my experience making Singapore films in Malay.
The questions and my responses are reproduced below.
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1. Having made the first local Malay feature film (Sayang Disayang) since independence, we understand that the local Malay film industry is still a fledgling one. Hence, we would love to hear your insights about the importance of building up a Malay film industry in the predominantly Chinese/English local film industry.
I made my first short film LOST SOLE, in 2005. Prior to that there was personal turmoil every time I attended film festivals that were organised locally. There was this frustration of not being able to see the Singapore-Malay voice being represented onscreen at these regular screenings. Perhaps the short film, DATURA (1999), by the late Abdul Nizam Khan, was the rare film that came closest to having a Singapore-Malay representation on screen. There was a chasm between the last Malay film produced during post-independence Singapore. In the 10 years since I graduated from film school in 1996, there was a dearth in Malay-centric films made by Singaporeans. Upon graduation I dived straight into television, producing and eventually directing television programmes of diverse genres. Despite my tv commitments, I still found time to reconnect with local cinema production by attending film festivals here.
Cinema is all about communal connection. While I could relate to the humanity in the narratives, I could not empathise with the racial-representations onscreen then. Television gives me access to practice diverse narrative techniques. However, local television does not allow me to fully articulate my thoughts about my community, because of respective broadcasting restrictions. Deep down I knew that if I did not start, no one else was going to do it - thus the impetus to make LOST SOLE. LOST SOLE was also an exercise to express the Baweanese roots of my Malay heritage. In 2005 (and to an extent up to now) regulations restrict any authentic expression of dialects on local television, other than the national languages consisting of Chinese Malay, Indian and English. Occasionally I was also inspired by a couple of young Singapore-Chinese filmmakers who reconnected with their dialects via their films then. I was pleasantly surprised that LOST SOLE received positive, critical responses from the international film festivals.
Nevertheless, I had to do extra work of explaining to the international audience that the culture they were watching onscreen is unique to the Singapore experience and Singapore-Malay identity is different from those in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Since LOST SOLE, I have deliberately made Singapore films anchored in the Malay point-of-view, because this aspect of the Singapore story is the one that I’m most familiar with and are able to tell respectfully. It’s also to keep the Singapore-Malay representation consistent. Furthermore, it's empowering when you embrace your unique identity and are able to tell about it.
2. In your opinion, do you think that the overshadowing of local Malay films by foreign films is a cause of the lack of a Malay film industry in Singapore? Could you share with us about how you have tried to overcome this and whether you face any challenges in doing so?
Before we go into the impact of international films (ie big-budget Hollywood, Hindi or Korean blockbusters, or even films from Malaysia or Indonesia) we need to look at how local audiences are consuming our own local films by Singapore filmmakers. The Singapore-Chinese holds the largest demography in Singapore. Secondly, as much as it is 2020, much of the mainstream media (ie national paper, television, etc) is produced largely by Singapore-Chinese content producers. Many are not familiar with the movers and shakers in the non-Chinese community. When you are not familiar with the ground, you avoid risks. The large film producers in Singapore are still profit-based. The demand and appeal of the films are still based on the demography of the audience. Malay and Indian-centric Singapore films are perceived to have difficulty to sell locally. These are real challengers that are faced by Singaporeans who want to make Malay or Indian-centric Singapore films.
I still find many instances (that I find problematic) with being labelled as a “Malay” filmmaker when I’m being featured in a national/mainstream outlet. A Singapore-Chinese artist would be identified simply as “Singapore” artist/musician/filmmaker. This mindset needs to change immediately. Outlets for artists in Singapore are already limited and we do not need this labelling at the headlines to further segregate ourselves as Singaporeans. Let the audience decide what they want to consume. We do not need the content editors to define race and ethnicity while calling ourselves “one Singapore”. This practise is not healthy for Singapore in the long-run. Furthermore, as long as you are Singaporeans regardless of Chinese, Malay and Indian, we have the same 21st century sensibilities, post-baby boomers.
Another aspect of filmmaking that many people are not aware of is that the process from writing a script to the first day of shooting takes about 2-4 years – minimum. Many filmmakers became disheartened by the constant rejections and subsequently leave the industry. Filmmaking is a constant personal battle. If you are resilient and persistent, your film will get made eventually. This is one of the biggest challenges as filmmakers. Not many Singaporeans want to invest 2-4 years of their lives just knocking on doors. We are conditioned as a society to be economically pragmatic.
3. From our primary research, we found out that despite growing international recognition, locals remain less supportive of local films due to “bad acting”, “low budget”, “low quality” and “less interesting content” compared to foreign films. What are your thoughts on this and how ground-up initiatives could possibly help you change this public mindset and improve audience demand?
The appreciation for Singapore films (or any other artistic practices and the respective artists) needs to begin at national school curriculums. Educators need to explore and challenge themselves with film/arts literacy and perhaps share this exploration with their students. Singapore is not lacking in quality and nuanced artists, storytellers and filmmakers. It can also start at community grassroots level. This nurturing needs to be consistent.
Importantly, when discussing Singapore films, one cannot take films by Marvel Studios or ones starring Dwayne Johnson as yardsticks. Filmmaking is an expression of humanity and humanity is complex. There is no one way to present humanity. One does not compare Beethoven with Abigail Sin and Henri Matisse with Georgette Chen. These artists are distinct in their backgrounds and processes. The "Singapore chilli crab" - it’s only when Singaporeans claim its Chilli Crab is the best, that tourists will be drawn to the dish. It’s only when Singaporeans have pride in their heritage that non-locals will be curious to savour our locally-produced goods.
On the impression to “bad acting”, I observe many Singapore actors cannot differentiate between television acting and acting for film. Many of them has their grounding in television – understandably because television in Singapore is a major medium for dramas and one where many actors find regular work. It's also not helpful that the young generation of actors looks up to the veterans who themselves are craddled in the "technical" television acting process. The cycle continues. One cannot just translate the acting nuances for television into films. When you literally translate such acting processes, bad acting is inevitable.
4. Do you feel that there is currently enough/sustainable talent in the local film industry (both shorts and feature films), including from supporting roles such as acting, sound, editing, cinematography etc.? What do you think can be improved to expand the talent pool for local films, and/or Malay films in particular?
Singapore has a large pool of qualified artists and film technicians. What is probably lacking is the budget and recognition (see point 2) of Singapore artists. I was the pioneer batch of graduates from the Film, Sound and Video Department of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. In the almost 28 years since the inception of FSV, the department has produced alumni that have won prestigious international recognition. NTU has a BA programme in film and media. The Institute of Technical Education has had cohorts of students trained in film technical support (ie grips, gaffers, sound recordists, digital wranglers etc) for many years already. We have local arts institutions, like NAFA and LASELLE that trained many actors you see on screen and on stage. Many that are trained overseas worked in major films, ie The Dark Knight, Fifth Element and Crazy Rich Asians, and the London staging of Madame Butterfly. We have a sound engineer who was Grammy-nominated. We have animators who were in the secondary teams in Oscar-nominated animated films. Singapore theatre groups are constantly showcasing actors’ performances.
A couple of Singapore-Malay actors are superstars in Malaysia. My own Malay-centric Singapore films have been screened on the international film circuit. I personally know several Singaporean-Malays who are running the top television networks in Malaysia. In the Hollywood-produced film Crazy Rich Asians, there was a deliberate effort by IMDA to include Singaporean cast members and technical filming crew as part of the deal for the film to be made in Singapore. This is a productive effort to have Singapore artists and crew to be involved on international platforms. However it is not enough for Singaporeans to be a crew on international film productions, they need aspire to be on the top-of-line creatives of these international films.
5. Are there any official/unofficial networks or platforms to scout for talent in different areas? Do you face any challenges looking for the “right people” to work with?
There are several casting groups on Facebook. These are mostly initiated by the actors themselves. There are also several groups that cater to the allocation of technical crew. However, with regards to casting, many film producers look for actors who have marquee value in order to sell the films. These marquee actors are those names that you see headlining a film. Screenwriters and directors like myself usually have in mind a particular person to play a certain character while writing the script. This choice is the result of many years of networking and personal friendships inculcated from previous collaborations on sets. Of course, film producers who have bigger budgets may request for a relatively famous cast. That always comes with higher fees.
6. The short film industry in Singapore has been relatively successful and budding filmmakers get to hone their skills and get a head start in their feature film careers. While there are many shorts produced each year with several winning international accolades, do you think there is a huge gap between the transition from short films to feature films, and whether any areas can be improved to smoothen this transition for aspiring filmmakers? (e.g. funding, finding manpower, skill/knowledge)
From personal experience, the work processes between short films and feature films are distinctive. The transition to feature film was a humbling process. While many young filmmakers aspire to make the passion feature film, many have this misconception that a feature film is just an extension of a short film.
Short film and feature film are as distinct as making scones and cheesecakes. One may think that with a handful of good shorts, one can immediately transition to make a feature. A feature film requires a higher level of maturity in writing and perspective. The process should not be rushed. The majority of filmmakers in the rest of the world do their best work when they are in their fifties and onwards.
When asked what makes a good film, Alfred Hitchcock said, “Story, story, story”. Many Singapore filmmakers make the mistake of rushing into a feature with a half-baked story.
7. What are your thoughts on promoting local Malay films to tourists as a means to raise the awareness and visibility of local films overseas for better market expansion to eg. Malaysia?
This is certainly a good idea. However, I have to caution that filmmaking, regardless of the medium of language, is not about selling to tourists first. Shakespeare wrote “King Lear”, “Macbeth” and “Anthony and Cleopatra” while quarantined when London was in lockdown during the plague and he certainly didn’t intent to write his plays to sell to tourists, nor did Beethoven when he wrote Fur Elise. As mentioned in point 3, tourists only flock to a local product when the locals themselves have embraced that product. Pretty films without soul do not sell. To reiterate, Singaporeans need to educate one another that we make stories primarily to embrace ourselves first and then throw it out there for the world audience to connect in the name of humanity. A good story is a good story and will appeal and ultimately sell to anywhere in the world regardless of language.
8. Are there any other areas that ground-up initiatives could potentially work on to improve the prospects of local Malay films succeeding locally and/or overseas? (e.g. film education/literacy, publicity/promotions, gathering public feedback/ideas about film content, platforms for showcasing your works)
Cinema is a communal experience where audiences take comfort in the shared humanity. Parents and national schools also need to inculcate value in creative storytelling right from the start.
In summary,
1. Education on film literacy.
2. Mainstream media to cease labelling filmmakers (and artists) based on ethnicity.
3. Focus on creative storytelling from a young age, and constant emphasis on the importance of the Story in narrative films. Technology is secondary and a bonus.
4. Film schools to include modules on film marketing as an add-on to compulsory film modules.
