Read! Fest 2021

I will be speaking at the upcoming Read! Fest 2021 (25 June - 18 July 2021).
Date: 4 July 2021, Sunday
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

“Sanif Olek akan berkongsi bagaimana di Asia Tenggara, pengusaha perfileman berusaha memperolehi semula suara mereka dalam filem.”

Synopsis

“Gambaran terawal tentang orang Asia di dalam filem telah dirakam semasa era kolonial. Berdasarkan rekod arkib, orang Asia muncul dalam visual bergerak sejak 1896 di dalam sebuah dokumentari Amerika. Di Hollywood, orang Asia mula kelihatan di skrin pawagam pada 1914. Namun, untuk sekian lama, mereka dipaparkan menurut persepsi etnosentrik penduduk Asia Tenggara dan bukannya berdasarkan budaya, adat resam dan perilaku mereka yang realistik dan autentik. Dalam sesi ini, Sanif Olek akan berkongsi bagaimana di Asia Tenggara, pengusaha perfileman berusaha memperolehi semula suara mereka dan perwakilan dalam filem.”

This programme is inspired by “Mitos Peribumi Malas”, a featured title of Read! Fest 2021.

Basically, I’ll be speaking about how Asian filmmakers these days (aka someone like moi) are getting woke, lah. We are reclaiming our voices and identities into our films - deconstructing the film representions of Malay/Asians by the Ang Mohs.

About Read! Fest 2021

Read! Fest 2021 invites you on a forward-looking journey of self-discovery. With the theme of Reboot, take a moment to re-examine and refresh your lenses on day-to-day aspects that shape our lives.

Anchored by 12 key books and topics, Read! Fest will host over 60 programmes – from talks by world-renowned authors to workshops and experiences – each curated to immerse you in a world of thoughtful ideas for our time.

From myths and minimalism to work and womanhood, stretch out to explore new worlds and perspectives. Where will you find yourself?

To book your free seats and more details about Read! Fest 2021, kindly check this link.

By the way I was asked to speak in Malay - we shall see how that goes.

Sunsets in PENDEKAR "The Warrior"

I’ve been receiving LOTS of queries on the 2 sunset scenes in my film PENDEKAR.

Yes we shot those scenes within a very short window time frame, ie 15-20mins, just before the sun disappeared from the horizon. 

I was blessed with 3 things,

1. The weather was perfect. It was hot and humid the whole day. Thus when the weather is such, ie no rain, the clouds were clear, somehow you just prayed that the sunset will be awesome. We were blessed with the perfect sunset. It could have gone the other way (because Singapore weather is nuts for filming). It will always be 50-50 so you just had to take chances and hope for the best. The sunset scenes were shot over two days.

2. I was blessed to have a team of wonderful cast and crew. We knew we were on a very complicated window time frame. Everyone was on the ball and knew what they were in for. Every single one knew what they were supposed to do, and to quote one of my former trainers - “very automatic”.

A special mention to the filming crew for being so kickass.

3. When you have perfect “money” shots, I’ve decided that to go forward, the film deserved a good post-production treatment. My gratitude to everyone at the post house. You’ll need the best to achieve the best. My platoon sergeant once (no, in fact many many times) said - “may as well go all out or don’t do it at all”. I can never thank the post production team enough for giving that useful lift to turn the already awesome footages into something phenomenal. And for always being soo accommodating. So paisey every time I sent that little text or email.

(Just in case you’re wondering why I quoted my ex-trainers twice… it’s because they were legends and many of my army peers reading this can grudgingly agree on)

My apologies for digressing. 

Back to PENDEKAR. If you haven’t watched it yet, please do yourself a favour to watch it. You may not understand poetry (many of us don’t either), but PENDEKAR is meant to be universal. I take inspiration from lots of martial arts films by Zhang Yimou and many of his contemporaries from China. PENDEKAR is truly a cross-cultural piece regardless your background. It’s a little snapshot of Singapore cinema when it’s given room to breathe. Thanks to Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay for giving that space.

Now, please watch PENDEKAR on your biggest monitor you have if you haven’t done so. And just marvel at the glorious beauty brought to you I am proud to say, by a production team that’s one of the best in Singapore - not I say one but many industry folks and the international awards say one (that’s if you’re clueless about Singapore production). Stay to watch the end credits to see who these folks are to have blessed Singapore with such cinematic highs right now.

The film premieres on 10 June, Thursday, 8pm

(Available online until 27 Jun, Sun, 11.59pm).

Watch PENDEKAR here.

PENDEKAR "The Warrior"

In May 2021, I was approached by The Esplanade for a commissioned project. The theme is to revolve the Nusantara. After much thought, I have decided to go cultural by incorporating Silat, the Malay martial arts, and Puisi Sajak, or Malay poetry.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

I am constantly exploring the Singapore Malay identity. In adapting Tuah and Jebat, popular heroic figures from The Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu), questions about these identities are deconstructed and redefined as their roles and timelines are subverted. In Pendekar, Jebat has seen much of the world. He is weary but wise. Tuah is young, idealistic and zestful. They both are still on a journey of self discovery.

I have always been inspired my the martial arts films from Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou and his contemporaries. He brings beauty and ballet into each of his scenes. The framing and mis-en-sene looks like a Chinese painting. Film like Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Shadow are mesmerising masterpieces from Zhang Yimou. I have always been intrigue by movement in performance art. 

Incorporating silat would be a good opportunity to channel that inspiration. To top it, I decided that the puisi sajak is a good way to round off the visual essay about warriors and soul of a nation.

PENDEKAR SYNOPSIS
“Transported to the modern world, Tuah learns how to navigate his new environment while reflecting upon his existence. In his journey, he meets Jebat, an encounter that causes a shift in his perspective.”

Screenplay & direction: Sanif Olek
Production: reeljuice
Director of Photography: Sofyan Daud Mohamed
Martial Arts: Perguruan Silat Harimau Minangkabau Singapura (Tiger Silat Minangkabau Association of Singapore)
Poetry: Muhammad Salihin Sulaiman Jeem
Voice: Joe Jasmi
Translation: Suhaimi Nasrain
Post-production: Gravitate Pte Ltd

Premieres on 10 June, Thursday, 8pm

Thank you to Each and Everyone who made this beautiful project possible.

Watch the PENDEKAR trailer here.