U Thought music video

After months of delays and conceptualisation, here it is.

The music video.



Post-production at Flashforward Films (Singapore).

Thank you Mark Bonafide and Slate Entertainment. Finally, my thanks to all the hardworking production team (technical and make-up) and the beautiful cast.

Sayang Disayang - a film review (via The Hollywood Reporter)

This article is reproduced from a review by Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter. Read the original review here.

Singapore's Oscar submission revolves around an Indonesian domestic helper melting her crabby, wheelchair-bound employer's veneer

For the second consecutive year, Singapore was represented on the Oscars' best foreign-language film longlist by a feature revolving around the struggle of a foreign domestic helper in accommodating the demands of her taxing employer. But that's where the similarities end: While Anthony Chen's 2012 Cannes prize-winner Ilo Ilo was a realist drama tackling the Southeast Asian city-state's economic meltdown in the late 1990s, Sanif Olek's Sayang Disayang - which, like Chen's film, failed to eventually make the Academy's shortlist - is a dreamy, sensual and feel-good romance drama nearly devoid of social commentary but gushing with beautiful sights and sounds.

Having traveled around the festival circuit since making its bow in late 2013 - a journey including stops around Southeast Asia, Hawaii and even Mexico - Sayang Disayang draws heavily on Singapore's historical and cultural legacy as part of the Malay archipelago. Featuring many renditions of classic ballads from decades past, the film takes its title from a legendary Malay-language ballad penned by Zubir Said for Rachun Dunia, a 1950 Singaporean film about a traditional family torn apart by modern vices. Olek's top-billing here is Rahim Razali, a veteran Malaysian actor-director-sports commentator, and there are close-ups aplenty of meticulous preparations of Malay food, specifically the delicacy of sambal goreng. With the film being a celebration of a part of Singapore's self-proclaimed multi-ethnic social fabric, it's hardly a surprise that Singapore Airlines has chosen to pick it up as part of its in-flight program.

To Olek's credit, Sayang Disayang - a lovelorn refrain that could be roughly translated as "Dear, oh dear" - appears much more lavish than its modest, partly crowdfunded budget would suggest, thanks to the first-time feature-filmmaker's eye for the poetic visual and his cinematographers M Senthilnathan and Vincent Wong. Their lighting and lensing brings out the melancholy in the Khaiz Noor and Jerry Tan-designed house in which most of the film is set. In effect, this is a story about two souls confined indoors: Razali's wheelchair-bound Harun is deprived of the public standing he once had as a neighborhood elder, while Indonesian caretaker Murni (Singaporean thespian-teacher Aidli Mosbit) remains attached to her roots in Aceh and is dismayed about not being able to bear witness to the changes in her village, which was stricken by the deadly tsunami in December 2004.

Murni's gentle culinary caressing of spring onions and spices, however, reveals another level of yearning at play. Somehow she has fallen for Harun, despite his demeaning remarks about her rural background and an all-around crabbiness brought about in part by his son's decision to relocate to Australia. What follows is a slow and gentle chronicle of the pair's evolving bond, with Harun's conversion stemming from his recollection (for the viewer's benefit, mostly) of the tragedy that left him widowed, and the reconciliation with what he has in his possession now.

With Razali and Mosbit delivering carefully calibrated performances, Olek could have easily allowed sensibility and sensuality to run amok. And the film is indeed at its most mesmerizing during its dialogue-free, narrative-defying sequences; the elaboration of the story through flashbacks actually undermines the magic of it all, the expositions carrying a slight whiff of soapy schmaltz. That's a minor quibble, perhaps, in an impressive debut from a filmmaker sensitive to his own culture and to the possibilities of rendering cinematic the traditions he holds dear.

Production company: Reeljuice
Cast: Rahim Razali, Aidli Mosbit, Asnida Daud
Director: Sanif Olek
Screenwriters: Gene Sha Rudyn, Sanif Olek
Producer: Sanif Olek
Directors of photography: M Senthilnathan, Vincent Wong
Interior designers: Khaiz Noor, Jerry Tan
Costume designer: Norehan Fong-Harun
Editor: Sanif Olek
International Sales: Reeljuice
In Malay and Indonesian
No rating; 70 minutes

Sayang Thailand!

To mark 50 years of endearing diplomatic relations between ‪Singapore‬ and ‪Thailand‬, SAYANG DISAYANG (Singapore's ‪entry at Oscars2015‬: Best Foreign Language) has been invited to be part of this historic occasion. I am much honoured.

A noteworthy entry is 2013's "Sayang Disayang" ("My Beloved Dearest"), the first Malay film produced in Singapore since the city declared independence in 1965. Directed by Sanif Olek, it is the tender portrait of the slowly developing relationship between an embittered, disabled elderly Muslim widower and his Indonesian housekeeper. Frequently prone to burst out in song, the stout maid Murni remains ever cheerful, despite her employer's refusal to accept that her diligent daily preparation of the traditional spicy dish sambal goreng is as good or maybe even better than his late wife's. "Sayang Disayang" won several accolades on the festival circuit, and was Singapore's submission to this year's Academy Awards.

[THE NATION, Thailand]

SAYANG DISAYANG screens on 21 and 23 May at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld in ‪Bangkok‬. More details here.

The spicy sambal goreng and tomyam certainly make delectable company.

MASTERA | SAKAT 2014 (amended 2015)

This paper was originally presented at the Seminar Kesusasteraan Antarabangsa Asia Tenggara (SAKAT) by the Majlis Sastera Asia Tenggara (MASTERA), Brunei Darussalam on 18 September 2014.

SASTERA GLOBALISASI DAN TRANSNATIONALISME

Sanif Olek

Abstrak: Bagaimanakah penerbit filem Melayu Nusantara dapat membentuk identiti mereka tersendiri di pentas antarabangsa seperti Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Ang Lee, Satyajit Ray, Amitabh Bachchan dan Aishwarya Rai? Ramai peminat filem Melayu di Singapura berpendapat bahawa puncak filem Melayu era P Ramlee yang menjadi pujaan di layar perak tidak mungkin dapat dicapai lagi. Namun, adakah relevan untuk kita membincangkan tentang ‘era gemilang’ filem-filem Melayu dalam konteks Singapura hari ini? Perbincangan kita sewajarnya tertumpu kepada perkembangan filem ber-identiti Nusantara yang boleh bersaing dengan filem-filem Bollywood atau Cina.

Pengenalan

Saya ingin terlebih dahulu merakamkan penghargaan kepada Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad, seorang sasterawan dan budayawan negara Singapura, yang telah mencungkil jiwa dan membuka minda saya tentang pentingnya peranan anak watan Melayu untuk menegakkan bahasa dan budaya ibundanya.

Dalam konteks Singapura hari ini, jarang sekali kita dengar orang Melayu kita bertutur dalam bahasa ibundanya. Semasa saya membesar, saya dikelilingi rakan-rakan bangsa asing. Orang tua saya juga menggalakkan saya supaya bergaul dengan orang yang bukan Melayu. Saya dibesarkan dalam keadaan yang serba tidak berkemampuan. Ibu bapa saya merupakan pekerja kolar biru. Mereka berpendapat bahawa jika anak-anak mereka fasih berbahasa Inggeris, kami dapat bersaing dengan bangsa lain di Singapura. Bahasa Inggeris memainkan peranan yang penting dalam urusan harian kita di Singapura. Walau bagaimanapun, ini tidak bermakna yang saya lupa dan tidak mengerti bahasa Melayu kerana sememangnya saya orang Melayu.

Berbalik semula kepada Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad, beliau pernah memberi nasihat yang hingga kini masih saya pegang: "Biar bual Melayunya kurang, asal jangan hilang jiwa dan bahasanya."

Layar Perak Singapura

Masih ramai pencinta filem Melayu beranggapan bahawa zaman kegemilangan atau ‘Golden Age’ layar perak Melayu ialah semasa studio Shaw Brothers dan Cathay Keris menerbitkan filem-filem Melayu. Kedua-dua studio tersebut bertapak di Jalan Ampas dan Jalan Buloh Perindu di Singapura yang pada ketika itu sebahagian dari Malaya. Ketika itu, penerbit atau pengarah filem seperti P Ramlee, M Amin dan Hussein Haniff amat prolifik. Selaras dengan lingua-franca era tersebut, semua filem-filem mereka adalah dalam bahasa Melayu. Banyak adengan dalam filem-filem tersebut mengupas mengenai kehidupan orang Melayu. Banyak dialog filem mengandungi sindiran tentang masyarakat Melayu. Teguran yang disampaikan secara santai dan menghiburkan mendapat sokongan dari masyarakat umum. Sambutan yang kuat memberi keuntungan yang besar kepada studio-studio tersebut. Sebelum P Ramlee, Hussein Haniff dan M Amin dikenali, filem-filem Melayu diterbitkan oleh pengarah dan kakitangan studio yang dijemput khas dari luar Malaya. Jalan cerita filem-filem tersebut banyak disesuaikan dari cerita-cerita asing seperti yang tertera dalam filem-filem Laila Majnun dan Chinta.

Ramai pengarah yang diundang khas tidak fasih dalam bahasa dan budaya Melayu. Jadi, studio-studio menggajikan penduduk tempatan sebagai pembantu pengarah dan kakitangan studio. Tugas mereka ialah untuk menyesuaikan cerita asing tersebut untuk santapan jiwa Melayu. Lama-kelamaan, kakitangan studio menjadi mahir disebabkan oleh latihan yang diberikan. Kakitangan yang berbakat seperti P Ramlee dan M Amin kemudiannya mendapat keyakinan daripada studio dan dinaikkan pangkat menjadi pengarah. P Ramlee dan M Amin memulakan kerjaya mereka sebagai pengarah dengan filem Penarik Beca dan filem Lancang Kuning. Dari situlah bermula era gemilang bagi layar perak Melayu. Ini ialah kerana filem-filem seperti Ibu Mertuaku, Antara Dua Darjat dan Semerah Padi adalah karya yang dihasilkan dari kaca mata dan jiwa orang Melayu sendiri. Selain cerita yang direka asal, terdapat juga sastera dan lagenda Melayu yang disesuaikan untuk filem seperti Hikayat Hang Tuah, Lancang Kuning, Dang Anom dan Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup.

Menjelang akhirnya zaman Malaya, pembikinan filem di Singapura jatuh menjunam apabila Shaw Brothers menutup studio dan berpindah ke Hong Kong pada tahun 1967. Studio Cathay-Keris pula ditutup pada tahun 1972. Kebanyakan artis Melayu dan pengarah filem dari kedua-dua studio telah berpindah ke Malaysia. Sebagai rakyat bumiputra di Malaysia, artis-artis Melayu menerima penghormatan dan kehidupan yang lebih senang. Artis-artis yang memutuskan untuk terus menetap di Singapura pula mengalami kesusahan, hidup mereka melarat; mereka merempat bagaikan anak kucing yang ditinggalkan ibu.

Walaupun industri perfileman di Malaysia berakar dan berkembang, industri filem di Singapura terbantut. Apabila Singapura berpisah dari Malaysia pada 1965, Singapura lebih mementingkan hal-hal pembinaan negara. Seni dan budaya, termasuk pembikinan filem dianggap perkara yang remeh. Pada masa yang sama, televisyen telah mula bertapak. Pengendali pawagam menayangkan filem-filem dari Hollywood dan Bollywood kerana filem-filem tersebut membawa keuntungan yang lebih besar. Sedang perindustrian semakin rancak, penghasilan filem-filem di Singapura kering-kontang, malap berjerebu.

Lost Sole

Pada akhir tahun 2005, saya telah menerbitkan sebuah filem pendek, Lost Sole mengenai Haji Sabtu yang kehilangan seliparnya selepas solat Jumaat. Filem pendek ini telah meraih penerimaan lebih tiga puluh festival filem antarabangsa termasuk di Amerika Utara, Eropah, Afrika, Australia dan Nusantara. Ia mendapat dua anugerah filem terbaik dari Iran dan India. Lost Sole disampaikan dalam bahasa Bawean and Melayu. Idea ini tercetus semasa pendebatan bahawa bahasa lain selain daripada bahasa rasmi iaitu Bahasa Melayu, Tamil, Mandarin dan Bahasa Inggeris, tidak digalakkan dalam media massa. Ia juga merupakan kali pertama dimana bahasa dialek Bawean telah digunakan dalam penyiaran dramatik di Singapura.

Lost Sole telah juga ditayangkan di Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) di New York. Pada tahun 2009, penulis prolifik dan penerbit filem Malaysia, Amir Muhammad, memperkenalkan Lost Sole sebagai satu filem Melayu yang akan mencetuskan fenomena di layar perak Melayu di Singapura. Bagi saya, ini merupakan detik penting kerana dunia kini mula menumpukan perhatian kepada ‘suara Melayu’ dalam layar perak dari Singapura.

Tanggapan

Pengiktirafan Lost Sole membuka mata saya tentang persepsi masyarakat yang kurang arif tentang filem Melayu Singapura. Semasa sesi tayangan, saya sering ditanyakan soalan-soalan mengenali perbezaan di antara “Malay, Malaya and Malaysia” (Melayu, Tanah Melayu dan Malaysia). Ada kalanya, saya juga terpaksa menanya balik kepada si penanya, "Kenapa ada orang yang berkulit gelap di Singapura?"

Pernah suatu ketika dahulu, ramai orang berketurunan Bawean di Singapura tidak mahu dan malu untuk mengaku bahawa diri mereka orang Bawean. Ramai generasi pelopor Singapura keturunan Bawean dikatakan suka berdukun dan menyimpan saka. Maka itu, kita sering dengar cerita-cerita orang Bawean yang berjaya hanya kerana mereka menggunakan kuasa ghaib. Dikatakan juga yang ramai masyarakat bangsa Cina suka tinggal di kalangan orang Melayu berketurunan Bawean kerana mereka ingin mendapat tuah dalam loteri. Perkara ini sangat ironik kerana ramai para ulama Islam di Singapura berketurunan Bawean.

Lost Sole diterbitkan sepuluh tahun selepas saya lulus dari sekolah filem pada tahun 1996. Saya memulakan kerjaya saya dalam televisyen dimana saya telah menerima banyak anugerah dalam bidang arahan, dan saya juga telah menghasilkan banyak program televisyen yang mempunyai rating yang tinggi. Saya rasa, pengakuan yang saya berketurunan Bawean telah ‘membuka mata’ ramai orang. Saya juga merasakan bahawa Lost Sole adalah satu sebab yang saya telah dianugerahkan ‘Bawean Teladan’ pada tahun 2010 oleh Persatuan Bawean Singapura – saya merupakan penerima ke-enam dan termuda. Saya juga bersyukur kerana pada awal tahun 2014, masyarakat Bawean telah diberi penghormatan sebagai kumpulan etnik Melayu yang pertama untuk mempamerkan kebudayaan kita dalam pameran LAAOBE (Sudah Berubah), anjuran Lembaga Warisan Negara (National Heritage Board) di Taman Warisan Melayu.

Filem Melayu dan Nusantara

Kekurangan ikon yang dikenali dunia menyebabkan layar perak Melayu tidak diberi perhatian bila filem-filem Melayu dibawa ke peringkat antarabangsa. Layar perak Cina mempunyai Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, kungfu dan Ang Lee. Layar perak India pula mempunyai Bollywood, Satyajit Ray, A Rahman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan dan Aishwarya Rai. Adakah Nusantara mampu mengeluarkan ikon layar perak yang boleh mewakili filem Melayu di persada dunia?

Filem Melayu Singapura Bangkit

Sayang Disayang

Filem ‘putar-panjang’, Sayang Disayang, adalah sebuah ‘naskah’ yang merangkuli semua aspek Nusantara yang kaya dengan khazanah makanan, muzik dan tata susilanya dalam satu wadah. Filem ini ialah mengenai keluhan pembantu rumah, Murni, yang mencari-cari ramuan khas sambal goreng untuk dimasak supaya dapat mengembirakan majikannya.

Seperti Lost Sole, saya mendapat banyak pertanyaan dan cemuhan tentang filem Sayang Disayang. Seorang penceramah mendakwa bahawa istilah ‘Nusantara’ hanya merangkumi tanah Indonesia. Beliau juga menambahkan bahawa sambal goreng adalah “hak” mereka. Ramai orang Melayu di Malaysia merujuk kepada negara Singapura dengan nama Inggerisnya, Singapore. Ramai pelakon dan penulis skrip Malaysia mendebatkan penggunaan istilah ‘bilang’ yang lebih senang digunakan di Singapura daripada istilah ‘cakap’. Ada penonton yang meminta penjelasan mengapakah lagu Indonesia seperti Si Jali-Jali dan Pesan Kakek disaingkan dengan lagu Sayang Disayang oleh Pak Zubir Said (kelahiran tanah Sumatra Barat) dari Singapura dan Hanya Menari oleh penyanyi Imran Ajmain, seorang artis kelahiran Singapura yang menetap di Malaysia. Ramai penonton Melayu juga mempersoalkan pemilihan Aidli Mosbit (yang melakonkan watak Murni dari Aceh) kerana beliau tidak kelihatan cukup keIndonesiaan.

Tin Kosong

Filem pendek Tin Kosong saya telah diadaptasikan daripada sebuah cerpen tulisan Muhammad Salihin Sulaiman, penerima hadiah Golden Point Award (National Arts Council) dan PENA-MAS (Cikgu Ariff Ahmad Foundation). Ia adalah satu projek filem oleh Majlis Kebudayaan Seni Singapura (National Arts Council) untuk Festival Penulis Singapura (Singapore Writers Festival) 2014. Filem ini mengisahkan tentang seorang warga tua yang bekerja sebagai seorang karung guni yang mengumpulkan barang yang dibuang orang untuk dijual. Bagi saya, ini adalah projek filem pertama saya di mana ceritanya diambil dari bahan sastera yang telah diterbitkan.

Proses penterjemahan kandungan buku kepada wadah visual bukanlah satu perkara yang mudah. Kaca mata pembuat filem berlainan dari kaca mata penulis asal cerita. Namun begitu, filem adaptasi itu masih mengandungi intipati cerita asalnya. Dalam sesi tayangan filem ini, ramai penonton seolah-olah tidak menyedari sumbangan besar penyanyi malar hijau R Azmi kepada muzik pop Melayu pada zaman era Malaya. Lagu Kalau Ke Singapura oleh R Azmi telah digunakan dalam filem Tin Kosong dalam satu adengan muzikal ala Bollywood. (Film review)

Persimpangan

Pada tahun 1993, Polyteknik Ngee Ann telah menubuhkan Jabatan Filem, Bunyi dan Video yang menawarkan kursus perfileman. Kursus ini merupakan kursus perintis bidang perfileman di Singapura. Sebanyak empat puluh pelajar telah diterima untuk kursus Diploma tersebut. Pada 2014, selain daripada Polyteknik Ngee Ann, Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) dan Universiti Teknologi Nanyang (NTU) juga menawarkan kursus perfileman di peringkat sijil dan ijazah. Kursus-kursus filem juga diluaskan ke sekolah-sekolah tersebut untuk menjadikan Singapura sebagai pusat media yang unggul di Asia Tenggara.

Namun, kita kini menghadapi beberapa cabaran-cabaran baru. Adakah bilangan graduan filem selaris dengan kualiti filem yang dihasilkan? Sering diperdebatkan bahawa dalam dunia perfileman, daya naluri (aptitude) lebih penting dari kertas kelayakan. Ada juga yang berpendapat bahawa kertas kelayakan dari sekolah perfileman penting sebagai ilmu asas bagi mereka yang ingin bertapak dalam seni tersebut. Pengarah Hollywood terkenal, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino dan Christopher Nolan, pernah mengatakan bahawa mereka menganggap sekolah perfileman tidak berfaedah kerana filem lebih berkesan jika dipelajari dengan hanya menonton banyak filem.

           

            Namun demikian, saya percaya bahawa setiap ilmu teori yang dipelajari itu penting kerana ia memberi asas mengenai teknik dalam filem dan segi perfileman. Dari situlah, si pembuat filem boleh menimbangkan tentang cara yang paling berkesan bila mereka membuat filem kelak.

Hakikat wadah filem sememangnya ialah untuk bercerita. Teknologi mungkin memudahkan cara membuat filem, tetapi “Story is King”, yang paling penting adalah ceritanya. Alfred Hitchcock pernah berkata, “Skrip, skrip dan skrip adalah perkara yang anda perlukan untuk buat filem berkesan.”

Kamera DSLR telah menunjukkan yang filem boleh dibuat oleh sesiapa sahaja yang mempunyai alat video digital boleh ‘buat filem’. Memang seronok bila kita lihat semakin ramai yang merakamkan luahan jiwa masing-masing dalam wadah filem. Tetapi, ramai yang tidak tahu bahawa apa yang mereka rakamkan dalam kamera tidak semestinya berinti dan bernilai. Ilmu untuk membuat filem bukan hanya terletak pada daya ‘cukup muat’ dengan suntingan yang mewah (flashy edits) dan kesan khas (special effects).

Kesimpulan

Apabila kita menonton layar perak dari Cina dan Bollywood-India, kita sering kagum dengan ikon-ikon mereka seperti Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Ang Lee, Amitabh Bachchan dan Aiswarya Rai. Mungkin sudah tiba masanya layar perak Melayu-Nusantara bersatu untuk menerbitkan satu identiti yang ikonik dan dikenali di peringkat antarabangsa. Apabila kita bincangkan tentang filem-filem Nusantara yang kononnya serumpun, konteks perbincangan tersebut terhad pada satu-satunya negeri seperti Malaysia dan Indonesia. Ramaikan orang di Indonesia kenal dengan Aaron Aziz? Dan ramaikah orang di Singapura dan Malaysia yang kenal dengan Reza Rahardian?

Segelintir golongan romantis filem Melayu Singapura dan Malaysia merungut bahawa ‘zaman kegemilangan’ layar perak Melayu sudah lenyap dengan pemergian P Ramlee. Kononnya kemahiran P Ramlee dan ahli-ahli seangkatannya tidak mampu ditiru oleh orang Melayu zaman ini. Tetapi, dengan arus sosio-konteks sekarang, adakah tepat untuk kita mengaitkan filem-filem hasil zaman tersebut dengan filem-filem Melayu zaman sekarang?

Alangkah menariknya sekiranya kita dapat pergi ke era lima puluh tahun hadapan dan bertanyakan kepada masyarakat Melayu pada zaman itu tentang ‘kegemilangan’ filem Melayu (zaman ini). Apakah yang mungkin mereka katakan?

Nota:

Setakat ini, Singapura telah menerbitkan dua filem putar-panjang jiwa Melayu; Sayang Disayang (2014, reeljuice films) dan Banting (2014, Papahan Films). Sayang Disayang telah dipilih sebagai filem yang mewakili Singapura ke Academy Awards®/ Oscars® 2015 dalam kategori Filem Terbaik Bahasa Asing. Ia adalah filem berbahasa Melayu yang pertama dihantar untuk mewakili Singapura.

Sanif Olek merupakan seorang penerbit-pengarah filem dan drama televisyen sejak 1996. Ketua konsultan reeljuice, Singapura. Filem arahannya, Sayang Disayang, mewakili Singapura ke Oscars® 2015 dalam kategori Filem Bahasa Asing Terbaik.

It's a great way to fly, Sayang.

I am very proud that my feature film, Sayang Disayang, is now screening inflight since February 2015 on all Singapore Airlines flights. It is an honour to be associated with the esteemed national carrier.

Here is an article that appears on Krisworld (February 2015), Singapore Airlines' inflight entertainment magazine. Sayang Disayang also receives the red thumbs-up by the magazine. Thank you so much!

Thus when you #flySQ, kindly look out for my film. Sayang Disayang is Singapore's entry at the 2015 Oscars (Best Foreign Language Film).

It's a great way to fly!

Pesta Perdana 2015 #PestaPerdana13

It was an evening full of blessings. The 13th edition of Pesta Perdana, Mediacorp's biannual prestigious television event where awards are handed to the the most deserving and popular in Singapore's Malay television, was held on 11 April 2015.

I received the award for "Best Directing" in a Drama Series. The drama in question is season 2 of BINGIT. The 2 episodes I directed deal with sexual addiction. 

(Photo credit: Mediacorp Suria)

(Photo credit: Mediacorp Suria)

Unlike previous speech moments in past Pesta Perdana, I have learnt to KISS (Keep It Short Stupid), haha! Thank you to Mediacorp's Eaglevision for the opportunity to work on this important series - largely because I have the chance to bring forward this scarcely-discussed, challenging issue within the local Asian, Malay and Muslim community to the mainstream. My gratitude to the professional leads, Siti Hajar and Nick Mikhail. Also to the production crew (i.e. Sofyan 'lontong' and his crew) for being my important second eye. Filming for these episodes was made more challenging because the production took place during the Ramadan of 2014. 

This is the 5th award I received in this category. Similar awards were received previously in the same television event. Alhamdulillah.

(Photo credit: Mediacorp Suria)

(Photo credit: Mediacorp Suria)

Prata Nights

It's one of those humid late nights where a freshly-made onion-egg prata (or two) would be the perfect night cap for this hungry heartlander. Thus hungry heartlander left flat and walked to the nearby prata shop where the friendly prata seller recognize hungry heartlander by name. Approaching the familiar friendly prata shop, hungry heartlander began to hear curses (of the 7 powerful words of a certain dialect variety - you know, the type that cursed your maternal roots) echoed along the walkway. Hungry heartlander walked to where the verbal abuses came from and thus identified the source of those 7 most powerful dialect words. Angry man was hurling those 7 powerful words (in various order yet, colourful nonetheless) at friendly prata man. It didn't take long to find out that angry man was furious that he was being (over)charged (?) S$8 for a murtabak. Angry man even began to flick his cigarette butt to friendly prata man. But friendly prata man kept his cool. 

The hungry heartlander - well he needed to order his onion-egg prata regardless, so had no choice but to stand next to angry man while the latter continued to hurl his powerful 7 dialect colourful words. As hungry heartlander stood at the counter, he could tell that angry man have had too much alcohol - thanks to the humid night breeze that blew at hungry heartlander on the face. 

That was when angry man tried to mimic hungry heartlander as he made his order, but as they said, the dog that barks the loudest is not the most ferocious (and it's useless to get into a brawl with a man whose only vocabulary was various versions of the 7 most powerful dialect words, really), thus hungry heartlander just kept his cool. But not before hungry heartlander's hungry stared hard at alcohol-laden, angry man with the 7 most powerful dialect words. True enough, like a harmless attention-seeking puppy, angry man walked away, rambling on with his 7 most powerful dialect words.

While savouring the onion-egg prata, hungry heartlander realised the ban on public consumption of alcohol between 2230-0700 daily in Singapore began this evening (April 1, 2015). Perhaps angry man was not aware. Perhaps angry man got his fix from greedy alcohol seller. Oh, did I mention that he was also smoking? Perhaps he missed the legal memo that said smoking indoors is banned too. For the longest time, such abuses in blue-collar estates where 80% of Singapreans live are common affairs, perhaps it's great to have such alcohol ban to protect innocent friendly prata seller and hungry heartlanders. 

You're welcome.

Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew, the 1st former Prime Minister of Singapore passed away on 23 March 2015 at 0318hrs while most of the country was asleep .

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Mar 22, 2015 at 1:30pm PDT

I don't have the chance to know Lee Kuan Yew personally (other than the fiery speeches and clever rebuttals to questions in the media), but every time I see a lapel mic it takes me back to a time when I first started in this industry in 1996.

You see, I was an AP in a cheap production and there was no proper soundman in the room. Being the only person in the room who actually had some semblance of technical knowledge in sound (yeah Ngee Ann Polytchnic's FSV taught me well haha but I digress) I had the opportunity to fix this on Lee Kuan Yew personally. Yeah I fixed a mic onto his shirt and taped it near The Man's skin. 

To say I was starstruck was a huge understatement. He sensed this but what happened next carried me to this day.

He said, "JUST DO YOUR JOB...!".

Well it might not mean so much to you reading this but at that moment, I remembered he stared at me for a second, but there was also this sincerity to see me (I think he knew I was a 'newbie') treat him like a normal person - hard to describe in words.

At the end of the interview, he called my name (he remembered my name!) and said,"I hope I wasn't being hard on you, I want to see you succeed".

I wish the iPhone was invented in 1996 so I could take a selfie with him, but it was a different time.

This is the first time I shared this experience - ever. This memory has been too intimate for me and as you can see I've kept it for so long. Perhaps his passing is the right time for me to share the Lee Kuan Yew I knew as a person, albeit fleetingly.

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Mar 28, 2015 at 12:43am PDT

He left behind a too huge legacy that will be pointless for me to state here (Google will be more helpful). Personally, I have never favoured some of his policies nor his brand of "Hard Truths". 

Nevertheless, one can never negate this badass for taking Singapore out of its seemingly hopeless Third World status during the sixties and turning it into a squeaky clean Southeast Asian, First World nation that some of its neighbours (and many other bigger nations around the world) can only emulate.

He led by trading emotion for economics, ideals for pragmatism and compassion for politics.

"He fought for its better instincts even when the evidence was ambiguous..." Henry A. Kissinger, on Lee Kuan Yew.

Pesta Perdana 13

So it is here again.

The biggest prom night in Singapore Malay television - The Pesta Perdana. This edition of the awards ceremony will also commemorate fifty years of television in Singapore.

What's the best part about being nominated "Best Director" in a television series at the upcoming ‪Pesta Perdana 13‬? 

That ALL key people involved are also being nominated, because that's what ‪collaboration‬ is all about. Whatever the outcome, I've never considered myself the "Best" but I've been blessed to have collaborated with such gifted ensemble to bring out the best in everyone in the given circumstances.

Thus, congrats to Siti Hajar Abdul Gani, Nick Mikhail (Best Lead Actress and Actor respectively), Sofyan Daud Mohamed (Best DOP), post-production outfit-Flashforward Films (Best Editing) in "Bingit2; Fantasi Biru" (Best Drama Series). Also Seri Jaes, Zaidi Ibrahim (Best Lead Actress and Actor respectively) and Junaidah Eksan (Best Supporting Actress) in "Raya Bersama". 

I am truly blessed to be in great company with kickass artistes and creatives all around who are already winners. 

I'm humbled and thankful. ‪Alhamdulillah‬.

The results will be announced on 11 April 2015.

SAF50

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Feb 12, 2015 at 2:48am PST

To the sceptics in my community, I do not feel I ever need to justify myself on my involvement in SAF50. I am fully aware of the politics (read your Singapore social history books) and speculation of me being enlisted in the Singapore Armed Forces's 1st Commando Battalion. 

At the same time, I do not wish to apologise for being narcissistic about my experience in this elite military unit either (visit my Instagram, haha).

As citizens of a nation we are all subjected to national politics.

Importantly I would like to address that on a personal level, the experience in the unit has taught me to 'grow up', to be decisive, to be professional in execution and a smart soldier. Many may have warped perspectives of what wearing the red beret is all about. but the experience also taught me about compassion for humanity and loyalty. Back in National Service, we were different people from different backgrounds, raised in different environments were thrown together. It was the only time when one meets different people, people whom you otherwise wouldn’t have met by keeping to your own social group. I am privileged to be part of the esteemed and be trained alongside legendary men of character.

I may not agree with some of the national policies but I really care about my role as a contributing citizen of Singapore, thus it is my right to care for my country to defend it regardless of my vocation. In a democracy, loyalty to the country does not mean I need to be loyal to its governing policies.

Singapore is my home. 2015 marks the 50th year of the Singapore Armed Forces. The force has achieved so much since its inception - being formed in 1965 during Singapore's independence. Today we are being recognised as a strong and professional armed forces in the region and as a Singaporean, I am proud to be part of it. 

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Dec 30, 2014 at 10:51am PST

My thoughts on SAF50  

(Questions by the Ministry of Defence)

Some people have said that SAF training in the past was tougher than the present. What is your opinion on this?

In the past - the first generations of the army - many of the soldiers existed in a climate where training to be soldiers meant unquestioned regimental authority, individuality was secondary and fleeting self-reflexivity suppressed. The mantra to “sweat more during training to bleed less during war” further validated the idea that the self takes a backseat to achieve group goals. There was no social media where soldiers make their grievances public. I remember when I was a trainee, there was a saying among the senior trainers that in the old SAF, soldiers die for the country, whereas in the new SAF there is a danger that soldiers live for himself because authority is regularly being questioned. 

The trainers stressed that training needed to be more about building rugged, mental strength and survivability during war, rather than one that is driven by monetary incentives. The soldier prioritised team objectives and thinks for his country and nation. In war, battle will proceed regardless if the weather is CAT 1 or CAT 3. 

We often hear cases of a seemingly fit soldier dropping out - perhaps they have not trained hard enough. Thus, when push comes to shove they over exert and fall out or even drop dead. 

Too much dependence on gadgets may also negate initiative and hamper natural, ground-survival instincts that are imperative during battle. When batteries for gadgets run flat or touchscreens crack, the soldier can only depend on his natural instincts to complete a task and sustain his survival at the battle zone.  

All these perhaps made the older generations of soldiers perceptively, better soldiers. 

Share two defining moments – one positive, the other negative – in your SAF experience. 

The first defining, positive, moment was when I received my Red Beret. Throughout history, the Red Beret Commando represents one of the ultimate achievement that a soldier can receive in the army. For me, it was not just about personal achievement and glory, it was a bittersweet and humbling moment to be associated with glorious soldiers whose dedication to honour and excellence is second to none. I think deep down I shed tears of joy (and still is) at this accomplishment. It was also a moment when I understood the meaning of brotherhood and camaraderie, regardless of “race, language and religion”. In any battle, we seek to complete the task regardless of circumstances. Most importantly in the process, our bond grew tight that in any circumstances we never, ever leave a brother behind. 

The second defining moment, perhaps a negative one, was the constant physical and mental struggle I faced while going through the training towards achieving the Red Beret. There was often the self-doubt if I could suceed the gruelling tasks. All the tests conducted in the commando unit were always a notch higher compared to other infantry units. Besides that, being one of the rare Malay/Muslim person in the unit carried another level of expectations. I had to validate (albeit unnecessarily) my engagement and prove myself that my achievements in the unit were something that my community can be proud of. Nevertheless, my fellow trainees truly made the race issue insignificant, because in their eyes I was one of the brothers and as brothers, we needed to accomplish the rigorous training together. We treated one another unequivocally as fellow soldier. 

How have these instances and your SAF experience generally contributed to you as a person?

In the eyes of the public, being a commando may certainly put me in higher regard. Even as a civilian, the manner I carry myself personally and professionally personify the high expectations one would expect of an elite soldier. The mental conditioning during full time National Service makes a commando someone who can complete a task regardless of the circumstances. The nature of our ops made us mentally prepared for contingencies. Trust and integrity are second nature. As all commandos also are vocationally cross-trained, we tend to have the mental capacity to multitask. We are in many ways, seen as leaders.

In all these instances I have learnt that in life, respect is earned, never given. 

How has your SAF experience connected you to people and society?

In the commandos we were taught to appreciate everything that life has to offer and to respect fellow human being regardless of their background in society. As many operations in the unit are done in small groups, I learnt that collaboration and tolerance are keys to connect with people. In professional capacities, I thrive as a leader who listens to collaborators and surbodinates yet firm in making decisions. I think these traits have allowed me to achieve many things as a professional creative director. 

The diverse people I come in contact professionally and personally has made me evolve into someone with the capacity to empathise and be respectful of diverse perspectives. The only way to succeed and be ahead in life is to have the capacity to constantly view things differently out of the box. 

Imagine, within your experience, Singapore without the SAF. What do you see?

Without the SAF, each Singaporean will still need to oversee the basic aspect of national defence - to honour our citizenship.  

We need to honour our duty as responsible and disciplined Singaporeans. It is only when every single citizen have a clear idea of this commonality as Singaporeans that we can stand together as one people in camaraderie. What we may lack in technical defence machinery, we can stand together to rise against the enemy in common spirit as Singaporeans because history showed that the spirit of the mind can withstand further than all technology put together. 

How would you like to see the SAF develop?

I would like to see the SAF as a sophisticated organisation where each soldier first and foremost understand the reason for the need to defend Singapore - not just the superficial, vague notion to defend itself from an enemy, but also the need to appreciate why we are defending it.  

We may overwhelm the potential aggressor with the latest machinery but in my humble opinion, this is rather too simplistic. The human condition is bigger than that. The SAF can only be successful when socially, all Singaporeans are not ambivalent about its purpose. Every Singaporean citizen can contribute as individual, regardless of their background without prejudice, to the national defence. It is only when every citizen have a sense of belonging that everyone has the compulsion to protect our homeland - together - as Singaporeans.

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Dec 1, 2013 at 9:25am PST

A photo posted by Sanif Olek (@sanifee) on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:53am PST

Berita Harian; 19 February 2015 (click picture to read article)