Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Tekan Minyak

TEKAN MINYAK is a 1-hour, 13-episode drama series about 5 women in the midst of middle age and post-menopause. The drama-series stars Ariati Tyeb Papar (Aini), Junaidah Eksan (Suriati), Mariana Yati (Zuraidah), Nadiah Ali (Nadia) and Rosita Hussin (Rahimah). The debut episode began telecast on Mediacorp's SURIA channel on 4 July 2018 at 9.30pm.

It would be a challenge for me to tackle this drama series that looks into the lives of 5 adult women. Certainly it would not be easy to track into the woman's psyche and treat the respective issues respectfully.

Imaging & Styling


It turned out to be a breeze because the 5 lead actresses and I had many discussions on the issues at hand. We discussed like adults and spoke openly about the script, especially on the difficult themes. On hindsight, I don't think I would be able to handle the series if this was handed to me 10-15 years ago. Tekan Minyak is an adult drama series and I don't think I would have the maturity to navigate its themes. What I like about the series is that it handled much of the issues faced daily by many contemporary Malay families head-on, ie adultery, autism, the cougar, internet bully, stalking, breadwinner, infertility, etc.

Further, many of the cast members and I go a long way. I have worked with many of them in the past. I directed and watched them develop as an actor. Many of them have also watched my style in various drama genres. Thus, it's a very comfortable working relationship from Day 1. 

Yet the cast still needed my guidance on set and I need their hindsights so that I would not go overboard with realism. It may be easy to assume that I may have an easy job on-set because of the A-list casting, thus I can lepak one corner. They may not need much guidance when it comes to performance and technicalities, but I still need to point out should they have gone off-character (yes I see the whole series character and narrative arc) or off-blocking. Worst, some actors may tend go too much acting unconsciously. I am one for the actor who wants to explore and go off-tangent and make the character their own but they still need to be guided. This applies to all-level actors, ie experienced or newbies.

Behind-the-scene

I think the biggest challenge for me directing this series was having to work through the fasting month of Ramadan. Many of the challenging scenes were filmed during the fasting month. In fact sometime during the 3-months plus principal filming, I realised I have forgotten how it feels like to be on-set and directing all 13-episodes. Somehow my health condition (from 2017) took a toll. I wasn't feeling too well physically towards the end of the filming. The joints were feeling rather tight (more of that on another blog).

It was the first time I worked with many technical crew, one of them is Mr Gopal, the director of photography. He was from India and had worked on many film sets there. I was channeling my inner Bollywood/Kollywood through much of the series and I think Mr Gopal ensured we achieved that together 😉

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4


Episode 5


Episode 6


Episode 7


Episode 8


Episode 9


Episode 10


Episode 11


Episode 12


Episode 13






Would there be a second season?

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Dadah Itu Haram

I was approached by the Dadah Itu Haram committee on collaborating for their yearly anti-narcotics outreach campaign. Dadah Itu Haram is an anti-drug campaign launched in April 2017, by Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health Amrin Amin. The campaign unites various grassroots organisations to promote anti-drug message in their respective communities.

I've had a handful of acquaintances who have been charged with the consumption and possession of narcotics. I've listened to many of their stories and these stories have common threads. The rate that an ex-offender falls back into relapse is very high. Stigma towards an ex-offender is more hurtful than the penalty itself, thus there need to have consistent education how society can help the ex-offender. the road to recovery is never easy. Being brave to face the public may be difficult but it is a positive road to recovery. Life may not return to normal for the ex-offender.


During conceptualisation, I have wanted to avoid the cliche dramatic narrative, ie, offender gets caught, stays in prison and repents, returns home to family and becomes a changed man. I wanted it to be a rather visceral approach to reproach, repentance and public opinion.

Thus I enlisted Muhammad Salihin Sulaiman Jeem, a renown Singapore-based poet, to pen the script.
MONOLOG PENYESALAN
Penyesalan ini telah lama ku telan.
Tembok batu yang telah menjeratku sekian lama,
membuat aku bertambah benci.
Benci dengan benda haram tu.
Aku pernah tersilap langkah
Kini aku mahu kembali....ke pangkuan masyarakat.
Tapi.. terasa begitu sukar sekali…. 
Teman-teman semakin menjauh,
Keluarga tidak mesra lagi.
Pekerjaan tidak lagi ku miliki.
Isteri...hmmm tak taulah…
Anak-anak, dilarang untuk aku bertemu.
Dan aku sangat merindui mereka.
“Maafkan ayah sayang….” 
Kadangkala, aku dianggap seperti najis!!. 
Seperti hampas
ku disamakan dengan benda haram tu lagi…!!
Setiap detik ketika terkandang di sangkar besi
membuat aku ingin berubah
Ia tidak semudah diucapkan.
Aku terpaksa terima padahnya
Aku bertekad. 
Aku masih punya perasaan,
Hidup ini semakin terhambat.
Aku masih lagi terikat
Kedamaian sudah hilang,
keceriaan punah terhempas.
Aku kini dalam dunia keperitan..
Bantulah aku teman, jangan biarkan aku tenggelam
Dalam kecelakaan. 
Seringkali air matu mengalir
Mengenang kisah-kisah hitam
Yang terlalu pahit untuk ku kenang
Dan entah ke brapa kali aku
Terjerat lagi ke dalam..
Dan terpaksa aku nilai
kisah-kisah yang lampau

Berikan aku semangat baru
Supaya masyarakat menerimaku.
Supaya anak ku masih mengenali diri ini
Lepaskan aku dari belenggu
Bawalah diri ini terbang jauh ……
Jauh dari pemasalahan yang ku alami…
Bebas seperti dulu lagi…
(watch the video below for English subtitles)
Event launch was covered by the Malay-language national paper Berita Harian.

Here is the video - MONOLOG PENYESALAN


My thoughts during the launch (in Malay)


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Friday, October 12, 2018

Stroke support

1 person from 18 to 80 years old suffers from stroke every hour in Singapore. Stroke affects all ages. Stroke Support Station (an Singapore-based NGO) is doing wonderful work in bringing wellness therapies ie positivity, self-esteem (among others) to stroke survivors. Most importantly, the stroke caregivers can also receive a tip or two whilst taking care of their loved ones.

I am privileged to join the advocacy to bring awareness for Stroke (Angin Ahmar in Malay).

Visit the organisation’s website for details on beneficiaries, donors and volunteers.


Stroke Support Station from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.
Writer, director: Sanif Olek
Producer: Mervyn Lim
Client: Stroke Support Station
Post-production: Flashforward Pte Ltd (Singapore)

 Mrs Teo (founder S3), Mervyn Lim (Producer)
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Monday, October 8, 2018

Luxurious dwellings

This year marked a first for me. 

Oxley Holdings, one of the leading property developers in Singapore, approached me to develop a series of marketing videos for their developments. They had watched my work in films and saw my strength in storytelling. Their marketing team wanted a different approach in their marketing.

Here are the videos


The Verandah Residences from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.






AFFINITY @ Serangoon from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.


AFFINITY @ Serangoon [sequel] from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.




AFFINITY @ Serangoon BTS (3min) from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.


The Riverfront Residences from Sanif Olek on Vimeo.

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Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Gym funkin’

It had been a long day - really long day outdoors “sightseeing” Singapore. It was both an adventure into very unique parts of the island and discovery these with potential unique angles. And I was introduced to this homegrown coffee place in the middle of the Stirling Road heartlands.

Anyways, seeing that the day had been productive, I decided that the gym was the best place to cap the day by the evening. Rae and Christian remix of Dinah Washington’s Is You Or Is You Ain’t was pumping between my ears as I walked into the hall. It was crowded but comfortable enough that one need not wait long to do whatever he wanted to do.

You will see 4 groups of guys in the gym. The first group belongs to the ones who will be hogging the free weights and in the zone. The second will be the wandering ones that wonder at how the machines work in between awkward reps and gazing at the other guys who are in the same predicament. The third will be the guys who pretend to be “busy” and telling the whole world that they have more important things to do on their smartphones than actually working out. The last will be those that are incessantly taking selfies or socialising with really lousy conversations with other guys who actually want to work out but are too kind to tell the other guy to STFU.

And there was a single unoccupied treadmill at the end of the row of treadmills just opposite the huge tv monitor. Perfect, I thought.

That trombone from Dinah’s funk was on a killer loop. Confidently I stepped onto the machine. I’m on a killer mission. The tv monitor was showing Glenda Chong and Dawn Tan on some random news of the day. But nothing could beat Dinah’s crazy funk.

And that was when this strange whiff of a smell came knocking onto my breathing space. It was a cross between stale alcohol, an early morning mouth that hasn’t been gargled for a month and a set of teeth that hasn’t been brushed with a decent toothpaste for a week. In between Dinah’s funk I was looking around for a dead lizard that could have possibly got stuck somewhere between the motors of the treadmill. Nope, nothing there.

I glanced (okey, looked) at the glass reflection in front of me. The dude next to me was sweating and panting heavily. Every time he exhaled, that special whiff brushed off my face. I tried to ignore, but no, his sexy lung air refused to go away.

While I panted (erm, gulped) and glanced at Glenda Chong and Dawn Tan pouting some very serious news of the world, my mind wondered off to a another dimension where green grasses with new-formed dew lay with hedonistic abandon early in the morning at the little HDB park downstairs and a sea of lemongrass was just starting to ejaculate its fragrance. Also I was hoping that Glenda Chong and Dawn Tan might have noticed the North Face top and Under Armour shorts that clinged onto my wet body curves. (Hey be honest, you’ve got to have some fancy motivation to head to the gym, or any other exercise, okey!)

Joe Claussell remixing Nina Simone’s Feelin’ Good didn’t bring good vibes. I pressed on while Sarah Vaughn was funking her Summertime on the UFO remix. Anita O’Day was swinging with Sing, Sing, Sing by RSL, but I’m not.

My eyes glanced at the next treadmill every time the dude adjusted his buttons on the screen. Hey, he was there exhaling his lungs when I was sauntering into the gym. So at the back of my mind, he should be done 5 mins, 10 mins tops, when I joined him... right?? The guys at Fitness Family would have pushed me to carry ong in the face of mental adversary and lousy oxygen! No pain no gain, for honour and glory! Thus I need to complete this mission.

Sarah Vaughn came back aptly with Fever - funked up by Adam Freeland. I looked at the digital screen. I realised that I’m still surviving at almost 30 minutes. I didn’t have the chance to glance at Glenda Chong and Dawn Tan when I stepped off the treadmill. I trudged away to another corner of the hall.

I took a few *really* deep, refreshing breathers. The air freshener that eluded the treadmill space was a blessing at this point. Blessed are the folks who invented air fresheners. I was still breathing and I felt blessed.

Shirley Horn was inviting herself to Come Dance With Me. Okey, let’s go Ms Horn.
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Thursday, January 11, 2018

A scene and soya beancurd


A soya bean cafe. Cool, rainy weather.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap, queuing absentmindedly. His turn next to be served by the soya bean lady at the serving counter.

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans walks in. A toddler trails behind her. She turns around and picks up the toddler. She joins queue.

I look away to take a bite at the peanut rice ball in my soya bean curd. Yes, the scene developing is not from television or film or romance novel. It’s right here at a famous soya beancurd stall.

I look up again.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap makes his order. While the soya bean lady prepares his order, big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap looks to his side.

The world freezes for 5 seconds. Petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans smiles. First.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap smiles. Unsure.

Another 5 seconds.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap: ...oh... hey..!

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans: ... heyyy....!

The world transforms into beautiful, soft bokeh.

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans: ...fancy meeting you... here.. it’s been ages.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap seems not able to sink into the moment.

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans: ...what are you doing.... erm... here..?

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap: ....errrm.... just happened to be here. How about you..?

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans: Oh I was just sending... (toddler’s name) for his checkup.

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap acknowledges. But his eyes still transfixed to petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans.

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans: (toddler’s name) say “hi uncle..!”

Soya bean lady at counter: $8.60 PLEASE...!

Big dude with oversized love handles and Beats headphones over a black cap pays for his soya bean. He takes a moment to look at toddler. His eyes strays to petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans carrying toddler. He smiles at toddler’s mother. There are 1001 things running in his head, under the Beats headphone over the black cap. He leaves but smiles at petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans carrying toddler.

A petite lady in black tudung and tight jeans carrying toddler also has 1001 things running in her head, inside the black tudung, as big dude walks away.

Her gaze strays away. She sees me watching her. I look down at my warm bowl of soya beancurd with peanut rice balls.

I dig into the bowl to take another mouthful of the rice ball in soya beancurd. Nice peanut rice balls in warm soya beancurd in nice cool rainy weather.
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Thursday, December 7, 2017

An Elite Gentlemen Golden Jamboree

25 November 2017
The moment finally arrived for me to screen the 2-part anthology The CDO Gentleman. It was a moment I had waited for close to 25 years since I ROD ORD. I braved myself to come forward for a pre-screening speech. This was a special audience. And they overwhelmed me.


This was a different crowd from the usual ‘film crowd’ that I normally speak to at film festival screenings. I’m humbled and honoured to be standing in front of almost half a century of SG Commando history. Watching me were the pioneers who carved that history, the guys who braved it all so that future generations like myself can have it ‘easier’, this was the fraternity that progressively set the standard to SG’s most elite league of gentlemen.

Most importantly these were the gentlemen who had inspired me when I was a teenager.

I had wanted to be just like one of them. I didn’t want to go for second best.

These were the guys that taught me to always strive for the best (nothing less), regardless the circumstances.

So many things I had wanted to express. While I stood there looking at these guys, I noticed that beneath all the ceremonial cliche, we are just normal folks. The years may have grazed the bite that defined us during NS but we retained that sting. The concept of camaraderie may be abstract to some people and lost to many, but when I stood there, it made sense.

It’s great to be home.


Flashback, August 2017
I received a call from CY about the upcoming Cdo Formation 48th Anniversary 2017. He watched all the videos I did for 1st Company’s 25th Anniversary on July 2017 and was especially moved by one of the videos, In Memoriam. I was asked if I would keen to do some videos for the said formation’s upcoming anniversary. CY is an administrator of a closed group exclusive for past commandos.

Almost 50 years of history.
Visual documentation.
Great Story.

I have always wanted to do a story on the Commandos. It’s a subject that intrigues the imagination and command attention regardless of the scope - as are any other stories that involved the elite military units around the world. There is a captive audience for any nugget that emerges from the fraternity.

‘Nuf said, haha.

For this project, I am interested to capture the spirit of the Commandos - the fraternity that I used to be (and still considerably) a part of.

I deliberately avoided the cliche treatment showcasing the alpha masculine bravado that the public may be familiar with. Previous documentaries missed the point about the Gentleman that makes a commando, in my humble opinion. Thus I prefer that the visuals do the talking and actual voices of past-present commandos drive the narrative.





As much as I would like to cover more stories, there are only so much I can cover. It is what the stories offer to tell rather than the quantity that matters. Doing these documentary made me discover about myself. The process has also reconnected myself and my buddies. Yes we are still in contact and I wouldn't want to trade these relationship with anything else. They were there when I was a naive young adult in National Service and they are still here 25 years later.

The Commandos have a mantra - we don't leave anyone behind.

An episode happened during the production of these videos. These brothers rallied together to turn around the issue. I shall not dwell on it here but this insert serves to remind me later on when I come back to this story. Thank you brothers, I am forever grateful. You know who you are. 

The stint in the elite unit and wearing the red beret have moulded me into somebody that the young teenager version of myself will be proud of.

Thank You to everyone involved who had made this herculean task possible. For Honour and Glory!

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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

A madrasah celebrates 80 years

I have always been curious about the madrasah. As I was attending Anglo-Chinese School, a Methodist institution, during secondary school, I was juggling with part-time madrasah studies at Masjid Assyakirin. The interest piqued when I made the short film, AMEEN [2010]*, that completes my anthology called, The Love Trilogy.

*World Premiere; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
*Official Selection; Montreal World Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

Down the line, there have been so many developments with regards to the local madrasah curriculum within the context of the Singapore education system. Their relevance and existence within the current socio-political climate have always been threatened. At present, there are six madrasahs in Singapore that offer full-time curriculums. The oldest, Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah, had recently celebrated their 90th year anniversary in late November 2017.

I was introduced to Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah through a mutual friend. I met the administration with zero expectations. My first impression of the staff was one that was very welcoming. Everyone we spoke to had warm dispositions. I remembered one notable incident was when 2 students from the madrasah were assaulted by a mentally-disturbed individual outside their school compound. The school reacted to the incident calmly without much fanfare.

During the discussions, I explained to the administration where I was coming from - that my strength is in narrative storytelling, I proposed that their video steer away from the “typical” corporate video that sells nothing but hardsell data one may find easily on Google. I was pleasantly surprised that my proposal to bring the stories of individuals that went through Al-Maarif, individuals that make Al-Maarif, Al-Maarif - was received constructively.

I was looking for that quintessential element that threads all these stories. I found that in one of the canteen stall operators - an individual the students affectionately called Cik Milah. I found the stories of how the madrasah continued to harness the best regardless of limited resources (compared to secular mainstream schools), and staying positive through the years, intriguing. I find how the students find inspiration from the pioneers, inspiring.

The results of these stories are compiled into a 15-min, beautifully crafted story.



Thank you to the administration of Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah for giving me the chance and ibadah to craft their story - 80 years of very important Singapore history. I walked away with a new sense of discovery to the vast progress that Singapore madrasahs have achieved. 

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