PENDATANG 2023
Malaysia’s first entirely crowdfunded movie premiered on YouTube on Dec 21.
The Cantonese-language movie is a dystopian thriller that dwells on what would happen if resentment between Malaysia’s different races is not checked and left to fester.
It is set in the future where a Segregation Act divides ethnic groups into tightly separated and controlled areas.
The plot involves a Chinese-Malaysian family who is ordered to relocate to a wooden house previously owned by Malays in a rural area after a traffic offence.
The family’s ordeal starts when they come across a young Malay girl who is lost. This is because under the new law, anyone found guilty of mingling with other races risk 25 years’ imprisonment.
In an interview posted on YouTube, scriptwriter Lim Boon Siang said the story is inspired by the general feeling among Malaysians of all races that they are victims in their own country.
“Many of us pretend that everything is fine by enclosing ourselves in our own bubbles. So, it is these barriers and invisible walls between the races that serve as inspiration to the story,” he said.
He also hoped Malaysians will not take each other for granted and start reaching out to other races and work towards building a better Malaysia based on mutual respect and compassion.
On why the team decided to choose crowdfunding to raise the RM300,000 to make the movie instead of traditionally sourcing for funders, co-producer James Chong said the team felt that the movie needed to be faithful to its script, as traditional funding channels may have imposed limitations on its creative direction.
“YouTube is a ubiquitous platform for video content and most people can access it as long as there is an internet connection,” director Ng Ken Kin said.
He said that given its subject, the film would have never passed screening for national cinematic release by the Film Censorship Board (LPF).
“We also want those outside the country to watch it. Basically, we want to reach as many people as possible.”
The film was produced by Kuman Pictures with co-producers Amir Muhammad and Chong.
The Cantonese-language movie is a dystopian thriller that dwells on what would happen if resentment between Malaysia’s different races is not checked and left to fester.
It is set in the future where a Segregation Act divides ethnic groups into tightly separated and controlled areas.
The plot involves a Chinese-Malaysian family who is ordered to relocate to a wooden house previously owned by Malays in a rural area after a traffic offence.
The family’s ordeal starts when they come across a young Malay girl who is lost. This is because under the new law, anyone found guilty of mingling with other races risk 25 years’ imprisonment.
In an interview posted on YouTube, scriptwriter Lim Boon Siang said the story is inspired by the general feeling among Malaysians of all races that they are victims in their own country.
“Many of us pretend that everything is fine by enclosing ourselves in our own bubbles. So, it is these barriers and invisible walls between the races that serve as inspiration to the story,” he said.
He also hoped Malaysians will not take each other for granted and start reaching out to other races and work towards building a better Malaysia based on mutual respect and compassion.
On why the team decided to choose crowdfunding to raise the RM300,000 to make the movie instead of traditionally sourcing for funders, co-producer James Chong said the team felt that the movie needed to be faithful to its script, as traditional funding channels may have imposed limitations on its creative direction.
“YouTube is a ubiquitous platform for video content and most people can access it as long as there is an internet connection,” director Ng Ken Kin said.
He said that given its subject, the film would have never passed screening for national cinematic release by the Film Censorship Board (LPF).
“We also want those outside the country to watch it. Basically, we want to reach as many people as possible.”
The film was produced by Kuman Pictures with co-producers Amir Muhammad and Chong.