film-directors-from-malaysia

"My late grandmother used to say that the most damning thing is when good people remain unaware of the bad they have done. That, to me, is the theme of 'Mencari Rahmat'. Society often acts cruelly without realising it. It expounds further the notion that humanity’s worst enemy is itself. In 'Mencari Rahmat' I add that humanity’s worst enemy is society itself."

"I once watched a production of Arthur Miller’s 'Death of a Salesman', done in translation. I had a problem relating with what I was watching when the character Willy Loman spoke in Malay but referred to places like Brooklyn and New York. I felt detached while watching it. It was here that the importance of adaptation was affirmed for me."

"There are two adaptations of play scripts for films that I love – 'Long Day’s Journey Into the Night', directed by Sidney Lumet from the play script of Eugene O’Neill and 'Throne of Blood', directed by Akira Kurosawa from Shakespeare’s 'Macbeth'. Sidney Lumet was incredibly brave in representing O’ Neill’s play without any changes. This was my inspiration when producing the film 'Mencari Rahmat'. I used the original script of the stage production without any changes. Lumet proved this could be done successfully. 'Throne of Blood', meanwhile, is an example of how a work from the West can be adapted for the cultures of the East. Most important was its subject, which remained relevant even as the cultures were very different. Kurosawa gave me the confidence that this could be done."

"Many have reminded me that directors like Wong Kar Wai have directed their films without a screenplay. But it must be remembered that Wong Kar Wai emerged as a filmmaker following a period as a scriptwriter who had written hundreds of scripts for television. He has understood and become synergised with the process of shaping a screenplay. The art of the screenplay is very important, and the neglect of it is one of the principal problems with filmmaking in Malaysia."

"I don’t make films specifically for Malaysia, but I make films to tell you something about humanity."

"If some people in power here were to think, oh no you’re smaller and you’re weaker, my job is to take care of you, then might not be a bad place. It is simplistic, but I think there is some truth in that. (discussing humility and power dynamics in art, filmmaking, screenwriting, Malaysia and the World)"

"I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying, especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool. Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh, and the ability to eat and drink."

"People of-course, only ever people. (How she finds inspiration for her stories and her characters?)"

"It's rare to find a woman filmmaker in Muslim society, and even rarer when she is an outspoken talent unafraid of controversy."

"Ahmad's films are deeply inspired by the Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu and display scenes of everyday life with a depth of emotion. The Yasmin Ahmad retrospective was a unique opportunity for the people of Hawaii to hear stories from a part of the world that often goes underreported here in the west."

"There is something very important we have to realize and understand from Yasmin's commercials; something that reminds us that we're actually made of the same blood. We are all the same: boy or girl, women or men, women's rights or men's rights. There's no difference; ultimately we're all human and we all have rights. Her commercials allow us to reflect on that common ground."

"A filmmaker who could take on serious topics such as racism and intolerance with wit, intelligence and humour, who documented and celebrated Malaysian multiculturalism, exploring its taboos with compassion."

"I can't say for certain if my static camera influence came from the cinema of Japan, Iran, or certain cinematic traditions of Europe. I admire films that uphold real sentiments, and I daresay I don't much care which country they come from, for as long as they engage me on some human level. In fact, if I had to cite my greatest cinematic hero and influence of all, I would have to say it was Charlie Chaplin."

"Chaplin always infuses humor with great drama. I think that what life is. Life is never just humorous, never just tragic."

"I never look for trouble, just making a film."

"For me today, the most important filmmaker alive, for me personally is Pedro Almodóvar. Because he takes people on the fringes of society and they are bizarre. And If you read about them in the newspapers, you would think they were criminals. But in an Almodóvar film, you forgive them and you even learn to love them, which I think is closer to godliness, than making a film about good people running around."

"Believing in an idea is dangerous! Because belief is absolute, and absolute, is unconditional, it is supreme, its ultimate and therefore fixed, which by definition will never be acceptable to change.'"

"A director is some what like a referee in a soccer match of sorts; ensuring all players play within the rules and boundaries of the game. His game."

"Far away....? Not really. Neither here nor there. No sky up high......, No nothing below.. LIMBO."

"Invest your time, spend less of it, cause you simply can't afford it. Once spent, this time have you, gone will it be, somewhere in history."

"Choices, the greatest power we have, Choices, the path which is destiny, Choices, the result which is you... .'"

"Courage is defined as: the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. Many of today’s world leaders have great courage: I wonder... would we be better off with cowardice?"

"Creativity is not the domain of one single person. Through free-association of thoughts and brainstorming, an accidental suggestion can be the best solution."