AS a film buff – I wear glasses not because I strained my eyes being studious or a bookworm but because as a teenager I used to watch rented VHS tapes of films in the dark too near to the TV screen– I am always excited when a new Malaysian film that explores new themes or territories emerges, especially if it’s by an emerging filmmaker.

As an artist I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and collaborating with some of the Malaysian New Wave independent filmmakers – a scene that was kickstarted by the seminal core quartet of the late Yasmin Ahmad, Ho Yuhang, Amir Muhammad and James Lee, who led the charge in the early 2000s  and whose artistic visions and interpretations of Malaysia were more in line with the complex soul of the nation than most mainstream cinema that preceded the movement.

This independence and drive, of course, would not have happened if not for the digitalisation of filmmaking which made filmmaking more affordable (compared to celluloid which was costly in its analogue makeup) and most importantly democratized the different and varied voices of Malaysian stories unlike before.

So, I was really excited to recently bump into a Malaysian Film – who wishes to remain anonymous and prefers the “it” pronoun – while I was doing groceries at my regular wet market in nearby Kajang.

After we had done our rounds, I asked if it would be free for a quick chat over teh tarik at a nearby Mamak. It preferred white coffee in the morning, so we headed instead to a kopitiam nearby.

Azmyl Yunor (AY): Good morning, Malaysian Film, how have you been?

Malaysian Film (MF): I’ve been good, but I must admit it was hard to exist during the pandemic when productions and shoots were disallowed – I went through a serious existential crisis, of course, because of it since my whole existence revolves around shoots and production crews!

AY: Oh yes, a lot of my filmmaker friends who really struggled to get by during the first MCO, literally hanging by a thread since there was no cash flow at all.

MF: It was crazy indeed, but you know just being an artist in this country is a lesson in resilience, which I think you can relate to as an artist. Nobody tells you how tough it is to stay true to your inner voice especially for someone like me who is costly to create and maintain – I am very high maintenance even though I exist in a digital realm now.

AY: We don’t have a strong film culture, do we?

MF: Well, it depends on what you mean by “film culture”. If it means Malaysians love watching movies, then the culture is vibrant but most Malaysians tend to consume the fast food of films: Hollywood. However, if “film culture” means a large audience who appreciates film as an art form that is a mirror of ourselves as a society and a critique of our own local films, then we are very much malnourished.

AY: That’s a good point – so by default you definitely exist in the latter definition of “film culture”, correct?

MF: Well, yes and no. My preferred pseudonym for this interview - “Malaysian Film” – itself should be problematised by questioning the first word itself: “Malaysian”. What does it mean to be Malaysian? Nobody should accept me at face value without questioning this. I’ve had so much to deal with – criticism mainly – when I voiced the experience of many Malaysians, especially minorities. But when I put on my flashy voice which plays to the script by the ruling hegemony, I get so much financing it’s crazy but the money goes to other people not involved in making me.

AY: Is it a case of Malaysians just being very passive consumers of entertainment media rather than being cerebral and seeking to look “deeper”? 

MF: Again, yes and no. I always told my filmmakers and other films that the VCD and DVD pirates are way more knowledgeable about films than those people who work in a legit video or DVD store because they have to cater to the broader taste and this reveals that a lot of Malaysians do love their arthouse films and whatnot. But there’s also a large segment that just loves their popcorn Hollywood flicks.

AY: I actually knew a DVD pirate who was saving up to study filmmaking abroad.

MF: Interesting! Yes, as much as it’s tempting to blame Malaysians as lazy consumers who love fluff, it is important to also understand that still waters run deep – Malaysians are generally acutely aware of what is allowed and what isn’t and as a Malaysian Film, I am the target of not only the censors but also religious zealots and opportunistic politicians who point the finger at me and declares “You are not Malaysian culture!” which is really offensive to me and annoying.

AY: As an art form, you are the most complete since you are the embodiment of the long history of the visual arts, theatre, performing arts, photography, sound and music, and most importantly technology. Do you think these brickbats you have faced are borne out of some form of insecurity, especially from those in power?

MF: Oh yes, of course. For example, sex scenes aren’t allowed in me or other films – is this trying to imply that Malaysians do not have sex? In fact, you don’t have to even go as far sex scenes, even kissing is not allowed. Even corruption took a long time to make its way onto the big screen until Nam Ron’s brilliant “One Two Jaga” hit the screens a couple years back – the filmmakers collaborated with the police to work on the content apparently and that film is a good example of how power and creativity can coexist.  I just hung out with “One Two Jaga” the other night. It’s doing fine, very happy to have found a home on Netflix. A lot of other Malaysian Films have been forgotten since streaming became the norm. Don’t ban or censor us – we are the mirror of you.

Just as it finished that sentence, its smartphone rang to indicate its Grab ride had arrived. I offered to “belanja” Malaysian Film and it left a parting message for filmmakers out there.

“Keep on telling your stories – big budget, small budget, no budget, short form, long form, whatever. We need MORE stories, not less. Everyone’s got a film camera in your pockets now – your smartphones. Be fearless storytellers!” – March 25, 2022.

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.