Sunday August 23, 2009
The colours of Malaysia
By RIZAL JOHAN
More interesting aspects of Malaysian life will be presented to the world through a series of documentaries on Discovery Channel this Merdeka.
AS Malaysia nears its 52nd birthday, there remains a wealth of stories about its diverse culture and rich history yet untold. This Merdeka, Malaysia will again come under the spotlight on Discovery Channel, the US-based network synonymous with quality documentary programming.
Eye on Malaysia, set to air on Saturday, Aug 29 – two days before the nation celebrates its independence from British rule attained in 1957 – is a timely programme featuring four local filmmakers.
The series of four documentaries showcases Malaysia’s fascinating way of life through the cameras of Shuhaimi Baba, Chew Han Tah, Abdul Hamid Abdullah and Ikhwan Rivai.
While documentary filmmaking is nothing new in Malaysia, the auteurs appreciated the opportunity to make a 30-minute segment each for Discovery Channel under the Eye on Malaysia banner.
With the exception of Ikhwan, the team is experienced at making documentaries. Yet all acknowledge that they were exposed to something completely new – an international standard of documentary filmmaking. Most of them also echo the sentiments that locally made documentaries are usually produced quickly with insufficient research, time and budget.
“I have made documentaries before but it’s a different system of filmmaking here altogether. There is a lot of attention to detail and what I learned from film school I could apply here,” says Shuhaimi, who is known more for her feature films such as Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam and its sequel, Layar Lara, and 1957: Hati Malaya (the 2007 film made in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Merdeka).
Eye on Malaysia is a partnership between Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) and the former Unity, Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry. It’s the second such collaboration after the success of the First Time Filmmakers (FTFM) Malaysia launched in 2006 (the documentaries by five winners of the initiative were aired in late 2007).
Kevin Dickie, senior vice-president and general manager, South-East Asia, of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, is convinced too that Malaysia has an abundance of compelling, original stories. “Through the local filmmakers, these stories will be told in a unique Malaysian perspective and shared with a global audience,” he says in a press release.
Under the Eye on Malaysia project, the participants were each given a budget of US$50,000 (RM175,000) and, under close scrutiny by producers from Discovery Channel, set off to work on their respective segments.
Abdul Hamid says local documentary makers face limited time and funds for their productions. He had, among other things, conceptualised, created and produced the popular Majalah 3 for TV3 with Wan Zaleha Radzi as anchorwoman in the 1980s; the magazine show is still running on the channel.
Chew, who also worked for TV3 as a cameraman in 1985 before starting the production house, Skywalker TV, in 1992, remarks: “This is my first time making a documentary for Discovery and there was a lot to learn when it came to structure and adhering to proper guidelines. This is important because you learn how to make a documentary for an international platform.”
The filmmakers each highlight a unique subject matter for the submissions they originally pitched to Discovery Channel. Shuhaimi focuses on a female traditional healer who absorbs and expels wind from her patients. Chew follows an old maker of handmade joss sticks who takes on the herculean task of producing a 12-foot (3.7m) joss stick. Abdul Hamid highlights the relatively unknown exploits of a team of honey gatherers who have to climb trees as tall as 60m to claim their prize. And Ikhwan features the “festival of the sea” celebrated annually by the Bajau people in Semporna, Sabah.
Wind Chucker by Shuhaimi Baba
There is a lot of attention to detail and what I learned from film school I could apply here... SHUHAIMI BABA The title to Shuhaimi’s documentary is derived from the Malay term, singkir angin or buang angin. Interestingly enough, there is a lot of burping going on on the part of Ida, the traditional healer who massages her patients and absorbs the “trapped wind” in their bodies and ... burps it all out.
Shuhaimi had been introduced to Ida through her friends and underwent treatment under her.
“I had originally written a movie script about Ida but it did not do justice to her,” says the award-winning director, who adds: “It’s a human interest story I wanted to share with people. Her experience is really interesting because she comes from a family of traditional healers but she only decided to become one after she fell ill herself and, amazingly, nursed herself back to health.”
According to Shuhaimi, the 46-year-old Ida, who hails from Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan, was born with the natural gift of healing.
Having experienced treatment under Ida, Shuhaimi says: “It’s very painful but there’s something special about it which is why her patients come from all walks of life including doctors and dentists.”
Ida treating a woman in Wind Chucker directed by Shuhaimi Baba for the Eye on Malaysia series. – Photos by LOW LAY PHON / The Star and courtesy of Discovery Channel Shuhaimi spent three months in pre-production and shot the documentary in 10 days and at the time of this interview, was in the process of editing it.
“It was exciting working on the project and an amazing opportunity to work with Discovery. I enjoy exposing something people don’t generally know about,” smiles7 Shuhaimi, a Universiti Malaya graduate who received professional training at BBC TV and earned a post-graduate diploma from the National Film & TV School in Beaconsfield, Britain.
Honey Hunters by Abdul Hamid Abdullah
Abdul Hamid Abdullah Abdul Hamid’s take on the subject for Discovery Channel is not his first attempt at documenting the activity. He had, in fact, made a well-received documentary on honey hunters for TV3 years ago. Back then he had only two days to shoot the entire production which, to him, was “constrained” at the time.
“When I did the original documentary, I couldn’t show the viewers how the hunters climbed up the trees and extracted the honey but this time I had the equipment to scale the 200-foot (60m) Tualang tree, abseiling gear and an infra-red camera,” Abdul Hamid, 50, reveals.
Honey hunting, he notes, is only carried out at night. “The bees are very aggressive during the daytime,” explains the Universiti Sains Malaysia graduate who is formerly a news bulletin producer/director with TV3.
For Honey Hunters, it’s not just the visual aspects that Abdul Hamid zooms in on but other factors as well, such as the dwindling number of the Asiatic Giant Bees, which produce one of the highest grades of honey in the world.
“I had to do thorough research on it and touch on illegal logging and deforestation which might have caused the bee population to decline,” says the director whose segment features 85-year-old rice farmer Salleh Mohammad Nor and his team of honey hunters. The group has only a brief window period – once a year – to gather the prized honey.
Salleh Mohammad Nor prepares to bottle up the honey in Abdul Hamid Abdullah’s Honey Hunters. Abdul Hamid worked on the project for six months, including filming for five days in the forests of Pedu, Kedah. His eyes light up when he talks about the experience.
“Did you know that one hive houses 10,000 bees and there are about 60 beehives on one tree? It’s amazing to see these guys work because they don’t wear any kind of protective suit and they’re surrounded by thousands and thousands of bees. Yet, not one of us got stung,” he says.
The Joss Stick Maker by Chew Han Tah
Set in the Unesco World Heritage city of George Town, Penang, Chew’s documentary centres on 80-year-old Lee Beng Chuan, the last living handmade joss stick maker.
“There is a rich heritage in this story because Mr Lee is a living heritage. He has been making joss sticks by hand all his life and even the house that he has lived in for 72 years has been declared a heritage site,” says Chew, who wanted to capture the life story of Lee and a craft that is dying out. His documentary also shows the challenges Lee had to undertake in making a 12-foot (3.7m) joss stick.
“It was quite an impossible task for Mr Lee because of his old age and he wasn’t sure he would be able to make it after he received the order,” says Chew, who filmed all the obstacles faced by the octogenarian in his attempt at the huge task.
Chew, a former cameraman with TV3, was already planning to produce a series of documentaries including this one when he decided to pitch it to Discovery Channel’s Eye on Malaysia.
“When I pitched the idea to Discovery, I had already begun shooting it. However, I had to film a lot of new footage because the treatment is very different for the channel,” notes the 45-year-old whose accomplishments include being the production head for the local version of the reality TV series Fear Factor.
But the filmmaker didn’t mind as it exposed him to the rigours of making a documentary of international standards and the subject matter was close to his heart.
“Nobody makes joss sticks by hand anymore. They’re all made in factories now,” he says. “I directed and shot the documentary myself. It’s the biggest career achievement for me so far. It’s something my children can be proud of,” adds the father of three.
The Seasmiths by Ikhwan Rivai
Ikhwan Rivai This is not only 29-year-old Ikhwan’s maiden documentary feature but also his first attempt at filmmaking. He almost missed his chance because Discovery Channel was not interested in his first choice of a story idea.
“I’m from Sabah and there are a lot of great stories to tell. My first story idea was about the iconic Mount Kinabalu but Discovery wanted something else,” says the man who was born and bred in the state capital Kota Kinabalu.
Luckily for him, Ikhwan had an ace up his sleeve. He then talked about the sea festival in Semporna which features a spectacular flotilla of handmade sailboats and traditional performances – and sealed the deal.
Explaining his character-oriented documentary, the Sabahan says: “I tell the story through the characters. Every year, a boatmaker is crowned the king of the festival, and a queen is picked as well. Whoever builds the most beautiful boat is the king while a queen is judged by how well she can dance and her costume. But this year, it’s a beauty contest as well,” says the film and television graduate from Curtin University in Perth, Australia.
The Seasmiths follows the trail of the defending champion Maman, his rival Musari and aspiring beauty queen Nasatea.
“This first documentary film I directed was a great learning experience. I’m lucky to have had great support from Discovery Channel and the people involved,” says Ikhwan, who shot the feature in 10 days and suffered a slight hiccup when he got caught in a storm for two days. The young filmmaker was, however, unfazed. “It was fun,” he beams.
■ Catch ‘Eye On Malaysia’ on Discovery Channel (Astro Channel 551) when it premieres with back-to-back episodes on Saturday at 6pm, and repeats at 10pm. There will be encores, from 8pm, on: Aug 31 – ‘The Joss Stick Maker’ and ‘Honey Hunters’; and Sept 7 – ‘The Seasmiths’ and ‘Wind Chucker’.
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