Thank you MMC :)

Malaysian Media and Culture is one of my favorite subject. I love this subject as it inspired me a lot and it has most impacted on me. I gain lots of knowledge from MMC class. After attended MMC class, I only realize that I don't really understand Malaysia history and I would love to find out more after every MMC class. I also realized that it's important to know what happened and what's happening in our country.
To be honest, I feel ashamed when every time Dr. Carmen called my name and I couldn't answer her question. It's actually because of I'm not sure about it and I afraid that I was wrong. Hence,  I'll check the history and read it again to know more about it from Darkest Day in Malaysian History(3/5/1969), Operasi Lalang, ISA, Hudud, Kelantan Culture to Independent Films in Malaysia. Besides, I also appreciated that every field trip that we get to participate. I learnt different things from every event that we participated.

One thing that I will remember most from this class is the every role play and exercise that we did in tutorial class. It's different from others subject's tutorial. We get to speak and voice out our opinion in class and it has no certain right or wrong in certain case.

Lastly, thank you Dr.Carmen, Dr. Andrew and Ms.Ezzati for giving us such an amazing class.

Kampung Hakka, Mantin- When 100 years existence is not a matter

Today, Kg Hakka is a small complete town of about 40 families, mostly Chinese and has been in existence for more than 100 years which comes with a temple, school and everything else a complete town needs. After surviving the rise and fall of the tin mining industry, the residents are facing forced eviction by MEGA developer. In fact, the villagers has been living in Kampung Hakka for about hundreds years. This is the issue that is happening in Kampung Hakka, Mantin, Negeri Sembilan today.

We' re MMC AVENGERS to voice out the injustice. 

Inspired by 
2015 ‘Memory as Resistance’: Grandma Kong defending her village:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBICJci1z9A

The film directors Mr. Victor Chin and Ms. Chan Seong Foong both are the first time filmmaker is also the founder of Rakan Mantin. They decided to film this documentary after helping kampung Mantin for three years since 2013.


After first time of demolished the house, they started up ‘Rakan Mantin’. Rakan Mantin, a community initiate to promote and to protect historical and cultural landscape from indiscriminate demolition. The objectives of Rakan Mantin are to protect and to promote Hakka cultures and heritages. They organize events often and invite public to visit Kampung Mantin such as “ a walk in Mantin town, Cemetery walk, Kg Hakka CNY open house” and son on. 

Rakan Mantin Facebook group: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/584879164905751/

I was impressed that both director contributed a lot to the villagers of kampung hakka. 
Mr. Victor Chin saw this demolition case in social media which is a video shown the police fighting with villagers because of the villagers were trying to protect their houses. Mr Victor ask Ms. Chan to go and checkout the place of what is happening at there (Kg Hakka Mantin) because they think the fighting is brutal. “How can Malaysia independent for 59 years treat Malaysian treat people in such a brutal way. It’s terrible and we were angry.” Mr Victor Chin said.

At July 20 Wed, Rakan Mantin, they was assisting us by doing interview section, 

At 24 July (Sunday), we decided to visit kampung hakka as the women section of the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall organised - a visit and lunch to Kg Hakka Mantin. There were over 80 members and some were from other associations. The villagers guided them through thier historical and cultural landscape and they also cooked a Hakka lunch. They were here in solideraty with the villagers to safeguard their heritage.

A group photo with Chong Tze Yaw and his cute kids

We get to chat with grandma kong in a very limited time as she had to rest. 
From the chat, we know that she wakes up early everyday to do house chores as this is her habit. She also cooks meal for her child and grandchild everyday. One thing that shared by her in order to keep a healthy and strong body is she drinks a glass of health wine every night before she sleeps.

Visited Kampung Hakka, Mantin and made a short documentary video is the most meaningful thing that I did in this year. I didn't know that forced eviction case is real happening in Malaysia and it's still happening on today. People real fight to safeguard their home.

Despite the pressure of development and land grabbing practice of local government, the villagers in kg. hakka are still defending for their right to safeguard this historical and cultural landscape. 

This issue needs to be concerned and hope that young generations can share this film out through social media

Puteri Gunung Ledang

Puteri Gunung Ledang is a legendary Malayia local movie in 2004 based on the Legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang, a Malay legend about a Princess who lived on top of Gunung Ledang and a Malaccan Sultan's effort to court her.

The storyline is unexpected. At the begnning od the movie, there's some controversy shows between loyalty and sacrifice. The Tuah-Jebat conflict captures the tension between loyalty to the state(authority) and loyalty to friendship. Hang tuah has to follow the instructions that giving by Sultan even though he is not willing to do so. It relates to the tension of loyalty in real Malaysian history. In history, Malaysian has to follow and show loyalty to British government before Malaysia independent.( The time during British was authoring Malaysia.)

This movie is too long for me. An the middle of the movie is boring and I almost out of focus for a few times. However, at the end it's quite sad and romantic for me. 

In a nutshell, I like PGL and it is a good and worth to watch movie although it's a bit lengthy and draggy. To be honest, I don't like any Malay movie before PGL. So I would recommend this movie to my friends and family. 

Freedom Flm Fest

MMC has been always taken away my first time and this is my first time again to attend Freedom Film Festival 2016 at 20th August @ PJ Jaya One. FFF has create since 2003 and it provided a vital platform for social flmmaker and human rights activist to showcase their films. This is a very great platform to advocate the cases. 

There's a campaign for Malaysia's Accession to the N convention Against Torture(CAT). I played the "wheel of torture" game and won a #ACT4CAT T-Shirt as a little gain at that night. 

Started from 7pm, there's 3 screening of documentary film: "Stories from my father", "Unlocking Bengoh" and "Voyage to Terengganu". Again, these films were impressed me, I cried during the first screening of the stories from my father and burst out  laughed for the last screening, "Voyage to Terengganu". The both director is creative as they used metaphor to present in the film and it makes audience laugh and laugh again. We also can see that they are a humor person during the Q&A section they answered some question in a funny way. 

By the way, The most impressed me film is the Stories From My Father. 





The "daughter" Ashleigh Lim is the filmmaker and she was inspired to make this film when Director Victor Chin and Chan Seong Foong encouraged her to share her father's story. I was shocked and excitement when I saw the Director Victor Chin and Chan Seong Foong name appeared on the credit list, they are the director of "Memory as resistance: Grandma Kong defending her village". I was like: Wow! Such a pleasure because they were assisted our assignment and we have an interview session and talk with them before. 

Back to the topic, I was impressed that Ashleigh Lim decided to discover her father's dark past in this film. Her father was detained from 1968 to 1974 under ISA ( Internal Security Act) for his involvement in the Labour Party. I can feel how hard the father struggle in order to survive during the screening.

After watched the film, I felt goose bumps when I saw the father and the daughter were walking to the stage. Lastly, congratulation to them for won the Malaysian Film Grant and special mention for Best Southeast Asia (Short) Awards. They deserved to be the winner as the film was a very impressive film.

Last but not least, FFF goes around Malaysia and Singapore as it will be showing again at Johor, Penang, Ipoh, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. I would attend again for the Ipoh FFF at October 8.

1984 Here and Now

1984 is written by Malaysian political writer, Khee Thuan Chye. This play is adapted from Geogre Orwell's novel 1984. I was so excited as this is my first time watching a drama play in a black box theater. New Era College Drama& Visuals students had done a well play I would say. They amazed me although there's a minor mistake as they might forgot their script in the middle of the play.

At the end of the play, there's a video of the writer. He read the last line with a powerful emotional: "Yes, You have the power to bring about changes. Unite! Stand up and say yes! Yes, the future lies with you! Yes, you will rise above fear and complacency! Yes! Yes！Yes! Yes!"

I was impressed too and hence I asked my friend: Why don't we stand up and shout yes together? She said: Are you sure? No one is standing and doing this. Then I was keep quiet and shout inside my heart. Malaysian are still too shy to do an action and to be honest I'm one of it.

I bought the script book and got signed from the author Khee Thuan Chye. I actually found that there is quite a lot of typo mistake inside. Maybe it's because of the production of the book was in rush I guess.

Documentary film on Kelantan culture

For last week tutorial on 12th of July, we have watched 2 different documentary of Kelantan which produced by UTAR and UM students. They focused on different aspect of Kelantan culture. Utar documentary are looking at problems in Kelantan and their back story. For UM documentary, they focuses more on the information of Mak Yong dance. 

After watching the video produced by UTAR, I get to know the issues happened in Kelantan which is Main Puteri has been banned. Main Puteri is a form of psychotherapy and it's a healing process which a sick individual will be healed and accompanied by a band of music instrument. 

Spiritual dance of Main Puteri

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UM has a clearer direction which is focusing on Mak Yong. After watching their video, I understand the process of the performance. UM has shown the process from make up until the end of the Mak Yong performance.

Mak Yong

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In my point of view, I prefer the documentary of UM. I think that UM did a better job in the way of convey message. Beside interview Professor, they also interviewed many performers for their opinion and their feeling after performed the dance. For Utar team, I was impressed by their editing techniques which are the fast pace scene and the earth scene. 

Questions which I curious to ask the UTAR film maker:

1. How long do you use to create this documentary? (Included the time for preparation and post-production)

2. Before you shoot this documentary, as an outsider how did you view or think about the issue and culture of these performances in Kelantan? Besides, after you shoot this documentary, have you changed your perception towards the cultural performances in Kelantan ?

Viral, Sial

On 27th of June, I attended the the screening of Viral, Sial in class. This film is talking about the death of BFM journalist, rape over questioning the hudud and issues in Kelantan which directed by David Buri. 

This film is also in response to the previous episode: KUPAS. The episode questioned hudud, the unresolved issues in Kelantan included unemployment, poverty and homelessness. Aisyah threatened rape by people because of she made fun of "HUDUD". 

In my point of view, people like to criticize without understand and care the people feeling. Aisyah is just voicing out her opinion but it leads her to being threaten. It's contradictory when we all have the right to voice up our opinion but it is not us to judge should or shouldn't. 

Photo with David Buri and his wife