SABAHAN COLLECTIVE ARTISTS 2019

Syahnur Asyikin Kee Charles 2019 BMW Shorties Grand Prix Winner

"We directed children with no acting experience and shot a short film without any written lines; the story was told through their candid emotions and reactions to the directions we gave them. With "Pace", I set out to convey a message about gender, identity and the many conflicts with ourselves, no matter the age; and I am proud to have achieved that."

Born and raised in small village far from the city, she profess a young raw talent in filmmaking. Another of our Sabahan hidden gem that the local industry should take note. The concept of her visual story-telling has the international appeal. Ekin recently won the Malaysian most prestigious 13th edition of BMW shorties.

"Pace" by Syahnur Asyikin Kee Charles, also known as Ekin Kee Charles, a fresh graduate of University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) who majored in Cinematography. The winning short is a moving coming-of-age story which explores identity at a tender age through the perspective of Yaya, a young girl who – upon discovering a longing for something her group of friends have - is contemplating her identity for the first time in a small town in Sabah.

Determined to be more than just the 'girl' in her group, she takes a leap of faith by pushing the boundaries of what it means to be feminine in a world that is seemingly built for the opposite gender.

SCAN TO WATCH VIDEO BMW Shorties 2019 Grand Prize Winner: PACE

Putri Purnama Sugua

Putri won multiple awards at the recent Malaysian Digital Film Awards, including the Best Young Filmmaker award, and is a participant in this year’s 2017 Asian Film Academy in Busan, Republic of Korea. She is also a panel member of Voices from the East, a discussion East Malaysians in Malaysian cinema at the recent Young Filmmakers Forum.

different lenses of these genres remain trained on that which she knows best and believes to be important. There is that adherence to a high level of quality, one that is not always seen in many films by someone still so young. There is also a fire that burns in her belly, a fierce determination means she’s not afraid to stand up to opponents, critics and university administrators in fighting for and telling her stories.

What’s astounding is that they are not necessarily her stories, but the story of those who probably wouldn’t have a voice otherwise. The issue of stateless children is not a particular unknown, but to have someone explore them in a narrative context like this is more unheard of. what I have seen, heard and know of Putri also means that, even if I was undecided about her auteur status, she very much deserves to be in the discussion of who the best young filmmakers in Malaysia are.

Filmmaker Nadira Ilana

Nadira Ilana is an award-winning film maker, activist, and writer based in Kuala Lumpur. Born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, her curiosity to understanding herself and the richness of her Dusun heritage has since profoundly inspired her in telling the stories of Sabah. Nadira was the first East Malaysian to win the Freedom Film Fest Award for Best Human Rights Documentary in 2012 for Silent Riot and has since been the voice for East Malaysian representation in the Borneo-Malaysian narrative. She obtained a BFA in Film and TV from Queensland University of Technology in 2009 before moving back to Malaysia to join the film industry. She placed Sabah on the international film map with her Big Stories Bongkud-Namaus documentary that details the heart-warming stories of the locals of Kampung Bongkud and sister-village Kampung Namaus, Ranau. Drawing inspiration from her Dusun heritage, Nadira founded her production company, TelanBulan Films with a focus of creating content dedicated to more holistic representations of the Malaysian identity.

Besides making films, Nadira has organised film-related events such as Working Title Film Drinks meet-up, which was a monthly gathering for independent filmmakers and enthusiasts in Kuala Lumpur, and is now an active online group dedicated to Malaysia’s independent film scene. It was started with some friends in 2013 with the purpose of forming a network of filmmakers. She has also been invited to judge short film competitions like Pesta Film Kita in 2016, Petron Vision 2018 and the BMW Shorties. Nadira is currently a FINAS Panel Advisor representing Sabah and young filmmakers.

Can Bah Production to Tenom then finally to Kota Kinabalu. The idea is to feature Sabah’s beauty,” he said. He said, the initial idea of the film was inspired by road movies, to travel around to show the beauty of Sabah and the multicultural society. 40 percent of the languages spoken in the film will be in local dialects, the rest 60 percent is Mandarin with the hint of mixture with Chinese dialects.

from left to right : Nadira, Katak K, Chester P, Marc Abas, Pentium, Valentine.

KOTA KINABALU: Shooting are done on Mandarin movie with 40 per cent local dialects that will also promote Sabah’s beauty and multicultural society.

Dubbed “Craze Below The Wind” the RM1.5million budget movie would feature local talents and is expected to hit the big screen next year. RM400,000 of the funding is from Finas, the National Film Development Corporation. The rest of the funding is from local companies. Sabah’s own international recording artiste Gary Chaw, radio announcer Yu Tian Long, former movie Ola Bola’s actress Daphne Low and locals will be star in the film.

Katak said the movie is an adventure comedy that sees protagonist Ah Long smuggle and deliver a mystery luggage in order to save his “troublemaker” sister by travelling around Sabah, “The film will be shot around here, departing Sandakan, passing through Kundasang The movie is presented by local production company MM2 Entertainment Malaysia and Froggy Planet Sdn Bhd and produced by Can Bah Production Sdn Bhd.

“The movie will be a great history in local filmmaking, showcasing more talents in the creative arts field by telling more stories about Sabah,”

SCAN FOR MORE INFO /canbahproduction/

Borneo Media Publication and Dreamer Visual Team and fashion designer Miss Leng Legenda. The story depicts how both parties united to preserve a dying heritage.The Bidayu Tebiak heritage at risk was what inspired the team to tell document their existence to the world, as this may be the last and only opportunity to do so. The brave team consist of DOP- Asbury bendy, Engelbert Chong, Storyboard and sound: Kwan K S, Editing: Dicky Loh & Pentium Tie, the team were support by local Kuching logistic Team helm by Eva.

November 2019. For 2020, BMP focuses more on research for documentaries. The duo also run Borneo Images, a fine print photo gallery located at Tanjung Aru Plaza. They also undertake photographic projects and sell stock images for publication purposes

The Last Ring Ladies documentary, a proudly produced Indigenous documentary tells the story of the remaining last Ring ladies who wore the traditional ‘Ruyang’ and ‘Rasung’, which are coiled copper rings on the forearms and calves. The documentary premiered in Japan NHK BS World in August 2019. The documentary was directed by Nova Goh from Sarawak and produced by William Chiang of Sabah. Set in Sarawak Bengoh Range where a reservoir dam was built, the production shooting team consist of 90% Sabahans except for Nova Goh. Inspired and driven with a mission of sharing Borneo with the world audience, the incredible journey took 4 whole years to be completed.

The protagonists of the documentary are 70 year old couple, Peluk and Tahing, Aside from producing films with Nova Goh, William and together with John Kong runs Borneo Media and Publication (BMP). This company has undertaken over 20 projects ranging from corporate international videos from hard rock café to drone footages for the Discovery Channel. BMP has also produced a 6-part documentary series of 4WD 4x4 entitled “Borneo Expedition” for Astro Malaysia which aired in

from left to right : Nova, Engelbert, William, Asbury and Dicky