Pick Of The Lot
Films with strong social messages like Anak Halal starring Fasha Sandha (left) and Farid Kamil, stand a good chance of winning the best picture award.
It’s going to be a tough fight for the Malaysian Film Festival awards as some of the best names in the film industry are being pitched as winners, writes SHARIFAH ARFAH
Best director nominee Mamat Khalid (left) directs best actor nominee Rosyam Nor in Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang which secured eleven nominations.
Erra (right) and Ida Nerina in a scene from horror film Anak. Erra’s strong performance secured her a best actress nomination.
THE 21st instalment of the Malaysian Film Festival (FFM21) comes closer to its conclusion with Monday’s announcement of the top five in each of the 22 categories (except for Best Film and Best Original Theme Song, which will both be revealed on the awards night).
The festival will be held from tomorrow to Saturday (awards night).
Though the organisers have decided to save the best (Best Film category) for last, this category is the one most closely watched and most speculated on by local movie pundits and fans alike.
This year, 23 feature films have been nominated for Best Film.
Of this, three films - Anak Halal, Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang and Wayang - secured more nominations than any other feature film.
Previously, Osman Ali received critical acclaim for Bukak Api, a film about sex workers in Chow Kit.
Though his first feature film, Puaka Tebing Biru, was panned by critics, Osman stands a good chance of proving his critics wrong about his ability to make it in the commercial movie industry with Anak Halal, getting the most number of nominations at 12, including for Best Director.
Mamat Khalid scores with Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang, a neo-noir parody that tickles the audience.
It has the edge over others in that it’s a groundbreaking genre in local filmmaking.
The black-and-white film is said to be technically demanding, while the strong script boast an entertaining story about mysterious disappearances, conspiracies and ghostly presence.
Dr Hatta Azad Khan’s last film was Mat Som, a story on the life of a struggling reporter based on a comic book by Datuk Lat.
Dr Hatta, after a hiatus from the film industry, has come up with a gem called Wayang. It chronicles the life of a tok dalang (puppet master, played by Eman Manan) who takes a blind boy and a speech-impaired girl under his wing, imparting to them his shadow puppetry skills in the process.
Note the absence of Susuk co-director Naeim Ghalili who co-directed the film with Amir Muhammad and Sepi director Kabir Bhatia as nominees.
It is understood that the festival celebrates local films and film crew. But the presence of foreigners who help enliven our industry may become a more frequent trend in the future.
Sepi marks Kabir’s second foray into the festival (his first directorial effort, Cinta, won Best Film in last year’s festival).
In terms of genre, films that are multiple-nominated have interesting storylines that comment on social norms, for instance, drug addiction (Anak Halal), and the erosion of tradition (Wayang).
Meanwhile, Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang and Dunia Baru the Movie prove that lighthearted flicks don’t necessarily need to rely on one-liners or slapstick-style comedies.
Another interesting field to watch out for is the best actor category, where heavyweights - Eman Manan, Adlin Aman Ramlie and Rosyam Nor - have equal chance of clinching the Best Actor category.
Adlin is also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category (for his role in 1957: Hati Malaya), where he is taking on Zul Huzaimy, who brilliantly portrayed Eman’s blind apprentice in Wayang.
As for Best Actress category, Erra Fazira’s portrayal of a conflicted and emotionally-battered woman is award-winning material, at least in my opinion.
She played her role with raw conviction, and probably the best in her career so far.
The race is on!
Here are some of the nominees for the 21st Malaysian Film Festival:
Best Director
Hatta Azad Khan
- Wayang
Shuhaimi Baba
- 1957 Hati Malaya
Ahmad Idham
- Congkak
Mamat Khalid
- Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
Osman Ali
- Anak Halal
Best Actor
Afdlin Shauki
- Sepi
Adlin Aman Ramlie
- Susuk
Rosyam Nor
- Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
Eman Manan
- Wayang
Farid Kamil
- Anak Halal
Best Actress
Maya Karin
- Anak Halal
Erra Fazira
- Anak
Nur Fazura
- Kayangan
Nasha Aziz
- Otai
Vanidah Imran
- Akhirat
Best Supporting Actor
Zul Huzaimy
- Wayang
Farid Kamil
- Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
Adlin Aman Ramlie
- 1957 Hati Malaya
Eizlan Yusof
- Impak Maksima
Fauzi Nawawi
- Anak Halal
Best Supporting Actress
Nabila Huda
- Akhirat
Nanu Baharuddin
- 1957 Hati Malaya
Azizah Mahzan
- Anak
Ruminah Sidek
- Pensil
Dynaz Mokhtar
- Kayangan
Best Original Story
Wayang
- Hatta Azad Khan
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Mamat Khalid
Sepi
- ara and Mira Mustaffa
Anak Halal
- Osman Ali
Pensil - M. Subash
Best Screenplay
Wayang
- Hatta Azad Khan
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Mamat Khalid
Sepi
- ara and Mira Mustaffa
Anak Halal
- Osman Ali
Cuci - Hans Isaac
Best Cinematography
Evolusi KL Drift
- Raja Mukriz Raja Ahmad Kamarudin
Sepi
- Mohd Nor Kassim
Susuk
- Daven Raghaven
Kayangan
- Raja Mukriz
Anak Halal
- Khalid Zakaria
Best Editing
1957 Hati Malaya
- Nik Haslinda Nik Husain & Kamaruddin Abu
Wayang
- Hafiz Kamaruzaman
Congkak
- Ahmad Mustadha
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Raja Affandi Raja Jamaludin
Sepi
- Johan Bahar
Best Art Direction
1957 Hati Malaya
- Aida Fitri Buyong/Kamarul Nizam Abd Rahman
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Nazrul Ashraff
Susuk
- Kek Ting Lam
Johnny Bikin Filem
- Dr Anuar Nor Arai
Anak Halal
- Irwanmazwan Ibrahim
Best Sound
Congkak
- Brian Ng
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Azman Abu Hassan
Susuk
- ADD Audio
Evolusi KL Drift
- Daud Sulaiman
Anak Halal
- Azman Abu Hassan
Best Original Music Score
Wayang
- Hafiz Askiak
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
- Ahmad Badaruddin
Susuk
- Hardesh Singh
Anak Halal
- Nurzaidi Abdul Rahman
1957 Hati Malaya
- Sharon Paul
Most Promising Director
Hans Isaac
- Cuci
M. Subash
- Pensil
Mohd Latif Zami
- Dunia Baru the Movie
Syamsul Yusof
- Evolusi KL Drift
Barney Lee
- Anak
Most Promising Actor
M. Subash
- Pensil
Mohd Kamarulzaman Taib
- 1957 Hati Malaya
Wan Kenari Ibrahim
- Wayang
Zaefrul Nadzarine Nordin
- 1957 Hati Malaya
Syamsul Yusof
- Evolusi KL Drift
Most Promising Actress
Julia Ziegler
- Kayangan
Lisa Surihani
- I’m Not Single
Mas Muharni
- Wayang
Avaa Vanja
- Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang
Diana Rafar
- Susuk
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