Malaysian Gods
Encyclopedia
Malaysian Gods is a 2009 Malaysian documentary film
by Amir Muhammad
and produced by Da Huang Pictures
. Although not fully banned (unlike the director's last two documentaries), the Malaysian Film Censorship Board disallowed it from screening in cinemas and on TV. It thus was screened in college campuses and private venues.
It premiered on 18 April 2009 at the 22nd Singapore International Film Festival
.
was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. His expulsion and subsequent trial for corruption and sodomy
triggered a wave of street protests by his supporters and those who were against the authoritarian rule of the government of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The label for this movement and era was 'reformasi' (reformation). Malaysian Gods takes a look at several pivotal protests that took place in the year following his sacking. It eschews archive footage in favor of interviews with people who are living, working in or visiting the actual locations of the demonstrations, about a decade later. All the interviews are done in Tamil
, the main language of the smallest of the three major ethnic groups. What do people now have to say about their lives, hopes and dreams? And have the socio-political markers of Malaysian society changed all that much since then?
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Amir Muhammad
Amir Muhammad (director)
Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
and produced by Da Huang Pictures
Da Huang Pictures
Da Huang Pictures is a Malaysian film production company. It was established in 2004 and its members are Tan Chui Mui, James Lee, Liew Seng Tat and Amir Muhammad...
. Although not fully banned (unlike the director's last two documentaries), the Malaysian Film Censorship Board disallowed it from screening in cinemas and on TV. It thus was screened in college campuses and private venues.
It premiered on 18 April 2009 at the 22nd Singapore International Film Festival
Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
.
Synopsis
In September 1998, Anwar IbrahimAnwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. His expulsion and subsequent trial for corruption and sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
triggered a wave of street protests by his supporters and those who were against the authoritarian rule of the government of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The label for this movement and era was 'reformasi' (reformation). Malaysian Gods takes a look at several pivotal protests that took place in the year following his sacking. It eschews archive footage in favor of interviews with people who are living, working in or visiting the actual locations of the demonstrations, about a decade later. All the interviews are done in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, the main language of the smallest of the three major ethnic groups. What do people now have to say about their lives, hopes and dreams? And have the socio-political markers of Malaysian society changed all that much since then?
Production information
- Amir MuhammadAmir Muhammad (director)Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
... Writer/Director/Producer - Tan Chui MuiTan Chui MuiTan Chui Mui is a Malaysian filmmaker based in Malaysia.In 2007, she received the Tiger Award from the 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam with her debut feature film Love Conquers All. The film had previously won the New Currents Awards and Fipresci Award at the 11th Pusan International...
... Executive Producer - Shan ... Director of Photography
- MS Prem Nath ... Editor
- Closing song by Couple.
- Duration: 70 min
- Budget: RM25,000
External links
- Malaysian Gods at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Malaysian Gods at Da Huang PicturesDa Huang PicturesDa Huang Pictures is a Malaysian film production company. It was established in 2004 and its members are Tan Chui Mui, James Lee, Liew Seng Tat and Amir Muhammad...
.