Independent film-makers in the making

I met independent film-maker Rozinor Razali of Rogue Films in February 2019 when he made his pitch to the Awards Committee of the Iskandar Malaysia Beyond Boundaries Programme (IMB2P), a grant provided by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).

IRDA Vice President, Social Development, Gerald Woo
[Right] with [L to R] MMU Dean of Cinematic Arts Faculty,
Amir Shahlan Amiruddin, Rozinor Razali of Rogue Films,
Susanti Dewi and Fajar Nugros

The IMB2P is a mobility fund to support the Arts & Culture pursuits by artists, practitioners and students who are keen to explore or get involved in a collaborative project with international partner/s in Iskandar Malaysia, within Malaysia or abroad.

                     

I’m privileged to be a member of the Award Committee along with three others, and we had the responsibility to evaluate the applicants’ pitch, provide guidance and advice as well as give recommendations as to whether the applicants deserved to be awarded an IMB2P grant.

A fellow member of the Award Committee was Ajith Baskaran Dass, the founder and artistic director of Suvarna Dance Academy, himself an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer in the traditional art of Bharatanatyam.

This Committee was completed by Amir Shahlan Amiruddin, Dean of the Faculty of Cinematic Arts in the Multi-Media University and Norkamarulazman Nordin, from IRDA’s Strategic Communications Department.

Rozinor Razali, the organiser of Rogue
Film Business for Rebel Film-makers

I remember Rozinor, an applicant who made a strong impression with his passionate pitch and the outline of his plans to ultimately organise an Independent Film Convention here as a platform for local film-makers to network with foreign film-makers.

Then at the close of this film convention, he proposed to present the private screening of his first in the series of Jejak Megat films, which he explained, was based on true events that happened in Ulu Tiram.

In response to his passionate pitch, Amir Shahlan generously offered the premises of the Multi-Media University as the venue for Rozinor to launch the first event in his film-making journey – if and when he was awarded the IMB2P grant.

So when Rozinor received his IMB2P grant, Amir Shahlan kept his word.

And I had the privilege to be part of Rozinor’s day-long event entitled, Rogue Film Business for Rebel Film-makers, arranged in the Faculty of Cinematic Arts, Multi-Media University in Educity, Iskandar Puteri.

This exciting event was presented in collaboration with the Faculty of Cinematic Arts where six short films – projects by final year students – were screened.

Seated in the dark auditorium to watch the short films, I couldn’t help being impressed by the budding talents’ thought-provoking themes and creative cinematography.

A slide in the presentation by Rozinor Razali

Later I was told that these students’ projects, presented in interesting documentaries and poignant stories, may be eligible for submission to participate in film festivals and competitions.

With intriguing images still vivid in my mind’s eye, I listened to a brief introduction to film-making by Rozinor as he shared his passion for film-making.

He challenged and invited the students in the audience to be part of his exciting film-making journey and outlined five Milestones, two of which were already achieved.

He encouraged them to join him for Milestone Three, a film-makers’ community tour to 16 destinations in Johor, planned for September 2019.

Then Rozinor aimed to discover 50 talents to participate in the Indie Film-making Production Workshop, an eight-week programme in January 2020 to create five productions.

On track to achieve the five Milestones chartered out

These productions would then enjoy its premiere screening at the NEO-JOHORE International Independent Film Festival, scheduled for July 2020.

The next part of the event, a talk by Fajar Nugros and Susanti Dewi, a husband-and-wife team under Demi Istri Production from Indonesia, left me deeply inspired as my eyes were opened to the many similarities between my writing and the basics of film-making.

I was amused when Fajar suggested that Johor film-makers create a film about the vices one could enjoy across the causeway and entitle it, “Heaven is only 15 minutes away!”

While crossing the causeway or Second Link may take just 15 minutes in an ideal situation, regulars know that it would take much longer in the usual heavy traffic.

I just thought it would be a juicier story when told from the perspective of those coming to Johor to experience the “heaven” which they cannot have on the other side of the causeway!

Independent film-maker from Indonesia,
Fajar Nugros, spoke candidly to the audience

When I watched their 2017 film, a production entitled, Jakarta Undercover, I could understand why Fajar suggested a film about vices because this film was a bold and controversial production that featured an investigative journalist who completed an expose piece on a steamier facet of life in Jakarta.

While the nuances in the Indonesian language may differ from Malay, it was easy to understand most of the dialogue especially with the help of subtitles.

While the theme of the story was a serious social issue that involved drugs and sex, the characters were accurately cast and I particularly enjoyed the comic relieve provided by a carefree character who had apparently “lost his marbles.”

An excerpt from Grago was screened

To top off the event, a 22-minute excerpt of the first in the series of Jejak Megat films by Rozinor entitled, Grago, was screened.

He explained that the lead character, Megat, was an undercover agent and the stories were based on true events that happened in Ulu Tiram. However, the person who inspired this character, lost the battle with cancer and passed away early this year.

In closing, Rozinor, Fajar and Susanti responded to the audience in an interesting Question & Answer session.

This event gave us a glimpse of the end product and how all the technical work from the casting, scriptwriting, the film-shooting and final editing would culminate in an entertaining and informative full-length film.

Independent film-makers,
Rozinor Razali with Fajar Nugros and Susanti Dewi

By planting the seeds and nurturing young “saplings” to help them grow and blossom, Rozinor is staying on track in developing the budding local film-making industry.

With the support of the IMB2P grant and other strategic partners, I’m looking forward to witnessing the fulfillment of his next series of Milestones.

As we trickled out from the auditorium, I’m sure the students have benefited from the experience of meeting with these independent film-makers, as much as I did.

While I’m not a film-maker, I’m encouraged to share more true stories about real people and their experiences because it’s about life that readers can readily relate to in a personal way.

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Note:  Applications are invited for the next round of the Iskandar Malaysia Beyond Boundaries Programme (IMB2P) grant.

Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) welcomes applicants to attend a Briefing session for a better understanding of the programme, held at IRDA office from 11am to 1pm  on Saturday, August 24, before you can submit complete applications for review and shortlisting.

For more info on IMB2P, visit Facebook Page: Iskandar Malaysia Beyond Boundaries Programme at https://www.facebook.com/imb2p/