© Muhammad Firdaus bin Ariff

Short Film: Artful and Meaningful

Short film might not be an everyday affair for the masses and usually at home in art faculties as well as art festivals. However, the advent of digital videography enabled the art to be accessible to the layman. Affordable cameras and powerful editing tools for personal computers liberalized it further.

A group of art enthusiasts who called themselves Sindiket Sol-Jah took great stride in organizing the inaugural MASKARA Shorties. MASKARA stands for Majlis Baca Naskhah Rakan-rakan Yang Kita Suka, a playful take on art and literature. Being non-aligned to any particular ideology, it became an open platform to all sorts of budding artists and their works.

Such characteristic is evident in the variety of short films that is screened on 1 November 2008 at Rumah PENA. From Melayu 106 by renowned director Mamat Khalid to an indie group music video from Kuala Lipis, it is sure an eclectic bunch. The genre of the short films also varied widely; parody, comedy, drama, satire, science fiction and surreal.

Then come the purpose of the art itself, some are purely art for art sake, art for society or simply for the fun of it. However, quite a number of the young directors at MASKARA Shorties used the medium of short film to present their take on society.

Decay in the City

The city is one of the common backdrops shared among the short films. Despite the glitz and glamour within it, many are still suffering. Lonely among the masses, poor among the bounty, and darkness lurks in shadows of light.

Lost Communication by Fazleena Hishamuddin tackles the issue of individualistic modern society and the need for communication. The slightly surreal scenes employed exaggerated the individualistic nature of its dwellers. Ironically, modern communication technologies are shown to be contributing to the malaise. The protagonist in the film almost breaks down because of the isolation despite being so physically close to other people.

In the director’s blog entry regarding the production she notes that, “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide in our communication with others.”

Without any dialog, Sebuah Karangan Bertajuk Kuala Lumpur by Geng Sifoo delves into forgotten realities of the city. Far from the fast paced atmosphere, it sees Kuala Lumpur through the eyes of a poor student. The city seems tormenting when you are broke but with loving support from dear ones it is still possible to survive and thrive.

© Muhammad Firdaus bin Ariff

Meanwhile, Grip Phone by Ghazali Bunari a.k.a Tok Rimau took the challenge to face to two disparate issues within the constraint of the compact medium. Firstly, it tackles the issue of theft at mosques and musollas. To magnify it even further, the director purposely choose to use female musolla as the setting. That also gives an opportunity to incorporate a female spy for the issue of global terrorism. Sounds farfetched? Not so in this crazy world where nothing seems impossible.

Back to Kampung

Saiful Nang, a celebrity wedding photographer presented Surat Seorang Ibu as an amateur experimental short film. With a budget of only RM500 and volunteer crews they strive to portray a poignant story that is set at the countryside.

The daughter and son strive to be a doctor and a photographer respectively, supported whole heartedly by their mother. However, when they achieved their goal the daughter never treated her ailing mother and they never took a family photo together. Only a childhood painting captures the portrait of the family.

Furthermore, the casts are first time actors from Rumah Pengasih Warga Prihatin. The camera movements are static but the film moves through the remarkable composition and story.

Alas, it turned out to be a rather polished product. Mamat Khalid even quipped, “Who’s doing that Yasmin Ahmad Film?” when searching for Saiful Nang. Some might interpret it as a mockery, but at MASKARA everybody have the right to their own opinion as only the films are doing the talking.

Malay vs Malay

Nevertheless, acclaimed director Mamat Khalid also throws his support to this event by shooting his first ever short film entitled Melayu 106. More of an interview rather than a story, it still captures the spirit and restlessness in defining the Malay-Muslim identity. The questions pushed to the respondents become more provocative as the film progress and the candid answers do strike a chord.

To balance the heady Melayu 106, Sindiket Sol-Jah screened Melayu 501 – Live Unbuttoned right afterwards. Predictably, it is a spoof of the suggestive commercials of Levi’s Jeans 501 but at the very least the audiences had a little laughter and do a bit of media watch.

Going Forward

Judging from the big number of participants and the maturity of the films it is evident that there are many gifted filmmakers in this country. Hopefully, short film can be a good stepping stone and infuse new blood to Malaysian film industry.