a date with SEPET

The movie is a love story between two young people of different religions.

A theme that could really challenge the creative juices of writers, poets, and cinematographers in a multi-racial, multi-religious society like ours.

I say "kudos" to director Yasmin Ahmad for winning the highest award at the International Festival of Women's Films in Creteil, France, last Friday.

The NST today (21 March 2005), quoting a sister paper BH, reported that Sepet received the jury's major prize and took home RM20,000 and a certificate.

The film, which features new actors Ng Choo Seong and Sharifah Amani Syed Zainal Rashid, beat other contenders such as All Hell Let Loose, a Brazil/France film, Almost Brothers, (Brazil/France), Butterfly, (China/Hong Kong), Brother (Denmark), Los Nombres de Alicia (Spain), Frozen (Britain), Harvest Time (Russia), and Waiting for the Clouds (Turkey/Germany/Greece/France).

The news report added that "The jury panel unanimously chose Sepet for being 'unconventional', whose theme was Differences."

Unconventional, walking the path less travelled, thinking "out of the box" -- that distinguishes the brave and the bold, from the prediccable and mundane, from the loud babel of unthinking voices and ear-piercing unmeaning babble of half-empty vessels. May our leaders, in whatever sector or sphere of human activity, please take note.

I listed in my profile when I signed onto Blogger.com to start this Blog last week that my favourite movies included High Noon, acknowledged as the Western classic, and the more recent films The Village, Chocolat and the not so recent Tuesdays with ....whose last name in the title I could not remember now, as I spied it over Astro a few years ago. It is the name of a friend of the protagonist, a broadcaster-always-on-the-run, who found time in engaging conversations with his "dying" mentor, every Tuesday.

I do not know Yasmin personally, only from what I had gleaned from media write-ups -- I know she is an oustanding ad person who has also contributed to creating several award-winning commercials on local TV. But ad creatives don't count for me, for you just produce a story-board for that message that sells, finally edited down to a 15-second,or 30-second, or maybe even the luxury 60-second, spot, anchored on a relatively huge budget, thanks to some biggie listed vehicles.

Producing Sepet on just shoestring RM1million budegt and beating international rivals, that's something Malaysians can stand up for. Maybe Yasmin has not attained the "towering" heights that our Pak Lah recently espoused as our national goal, but some Malaysians are starting to getting there!

I had the privilege of knowing at closer touch other creative Malaysians like Amir Muhammad, "Dot Mai" Hishammuddin Rais, and one you have not heard much of, Glen the Poet-filmmaker aspirant. Go to glenbosiwang.blogspot.com if you are curious and want a peek.

I wish I could join their field of activity one day, and maybe produce a film like Splendour in the Grass? Anyone remember this one? Starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood, it featured part of a poem -- was it from Wordsworth? -- the verses which I wish to grab hold of, and my penultimate para in this posting is to request knowing Readers to Email me at chongyl2000@yahoo.com regarding the poem.

Discerning readers must wonder by now why I did not go into discussing Sepet the movie further. I tread extremely carefully on any subject associated with Religion, for if I get started, it will go on a long, very l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng ride, and you don't want that here, do you? Furthermore, I have not seen Yazmin's outing yet, so I have a date at the cinematheque. *****