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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:02 AM PDT

The annual Komas Freedom Film Fest is back with more thought-provoking documentaries.

BEWARE of the J-women! They are the Janda or divorced women who will eat men alive.

And there are so many of them: JAS (Janda Anak Satu or one-child divorcee), JMC (Janda Mencari Cari or husband-hunting divorcee), JAB (Janda Anak Banyak or divorcee with many children), JTA (Janda Tiada Anak or childless divorcee) and countless more – "all waiting to pounce if you are not careful."

Debunking this paranoid myth is what filmmaker Afiq Deen, 24, one of the winners of the Freedom Film Fest 2011 (FFF 2011) film proposal competition hopes to do with his documentary Huruf J.

The prejudice against divorced women still exists today in Malaysia despite the advances of women here, he notes.

"The stigma (of being divorced) is strong regardless of who you are – professional, housewife, rich or poor.

"I first learnt of the J branding from my father. He had just moved to a new house in Alor Setar and was telling me about his neighbours. He then pointed to one house and said: 'This house is owned by a J, stay away. If you go there, people will think you are up to no good.' "

Since then, the J-phenomenon has intrigued him, says Afiq who finds the label disturbing and incongruent to his own experience growing up with his divorced mother.

She did not have an easy experience, he says, especially with the discrimination hurled at her.

"There were so many challenges that she had to face and she worked really hard to take care of us," he adds.

Determined to uncover the stories behind the stigma, Afiq went searching for divorcees who would share their experiences coping with life after the break up of their marriages.

"I would be lying if I said I did not know anyone who fit the stereotype, but generally, divorced women are the complete opposite. Many are inspiring – they have had to face various challenges after their divorce and their experience has helped them grow."

Most surprisingly, he shares, is their undefeated spirit as they calmly picked up the pieces of their lives after divorce.

Where their rights are concerned, he highlights, there are still many legal and civil areas that need to be addressed, but for his debut documentary Afiq chose to focus on the personal stories.

"They are being demonised by society and the mass media, so in some ways, what I want to do with this documentary is to show their real stories so that people will start seeing them as real people before judging them."

First held in 2003, the Komas Freedom Film Festival (FFF) has become an important platform for human rights documentaries that do not often make it to the commercial cinema circuit or television screens due to lack of commercial backing or censorship controls. This year, the festival will screen 20 local and international films focusing on various issues such as the rights of a child; politics of identity; environment and activism; women and religion; election and democracy; sexuality rights; popular resistance; and inter-religious relations.

With its running theme, "Dare To Document", the festival, specifically its film proposal competition, has given many aspiring documentary-makers the opportunity to explore issues close to their heart over the years.

Like Afiq, FFF 2011 winner Liaw Pey Wen will also showcase her first documentary at the festival. Titled Lot, Umah Am (Laut, Rumah Saya or The Sea, My Home) the film details the struggles of the indigenous Orang Seletar fishermen living along the Straits of Johor.

Liaw, who by day is a journalist with a Chinese language daily, became interested in the minority group after she interviewed a scholar, Choo Chee Kuang, on his exhibition of Orang Seletar.

"I realised that there have been few reports and studies on them and their lifestyle. I felt that if we don't do something about it right now, the community and their traditional culture would vanish."

Her work as a journalist does provide some space for her to give a say to the voiceless, she shares, but due to various constraints, she decided to pursue it on another platform.

"I really believe that a documentary would be more effective to raise public awareness on the community, so I submitted a proposal to the FFF competition."

The festival has also been very supportive of young activists and social filmmakers who want to use the video medium to advocate and raise awareness on various causes.

This year is no different and several first-time filmmakers have been given the opportunity to feature their work, including lawyer Joachim Leong with his film on the Bengoh Dam, Ulu Bengoh Under Water, and college lecturer Andrew Ng who with his co-director Evelyne Teh shot In Search Of A Malaysian Identity.

One of the highlights of the festival is the premiere of Jalan Pintas by local actor-director Nam Ron.

Written by theatre performer Fared Ayam, the film deals with graduate unemployment in the country and stars newcomer Auf Razak with special guest appearances by Bront Palarae, Sharifah Amani, Mislina Mustafa, Zahiril Adzim and Beto Kusyairi.

Set in one day, the film follows Bakar in his pursuit of a job and as he encounters failure after failure, he decides to take a "short cut" to correct the so-called injustice of the world.

"It is a deeply personal story as all around me I see friends and my former students who are trapped in this situation where they cannot get a job that matches their skills, but are stuck with student loans as well as family responsibilities.

"Many feel disillusioned and betrayed by the promises of a better life after getting a degree," says Nam Ron.

Although his film is fictional, he hopes that it will initiate discussion on the issue that is affecting young people in the country.

Talk is definitely something that FFF promotes as viewers will also get to opine and exchange views on the themes and subjects depicted in the films through discussions that will be held after each screening.

This year's festival sees the return of Tikar Talk where regional and local documentary filmmakers and activists convene to talk shop.

This year's topic is "Films And Political Change", and special guests of the session are Thai documentary filmmakers Duangporn Pakavirojkul and Thanasit Gerbunsong, as well as the director of Europe's human rights festival One World Festival, Hana Kulhankova.

The Freedom Film Fest 2011 will kick off at the Wisma Bentley Auditorium, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, tomorrow and Sunday before going on to Penang (Oct 8-9), Perak (Oct 15-16), Johor (Oct 22-23) and Sarawak (Oct 29-30). For a full schedule of films, venues and synopses, and to get your free invite, visit http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org. You can also follow FFF2011 updates via Facebook and Twitter.

Documentaries of note

Like Toy Dolls
By Yih Wen Chen , 2010

A touching and powerful mockumentary on the increased frequency of baby dumping in Malaysia.

Using dolls as a metaphor for the babies who are thrown into the trash, abandoned and sometimes killed, this short film depicts their tragic fate.

The film won the BMW Shorties 2010 award.

Aku Siapa?
By Norhayati Kaprawi, 2010

Why do Muslim women in Malaysia wear the hijab? What are the challenges they face?

Through a series of candid interviews with Muslim women, young and old, urban and rural, director Norhayati Kaprawi reveals why Muslim women wear the hijab, and why some don't.

A must watch for those who are curious about the hijab and who want to better understand political Islam and its impact on women in contemporary Malaysia.

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
By Jamie Doran, 2010

Bacha Bazi, which translates as "boy's game", is the name of an old Afghan tradition in which pubescent boys dress as women and dance for the pleasure of men.

The custom, particularly widespread in the north of the country, has flourished in recent years as former army commanders and influential businessmen purchase boys as a kind of trophy.

Street orphans and boys from poor families become sex slaves, and in some cases, they are even murdered.

Trangender: Rights and Rites
By Arvind Raj, 2011

Transitioning from a man to a woman is but the first change in Sharan's life. She wants to become a nun by dedicating her life to Bauchara Matha, a deity who is known to be the protector of the transgender community.

The filmmaker follows Sharan as she performs rare rituals that have never been filmed before.

Movies coming soon

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:55 AM PDT

Troll Hunter – A group of students goes into the deep mountains of Norway to investigate a series of mysterious bear killings. However, what they discover is more gruesome – and unbelievable – than they could ever handle. This Norwegian film stars Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen and Tomas Alf Lars.

The Three Musketeers – Young D'Artagnan must unite with Porthos, Athos and Aramis, the legendary heroes who are currently down on their luck, to stop a beautiful and cunning woman from seizing the French throne. Starring Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom and Milla Jovovich.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 29 September 2011