ASIAN ART

ROF ll
'
,.._..,_
\101 9 I$Sue 2
,_.,
Amir Muhamma
"""' ... - Ud
...,._
[Jitof 'P\Ibll:l.hc1

Tho Mian Art
PO lku 22521,
t.onn W8 4GT, Ul<.
S.:.rdh.Cbii11Mn@

-t 44 C0f107 229 6040
,,., ,. 44 5o6S 2913

-ll<vnnn.
s.-

- Eflpl, IJS4
Katt1k, France
OIM& KttlhM1tctld, UK
Pl'akalh KhaMI,
J May Lee B.lmtu. USA
Jalleen KaodMn, UK
IOfa LeM, SJOgAP<IfO

F'tllppo Satvati, Italy
OIVf.l $and. USA
s.-Tncn, Germany
L<ldoTMt'C.UK
TOC:eL;,.... wtth Jamn L"
and Ho Yuftant., "ydr Old
Anrit Muhammad rprnenta
Mafay$ta'S .,ew wave of
aclependent filmnua)lors. Born
In Kuahl Lumpur, Aft1jr atudlod
law In England, but doos nol
practise. Ins. lead, he la betlor
known as a wntor, nicknamed
the- King of Irony tot his bltin
)'et odd!)' c:Mrtam.ltlc, atyto.
lnsp red b)' an essay
In S..rch of tM Centaur: Jbco
suy Film, writ1en b)' Amenean
ctltic PNilp Amif' atartod
ex.perimenttng With dJ.tital
-
At Singapore lntetNtional film
f'ntinJ SIFF; carliet thiS }QI,
Amir MuJ'Iammad presented hta
Udrd and fourth feature f'ltms,
ToJcyo Hour and Tho YNr
;,t LMng Vlcarlousty. 8oth films
were prem,ered at tho Rollerdam
International Flm F'O$Uval. "'ne
&Omlnute Tokyo Magic Hour 1s.
Amlra f1r5l experimental film, ,,
juld.Apolllion of Malay pantun
verses w1th u:eno1 ol Tokyo tmd
di&Jtally manipulated vlt.\.1.111.
The Year of Uvlnt VieariocJsly
Is built from candid Interviews
thllt .t.mlr held with crew
metr."!e:"" nd ctors worklnt,
on ln.son.s.ian N.mmaker R1rt
RlLa s m G6e> about 1 .00.
CHANGES OFUOO<IWc_ _ _ _
.\RI NI\. .
Wh.u w.u )OUr worl
I< .1 1 did not
.. hum '") nl 11 I ninc:
10 dlrfc:rcnt lo
... uuJ :. .. ked them to ) hOOt
wh.tt tht:)' (eh lvc:uionl!.
1\\'0 of lhcm MC c-rcdit(;d .. dn
.. uf the him
I u..e,'tl more: of 1 heir footage. l'hc
re .. t :ll'c <:rcdltcd undc:r 'ltkhtio n21
I did nm wnu: the
eithc:r 1ht.") an. public domai n po-
em .. , -.on'IC" of tllt'"m ' 4."11 okl
U(' C'211ed jHIII/1111 1n And
'10. I am nlOf'C lll.r a DJ 10 thi.-. film.
\\e (cMJnd thrt"t" n.unton. to n:3d
all tht." ()Ot'm" ;and tbt .. 'fl J1Uo4k the
"('fdon
Auu;all). thi .. him i" n01 :about
Tnlr.)o ;all 1t h :about -.omebcxlr
\\hum )UU do not know. There
j.., " " clcmc:nt or ..
of furcl)(nnc"" .tnd 1'ol)o b a
for th:u. 'l'o hl$hllg.ht the
.. ..... I w.un to be ':1h:;cnt'
frorn the fUm, "' tltoug.h 1 wal! not
hwohc.d, 1 did make all
the: d10lt"C .. On one le:\ cl, L want
'1t1kyo 1/nm tu be :a khld
of c.:hill-{nll him Uut
il 1-. :.1-.u '<'') If I \\CR." to
"IIIUnlJr'Orot" the. him on n'IQst
b.A"Jc.' lc:H;I lt .-. .lboul
Joolr.: QUIIC odd hc;n lh(.:tl. at h
w <ktc:t;l the: tr.m"'''"'"
from uniJm!liJr m
bmilur "'chul the: luur
1\pl<.::all). jHmflm \c,...c; .. .Ire:
used to .uhJH' IIU\\C:\t.'f. I
h:tn: cho .. cn '-C.',...l'" thAt .lt'C more
erotic :md fur the 111111
\ I'
U2\ ti.1.n h;n done: tome tang
c:
cArlttfltly, at nt on
nd pol1t1U 1n lndo I ell
' about the doe: urn un
I: h ""-" tht' IIN ltmt' I .. pt"'I
30mt m lndonc'l..t .lnd I \1\.l"
CUtllMJ" Jb:,.yt .a )nt of
thng, ... In the f."' lndune .... .ln ( h1
tud to f.ti\C' up tht-1r ( hu\C"JC
name.. :mU t:u .. tcJol'll" In
<:hinc-.c Ulltttn; '" n'IU
tincl) dckfktcd .1hhnuloth the gt)\
c.-mmcnt willlnt the.:
But \\h) did lnUunc...,i.an
allo" th.u tu h,.,,ptn
When 1 .. urtcd t;lllin)t H, the J'ICO
plc workin)t Ol (,"le-. I had ml,cd
.. I a,...tl). 1 <.:maid nut IC:II If
the} \\Cf't' ( hil\(' .. (' l t1HH thC \\A\
the') .. pol e The.\ ""'C' r'o .tt,:\."Cnl.
Ullhkc.: \bl;n .. i;an ChiOe"<. I or ln-
donc,,an < huw-.e n.ttiCJIUht\ i"'
1\trot'lg.cr th.m the-tr t.M.'t.ll ac.lentl'
noa ..0 in \t;al.l, ... _. nu .. , .. "")me
thmg 1 h:t\(' t.aLm tnr
Tbnl, then: ,.. lhc; , ..... ut' ol
11 (' hal'(' rlllivl'mte(r demoniserl our
pas/. But then, lto<l' l'ould
tlw/1.\'0IId\ (!!'people lta<'e suppot'/('d
SOI/Wihing tftal (IJ(IS SO /J([r/?
".l"' c.:t)urtcd .tnd ,tthurhcd
lhc ).:H'c:rnmtnt l lu: lndunc..,iJn'
1o hJ,.,. wm.: .111 the
'"J' Jn.,u:.u.l nl l(t\Hla.; ..,ulurto
.a tu Jh...Otb
thc:tr dtm.and' 11 "'"" c.:ompktch
toppkcJ In lndnOC'I.t , thn
tiK: rnult' In \t.lb''';a
""<' "'-Pht dxm mtn ntnt ''liC' .;and
m .. ck c:'cnunc I Jt"Ue'"
\l.tl.l,,, ... ,, \en mlkh ;a n=auon
c:)r c.:omfl'"'"''orot"'' Uut kt u .. kx>L.
Jl tht n:t.utun .. tup IK:t\\t:en the
1'\\0 I rum tiK I'Hfh
w 19- n.. ''"'",,;an, loo..,cd up to
the '' lhc: nnc' \\hO
led lhln)(' I rum J:HIIII\'\ tu fH)Cl f)
"" nwrc .ac.h.ant('d
.and .... i\c.: lhu \1,tl.&)"i;a-.
ct:onumlt .. m.H"'' in the
tlu: n tu.ahun h)IJJ}.
\ oUilJ.lC:f' ,t,Ul"' unl' ln-o"'
lnUmt:"'l.ll1"' .1' nlt!'Unt \\urlcf'
rhl' I' tfW dumUUnl tm.JRc
lrK.hO(:'I.IIl' .1' .1 . hf pruhkm
uur ne:" """.I('(._ .. ._.,
()I huf" t'f
Udn}l \/etlf"/111'-h ' ' '" nu ".1'
c uf I ndc)fle'l.l I
I -.c to "' tntt nn...rlf m .1 him
< "' chc
-.et o n J.n..a l ndci"Ut.u.o
nlt:n tt:\\tl' 1.111 tnto .I u :n.un
;tge J.troup or Ct."flnomll: lc:H:I
Out p<:oplc: ''orl.inj.l on .1 ltl m "Cl
often function like .1 f.tmll) or .1
microco">m of "'<K1el) I he. t'\tr.t"'
for t:.nmplt". often h.JH: no ldc:J
:about tbc- him but JU"'t \\.11ltt'\l 10
C'2tn .1 btt of .and h.t\c; -.()tnc
fun \\ c 4loc abc>uc t;() I)\ Uf'l't' ;ancJ
had l.boul 60 huu .... of fOOI;&,J..'<' I CUI
ll down 10 fi\C htPU,... thnn\ tns;t OUI
lntt'n :and 11 to
1he t"dttor A :after \\C
ahc! n:ltt. I 'UJU..'t:'tt.-d the
whole in "'Piil "t.n:t:n"'
end prcxlut't i.., (lUitt: rhphmlt
llthOUith 11 j.., quite \\'CH'\1)
\A' Jlhilip ( I! h Ch .tiHI
progummct ol '-Ill I ) n tmwu 1u
tho: M.al . .nt.i .an 'Sew\\',.,
lil , r \\ h.a1 H u .ain
d U l fH If
"- .,uppo">C' it h the
of In .a .... ,., , it h
tund\ to h..&\t: "'lKh .1 l.lht:l lh1t I
9.o:ntkJ nnc:r du 'WUntthmtt j.amc:
ltt \ltd 1 n '' ttMr r.:t th.u
nulan,c f1lm.., lk"'f'lc ' tf')
Jntk t:V'C"mmnlt or tufnmcru.tl
.. uppon Comp.u cd tQ elk okkr
tllmm.al.c" 1n \bb \ ..,,., _ c1Ur .1\\ .&te
ne-.. .. uf y,urkJ c.ttkm.t '"'
lt ... )n of u ... the cuurat.'C' ur
h.xlft,hne-.. .. ro puf"'i.ut fdmmakfijt
\\c :all ha'e da) JOb" :"\one ol u ... '"
tull time. "".almo..,t like
.1 hohb) - but that doe ... not mt..an
that we 00 not take: it .,eriou .. l) Our
fil m ... tend 10 be urban :md cuntcrn
por:tf)', ffil) be or budttt:l
:\..\!\1: Your ncu movie i\
Chin form<r
of 1hf! CommuniH P.
of
t'ct)OneS<.-cmstoknQ" ;aboul
thl', but I h:l\c not t'\C:O .. urtcU the:
pubhCII') )CI
1
1'1\c \bl2)"i30 ph....,,
,., :a.. J.;;ioft me "h) I ntcn:-.tc:tl
'" Chin and noa "'me 01hcr
chanct'
:a. him :lbotn Chin Pnlg b a natur.d
11N )foar of 11t-IIIJ.(
llt"llrfously b 2bout the 1960., and
mdin"("tl) ;a.bout communhm in
lndonc: ... i:t t.:, :1. common topic
In lndone ... l:m cinema. In
\\(' ha\e dclfhcr:ucl) dcmonltt'-d
our communi"' paJ>I. 8 111 I hen, ho\\
could thuu ... of pt.oplt: h:l\'e
"' UilJ>e)ru:d that "'"" "'()
had( A.., )OU know. there will be mu
in t he mo, ic- p;trt
nf it "ill come: from :al'('hh al fom
lhC' hhtoq of Uocumcm:a" In
..,t-;uted \\ith .lnli<nmmu-
"'"'m M..ldC' tht
1tm1"'h ">n$t 2.nd d:allCC:' '"C'rt" u"C\1
10 lp lhe- \llla.g<'n lnlert"...,tnJ
\\e,o " Ill :al-.o compos.e 1)('\\ 'oOng.,
(or- t 1lm AldlOufth "' C' h:ne not
...untd m.tktns.t him 1 do 1\01
thtnk the,o mu ...ac "all m21l e the,o him
lPP<'U lrt\ Ill
PROF 11 AS IAN ART