We’ve come to the end of the 15Malaysia series of short films and the last one is called Rojak! The entire short is made to look like vector graphics and is quite nice to watch. Feels something like A Scanner Darkly, which I love.
A Rojak seller’s take on Malaysia’s multi-faceted social political tapestry. Made entirely with CGI special effects. Visually stunning.
Of course if you want to revisit the other 14 films and watch them over, you can hit up 15Malaysia.com or watch them right here on Doctor Popcorn.
The penultimate short film of the 15Malaysia project is called Lollipop and is another one I didn’t seem to like. Directed by Nam Rom and starring Bront Palare it is a haunting portrayal of a pedophile preparing to hunt, interspersed with metaphors on the state of Malaysian politics.
One thing I really love about 15Malaysia is how it’s introduced me to the talent that is Baki Zainal. Prior to this project I barely knew of him but now I’m definitely a fan. He was brilliant in Meter and is again excellent in Healthy Paranoia. Incredibly funny. Check him out along with Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai and Nick Dorian below.
An over-zealous public relations consultant advises the current minister of health how to discourage unhealthy lifestyles in Malaysia.
“We should inform the rakyat, sir. We should inform dum.” Hahahaha.
There have been a couple of short from 15Malaysia that I didn’t like quite as much as the others. Duit Kecil is one of them and I really didn’t enjoy this at all. Maybe you would, though. Check it out below.
A man finds himself without small change in a cheap brothel. Many arguments ensue and problems faced by the Malaysian common man are discussed humorously.
As we come to the end of the 15 short films there are quite a few that will really stand out and be remembered. One of those will definitely be Meter. Meter is by far and wide the most enjoyable short so far and I must say features some great acting from politician Khairy Jamaluddin. And big props has got to be given to Baki Zainal. I am a new fan. Others well known names in this short include model Amber Chia, the controversial Namewee and local artist Jason Lo. This is a must watch. So watch now! Must! Haha.
The controversial head of UMNO Youth plays a taxi driver who is asked his views on some current Malaysian talking points. He ends up offering a keris to a Chinese boy as a gift.
The 15Malaysia project will be coming to an end on Wednesday so let’s speed up a little bit, shall we? Here is Gerhana starring Daphne Iking and Azman Hassan. Check it out below.
Two secret lovers rendezvous in a plush hotel room while TV news is read in the background. A dark take on apathy in Malaysia.
Here is one of my favorite 15Malaysia shorts so far and I think is better than Potong Saga as a comedy piece.
Featuring Malaysian funny-men Harith Iskandar and Patrick Teoh, Slovak Sling is directed by Woo Ming Jin and is an absolute riot. Watch it for yourself below.
A comedic re-enactment of how one politician tries to entice another to switch party allegiance as DVD pirates look on.
The eighth short of the 15Malaysia project is quite different from seven before it. One Future directed by Tan Chui Mui is simply a slideshow of photos of politician Tian Chua and actress Ida Nerina with narration from 15Malaysia producer Pete Teo. It may be simple but it speaks volumes. Watch it for yourself.
An edgy and powerful science fiction story of a society where everything is perfect, except no one is allowed to speak.
Been awhile since I posted a 15Malaysia short. So here’s the one that premiered on Merdeka day last week. It’s called Lumpur and is directed by Kamal Sabran. Why is it called Lumpur, you ask? You find out at the end of the film so watch below.
A modern, poetic and beautifully constructed ode to Malaysia – its common people, places and enduring spirit.
First off, Happy Independence Day, Malaysia! Appropriately, here is the next short film in the 15Malaysia project which is in conjunction with Merdeka. This is The Son directed by Desmond Koh and addresses an important issue, I think. You can watch it below.
A teenage Chinese witness to a racially motivated assault is being driven to the police station. A quiet reminder of the dangers of inter-communal suspicion and conflict.
Next up: Lumpurwhich, incidentally, is being released in about an hour as of this post.
Once again, Selamat Hari Merdeka to all Malaysians.
What up people! Here is another little 15Malaysia update again. This short film is slapstick comedy called Halal and is the fifth to come out of the project. It’s directed by Liew Seng Tat and has Adibah Noor in the lead role. Let me just say this- it’s absolutely hilarious and gives Potong Saga a run for it’s money. Watch it for yourself below.
A very silly slapstick comedy demonstrating the proper Islamic way to slaughter chicken.
The 4th short to have come out of the 15Malaysia initiative is titled House. Directed by Linus Chung, the short is heartfelt and will definitely hit home with many Malaysians who might have experienced what is illustrated in House. Watch the short film below to understand what I’m talking about.
An Indian boy is asked to build a model of his house at school. A tale on the social economic plight faced by many Malaysians.
The short to be released on the 15Malaysia site was The Tree, directed by local director Amir Muhammad known for his works like The Big Durian, The Last Communist and his most recent work, Malaysian Gods. Check out The Tree below.
Malaysia’s most influential spiritual leader Nik Aziz offers commentary on the virtuous and Islamic way to conduct ethical commerce in his inimitable style.
Here’s the 2nd short off the 15Malaysia project produced by Pete Teo. This one is titled Chocolate and was directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad. It’s a beautiful 2-scene short. Check it out below.
A quiet tale that reminds us that, despite the multifaceted contradiction of Malaysia, life goes on – even if not all of it is sweet.
Since all the short films on 15Malaysia.com are available for viewing, download and embedding, I thought I’d embed all the films on Doctor Popcorn. But please don’t let that stop you from visiting the website.
Potong Saga is a comedy that stars Namewee. Yes, Namewee the Negarakuku guy.
A laugh-out-loud film about a Chinese boy’s misguided attempts at opening an Islamic bank account.
This post is a couple of days overdue, at least. But better late than never, especially since this project is ongoing. So, what is 15Malaysia?
15Malaysia quite simply is a local short film project. It involves 15 short films made by 15 of our very own filmmakers. This initiative is produced by Pete Teo who is local singer-songwriter with the help of P1. Yes, P1 the WiMAX people. They’re the ones who are sponsoring the project and making this possible.
The 15 short films are directed by known filmmakers like Amir Muhammad and the late Yasmin Ahmad, as well as relatively unknown directors. The actors in the short films aren’t nobodies either. The cast of these films feature actors, musicians and even politicians, the most notably of which is Khairy Jamaluddin.
What are the films about? Well, a lot of things.
All our films have socio-political subject matters. These vary from corruption, race relations, inflation, Islamic banking, social apathy, ethical commerce, pedophilia, government health warnings and so on. Some are funny, other serious – all try to deal with aspects of Malaysian life. Each filmmaker was responsible for choosing his or her own subject matter.
The brilliant thing about this project is that all 15 of the short films are available for viewing and download on the Web, entirely FREE. However, not all 15 films are available just yet. A new short film is made available every couple of days. The project was launched this past Monday and a film by Ho Yuhang titled Potong Saga started things off. Yesterday, Yasmin Ahmad’s short film, Chocolate was released. You get the idea. Tomorrow, we’ll be getting The Tree by Amir Muhammad, which I’m very much looking forward to. The last film to be released will be Rojak! by the Suleiman Brothers on September 16th.
Where can you watch or download these films, you say? Well 15Malaysia have their very own website at 15malaysia.com. It’s a very well done site with a lot of information but very simplistic in design. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already and download the short films.
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Doctor Popcorn is a movie blog that covers movie news, previews, reviews, trailers, posters and more. Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mike Campton is the author of Doctor Popcorn.
DISCLAIMER: The author of this blog is not an expert in film. All reviews and opinions are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant to create conflicts or offend anyone.
