Alternative moviesElizabeth John Jan 22:
It’s still a niche market, but films from non-traditional sources are acquiring a following, ELIZABETH JOHN discovers.
IN a narrow shop lot where endless rows of pirated DVDs line the walls like a multi-coloured wallpaper, a trader pushes forward a folder full of "foreign" language films.
"French. Very romantic one. Look lah," he says extracting one with a cover showing a couple in blissful slumber.It is Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated film, Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement).The film, which did not make it to the big screen here, is the story of a young woman’s relentless search for her fiancee who disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War I.
In other parts of town, pirates hawk titles from Siberia to South Africa, some in languages we’ve never heard spoken, like Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan.Are pirates cashing in on a new trend among filmgoers?
Some figures seem to indicate that Malaysians are moving from the staple of Hollywood, Bollywood and Hong Kong to something a little more exotic.The French embassy and Alliance Francaise, the French language and culture centre in Kuala Lumpur have jointly organised a film festival every year since 2002.The inaugural week-long screening attracted 960 viewers and, last year, the number reached 3,217.
"Our survey showed that at least half of all seats available during the festival were taken up."This shows that increasing numbers are willing to pay to watch a French film," says Catherine Feuillet-Decourcy, the embassy’s cultural, scientific and co-operation counsellor.
Despite the apparent predominance of English language films, almost half the films, television shows and trailers legally imported are non-English language films. In 2000, they accounted for 40 per cent of legal imports. The bulk of them were Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil and Hindi films.At the time, however, only 21 films, trailers or TV shows were from rarer sources like France, Iran, Tibet, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, according to National Censorship Board’s statistics.This number has doubled since, reaching 42 films last year.
The source countries have grown too, now including Russia, Italy, Spain, the Philippines and Thailand.
There’s no telling how many pirated foreign language films are sold here but checks show a wide selection on offer with the genre depending on clientele — action and thrillers in the city centre and dramas, documentaries and romance in upper-middle class neighbourhoods.
While there may be rising interest in foreign language films, it is still a niche market, says Irving Chee, general manager of Golden Screen Cinemas, home to the International Screens which showcases award-winning, non-mainstream foreign language feature films.He declines to reveal the exact admission figures but says they account for only a small percentage of all screenings. Chinese, Japanese and Korean films do best, says Chee.
Several Iranian films have drawn the crowds, too.Malaysian audiences relate better to Asian culture and are more selective about films from Europe, he says."Some years, we do well and others we don’t but GSC has no intention of closing down International Screens."We believe the market will grow as Malaysia develops and people become more culturally aware."
He says GSC has made foreign language and art house films more accessible and viewing them a far more comfortable affair.
"We’ve created so much interest now, the pirates are following suit," says Chee.
These wily purveyors of stolen goods are a bane for establishments like GSC. Their costs are negligible — no expensive trips to film festivals and no big outlays for the films.And nary is there a drop of sweat over censorship which keeps many a film out of GSC’s International Screens.
They also compete with organisations like Kelab Seni Filem, set up 30 years ago to provide an alternative to commercial cinema.The club screens foreign language films for members at the HELP University College theatrette, among other places.
"Piracy is bad for this industry," says KSF president Wong Tuck Cheong, who has seen the club’s membership fall since the arrival of DVDs and VCDs.
"Unfortunately, we have to admit that it offers the viewer a huge range of titles that others aren’t able to and a new appreciation for the variety out there. That is tough to compete with."
Wong argues that while Malaysians are still a little wary of experimenting with their RM10 —the average cost of movie ticket or a pirated DVD — a growing number are discovering the world of foreign language films and falling in love.Many are college and university students or students of film studies who have moved on to other fields.They are becoming film- savvy and opening up to work from around Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and Europe.The numerous film festivals held by embassies and foreign cultural organisations in Kuala Lumpur, international travel and study abroad have aided in this evolution.
Access to foreign language films has also begun to have an effect on local independent films with film makers working in the style of foreign directors they admire, adds Wong.The popularity of these films can also be attributed to the dozens of screenings organised by embassies and other organisations in Kuala Lumpur.
European nations come together to organise the European Film Festival, which last year, saw the screening of 25 films.The Spanish and Portuguese embassies, with Filem Negara Malaysia, have screened scores of films during the annual Ibero-American Film Festival. Spanish films are also showcased during the the annual Spanish film festival, at universities and other venues.The Goethe-Institut Kuala Lumpur works with Kelab Seni Film, the Animation Society of Malaysia and student film groups to hold screenings of German films.
These films are gaining attention as they offer viewers something other than the ordinary, says Feuillet-Decourcy.
"Through films the audience gets a glimpse of these far-flung countries, and for at least 90 minutes walks their streets with wonder."
WHAT THE FILM BUFFS SAYNURUL SYATIRAH ABU SAFRAN, 24, assistant director at a television production company.Nurul Syatirah often watches all the international movies screened.
She keeps an eye on film festivals held throughout the year and her favourite film was the Motorcycle Diaries.Based on a true life story, it traces the adventures of two daring friends who leave their privileged backgrounds and hop on the back of a beat-up motorcycle for an exciting road trip across Latin America.It is often described as a touching and sensitive portrayal of a passage into self acceptance and awareness of the world, and lessons on inequality and poverty.
Inspired, Nurul Syatirah is planning a similar month-long trip through South America this year."I love these movies because they offer us a different view of things."
It’s also a good way to learn a new language."
AUDRA KESUMAWATI ROSLANI, 22, final-year undergraduate.
Audra watches two or three movies a month, or more during semester breaks.
"I find that Hollywood, Bollywood and Hong Kong movies tend to stick to a certain formula, making them almost predictable.
"There are only so many American teen flicks that one can take before we lose the ability to differentiate one from the other."
Audra says international films tend to touch on a wider spectrum of issues, open Malaysian viewers’ minds to things that are alien in our everyday lives.
"I have just watched Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, a documentary on Tibetan-antelope poaching. It was a real eye-opener on the battle to save a beautiful animal species.
"It has changed my outlook on such issues," she says.
Audra visits online forums to keep up with the latest in the scene and will watch a film despite bad reviews, if she likes the subject matter.
She believes independent and non-English language films are gaining a larger audience here because people want to be intellectually stimulated.
YUSMAN MOKHTAR, 25, diploma in theatre, National Arts Academy.
Yusman watches these films at the cinema, on DVD, at the HELP University College and is a regular film festival goer.He doesn’t necessarily prefer such films over the commercial fare but does get tired of the latter after a while."I don’t have the luxury of travelling around the world. So, in a way, I can get to know and ‘feel’ other people and cultures through these movies."Yusman says many art and non-English language films are available in the market, thanks to rising demand.A fan of films like Children of Heaven, Cinema Paradiso and La Vita e Bella, Yusman is also glad that the movies are now being screened on television.
SHAHRUL AZLI, 29, producer at Uniputra Productions.
Shahrul singles out the beautiful stories and superb cinematography as the main attractions.He cites the example of Zhang Yimou’s The Story of Qiu Ju, the tale of an indomitable peasant who rejects compensation money when her husband sustains a groin injury during an argument with a village official.Instead, she undertakes the daunting task of extracting a simple apology from the labyrinth of Chinese bureaucracy.He watches only one film a month and wishes he had more free time to catch a couple more.A movie-maker himself, Shahrul follows the works of directors, producers and scriptwriters he admires and occasionally picks up a title that has received rave reviews from film critics. "Having them screened in local cinemas also exposes the public to such films."
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