Amir Muhammad's Blog, page 4
November 5, 2011
October 23, 2011
8 kelainan Buku Fixi yang ke-8, ZOMBIJAYA
1. Judul paling panjang.
2. Jumlah perkataan paling banyak di muka depan
3. Ilustrasi dan bukannya fotografi di muka depan; juga ada 28 ilustrasi di dalam.
4. Judul yang jika ditanya Lebai Google, ia tak akan merujuk kepada apa-apa selain buku ini.
5. Halaman dedikasi yang menyebut paling ramai orang (16, termasuk George A. Romero)
6. Paling ramai orang mati (i.e. jutaan rakyat Malaysia)
7. Bukan saja mengandungi perkanaan 'zombi' tapi menggunakannya 140 kali.
8. Ada kameo oleh David Hasselhoff (halaman 220-1)
Ada persaingan sengit untuk memilih kulit depan, antara dua nih:
Tapi akhirnya yang sebelah kiri menang, hasil undian ahli Fesbuk kami.
Zombijaya belum masuk mana-mana kedai. Tapi ia boleh dibeli online di Kedai Fixi.
Kalau nak datang beli sendiri dan bersua dengan penulisnya Adib Zaini, sila hadir ke mana-mana daripada 3 acara ni. (Kalau nak jadi groupie dan datang ketiga-tiga pun boley.)
Percuma. Semua dijemput hadir. Kalau datang sebagai zombi, mungkin boleh dapat buku percuma.... atau mungkin pula dipulau dan dikeji oleh tetamu lain.
2. Jumlah perkataan paling banyak di muka depan
3. Ilustrasi dan bukannya fotografi di muka depan; juga ada 28 ilustrasi di dalam.
4. Judul yang jika ditanya Lebai Google, ia tak akan merujuk kepada apa-apa selain buku ini.
5. Halaman dedikasi yang menyebut paling ramai orang (16, termasuk George A. Romero)
6. Paling ramai orang mati (i.e. jutaan rakyat Malaysia)
7. Bukan saja mengandungi perkanaan 'zombi' tapi menggunakannya 140 kali.
8. Ada kameo oleh David Hasselhoff (halaman 220-1)
Ada persaingan sengit untuk memilih kulit depan, antara dua nih:
Tapi akhirnya yang sebelah kiri menang, hasil undian ahli Fesbuk kami.
Zombijaya belum masuk mana-mana kedai. Tapi ia boleh dibeli online di Kedai Fixi.
Kalau nak datang beli sendiri dan bersua dengan penulisnya Adib Zaini, sila hadir ke mana-mana daripada 3 acara ni. (Kalau nak jadi groupie dan datang ketiga-tiga pun boley.)
Percuma. Semua dijemput hadir. Kalau datang sebagai zombi, mungkin boleh dapat buku percuma.... atau mungkin pula dipulau dan dikeji oleh tetamu lain.
October 9, 2011
MALAYSIAN SHORTS (17 Oct), once again hosted by me!
Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia presents
MALAYSIAN SHORTS
Monday, 17 October
8pm
Auditorium, HELP University College
Pusat Bandar DamansaraKuala Lumpur.
Entrance: FREEAll are WELCOME
No need to RESERVE SEATS
Facebook event page.
10 new narrative Malaysian short films/videos will be shown, with most of the directors present.
1. EXHALATION/ Edmund Yeo/ Japan-Malaysia/21 min
The death of a former classmate, Yosuke, brings Naoko back to her hometown. Arriving the day before his funeral, Naoko embarks upon a road trip with her friend Sayuri. They visit the site of Yosuke's fatal car accident, and gradually, their journey turns into a surrealistic experience of bittersweet remembrances, tender secrets and unspoken regrets. Dreams become increasingly vivid, memories come in the form of ghosts. They lost themselves in melancholy.
2. SUDU GAN GARFU/ Faiq Khalifa/ 14.5 minutes
Tiada kata secantik bahasa. Menampilkan lakonan oleh Adman Salleh gittew.
3. MOVEMENT IN C/ Ali Lee/ 37 seconds
The shortest short we have ever shown?
4. MARIA/ Afiq Deen/ 11 minutes
Maria is fictional thriller film inspired by the record-breaking cases of baby dumping and abandonment by Malaysian Muslim women.
5. SIX REVISITED/ Timo/ 1 minute
The second-shortest short we have ever shown?
6. MEMORIA/ Yihwen Chen/ 9 minutes
A girl. A bicycle. And a memory.
7. JEMPUT NAIK/ Ng Ken Kin/5.5 minutes
In conjunction with this year's KL 48 Hours Film Project, we present one of last year's entries by a stalwart of Malaysian Shorts. Caution: there will be blood.
8. BROGA RENDEZVOUS/ Ridhwan Saidi/ 8.5 minutes
Teman lelaki mahu ke Broga, tempat mereka pertama kali bercumbu; tetapi teman wanita tidak ingat malah sesat ketika dalam perjalanan. Dalam masa yang sama seorang guru merindui pemergian pelajar cemerlang sekolah mereka di Broga. Sebuah filpen yang melankolik, dengan sedikit unsur jenaka.
9. LE ONION DE NOIR/ Brad Liew/ 11 min
Over a telephone call, a man can be heard justifying his actions in what he sees as a sign from the divine. As he re-accounts his actions, the lines between his reality and ours blur into a mesh of primal violence. Do we question his psychotic cruelty? Or is it truly his higher calling?
10. EPAL HIJAU DI LUAR PAGAR/ Syahrul Musa/ 26 minutes
Mamat (12 tahun) mengambil upah menjaga kambing di sebuah kawasan perkuburan Cina. Satu petang, hujan lebat. Dia membawa kambing-kambing jagaannya berteduh di tokong Cina berdekatan. Kelaparan membuatkan dia terpaksa mengambil sebiji epal hijau dari tokong tersebut dan berjanji akan membayarnya semula. Dalam keadaan keluarganya yang penuh krisis, mampukah dia menepati janjinya?
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes
October 7, 2011
Short story by Hafidz Baharom in the latest SELANGOR TIMES
Can be seen as a companion piece to his earlier driving-themed story. Is there a "Drive, He Said" compilation in the works?Speaking of Traffic, isn't this a great song?
October 2, 2011
Fiction in Esquire Malaysia
I am now the Fiction Editor of Esquire Malaysia!Aside from the thrill of being associated with the kind of magazine that puts Justin Timberlake on the cover, I'm happy to be able to commission and choose stories from my favourite local writers. One of my formative experiences, way back in the previous century, was reading short stories in the American Esquire by the likes of Raymond Carver and Jay McInerney. The US magazine no longer publishes fiction regularly, but I hope the Malaysian one can - in a local fashion, natch - fill this void.
Plus, haven't we heard/read so many American stories by now? Isn't it time we celebrated our own?
Speaking of celebration, the first story I chose was by Shih Li-Kow whose book Ripples I reviewed enthusiastically almost three years ago. Her story that I chose, Hungry in Guangzhou, was indeed from Ripples, because to kick off the Fiction section I wanted to give due kudos to a book whose excellence has still yet to be discovered by many.
All subsequent issues will have previously unpublished stories. Let the telling begin!
September 12, 2011
MALAYSIAN SHORTS is on Monday 19 Sep. Hosted by me!
It's time again to view Malaysian short films!
Most of thedirectors will be present, so you can ask & mingle. Most of them won't be violent:
As usual, do vote for your 3 favourite shorts of the night.Don't vote for the ones that put you to sleep:
Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia presentsMALAYSIAN SHORTS (edisi September 2011)Where:HELP University College Auditorium, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
When: Monday 19 September, 8pm onwards
How Much: Freelor!
You may confirm at the Facebook event page
Line-Up:
1) Afternoon River Evening SkyDirector: Edmund Yeo 2010, 19 minA short film divided into two parallelstories. In Afternoon River, Grace, a waitress in a Bah Kut Tehrestaurant tries to go through her mundane everyday work whileignoring the incessant ringing of her cell phone. In Evening Sky, thetomboyish Lai Fun seeks justice from an illegal DVD peddler whoimpregnated her best friend.
2) The InvigilatorDirector: Manesh Nesaratnam2010, 12 minA story about two high-school teachersand their aspirations in the teaching profession. This film is atonce a light-hearted clash of pedagogical perspectives and at thesame time an echo of societies' frustrations with the inadequacies ofavailable education systems.
3) SceneDirector: Soren Mohd Noor2011/ 2 minSynopsis When a young adult receives a friendrequest from a "stranger" via his Facebook account, he findshimself dealing with issues of faith, principles and peer pressure.
4) Permata BondaDirector: Fikri Jermadi2010/ 16 minSynopsis5) Burger BoyDirector: Timo2008/20 minSynopsisFlipping burgers is a great way to meetpeople.
6) The LimsDirector: Brad Liew2011/3 minSynopsis 7) Perempuan, Hujan & KematianDirector: Abror Rivai2001/20 minSynopsis Seorang pesakit delusi sedang diwaratdi atas sebuah rumah di atas bukit. Dia berdepan dengan konflikpsikologu apabile melihat dirinya sebagai orang lain. Siapa diasebenarnya?
8) Hujan PanasDirector: Nadiah Hamzah2011 / 20minsSynopsisFor the longest time, Zaki has dreamedabout coming to America. He enrolls himself in a business course andfinds himself in New York City – in an apartment with two illegalIndonesian immigrants; Ferdy and Mira, in Flushing, Queens. As hegrapples with the harsh reality of living in the city, he findshimself slowly attracted to Mira. She helps him realize thepossibilities of starting life anew – possibilities that arethreatened by an impending marriage and his awaited return toMalaysia.
***
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 51 min
*Photos from Perempuan, Hujan & Kematian and Afternoon River Evening Sky
Most of thedirectors will be present, so you can ask & mingle. Most of them won't be violent:
As usual, do vote for your 3 favourite shorts of the night.Don't vote for the ones that put you to sleep:
Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia presentsMALAYSIAN SHORTS (edisi September 2011)Where:HELP University College Auditorium, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KLWhen: Monday 19 September, 8pm onwards
How Much: Freelor!
You may confirm at the Facebook event page
Line-Up:
1) Afternoon River Evening SkyDirector: Edmund Yeo 2010, 19 minA short film divided into two parallelstories. In Afternoon River, Grace, a waitress in a Bah Kut Tehrestaurant tries to go through her mundane everyday work whileignoring the incessant ringing of her cell phone. In Evening Sky, thetomboyish Lai Fun seeks justice from an illegal DVD peddler whoimpregnated her best friend.
2) The InvigilatorDirector: Manesh Nesaratnam2010, 12 minA story about two high-school teachersand their aspirations in the teaching profession. This film is atonce a light-hearted clash of pedagogical perspectives and at thesame time an echo of societies' frustrations with the inadequacies ofavailable education systems.
3) SceneDirector: Soren Mohd Noor2011/ 2 minSynopsis When a young adult receives a friendrequest from a "stranger" via his Facebook account, he findshimself dealing with issues of faith, principles and peer pressure.
4) Permata BondaDirector: Fikri Jermadi2010/ 16 minSynopsis5) Burger BoyDirector: Timo2008/20 minSynopsisFlipping burgers is a great way to meetpeople.
6) The LimsDirector: Brad Liew2011/3 minSynopsis 7) Perempuan, Hujan & KematianDirector: Abror Rivai2001/20 minSynopsis Seorang pesakit delusi sedang diwaratdi atas sebuah rumah di atas bukit. Dia berdepan dengan konflikpsikologu apabile melihat dirinya sebagai orang lain. Siapa diasebenarnya?
8) Hujan PanasDirector: Nadiah Hamzah2011 / 20minsSynopsisFor the longest time, Zaki has dreamedabout coming to America. He enrolls himself in a business course andfinds himself in New York City – in an apartment with two illegalIndonesian immigrants; Ferdy and Mira, in Flushing, Queens. As hegrapples with the harsh reality of living in the city, he findshimself slowly attracted to Mira. She helps him realize thepossibilities of starting life anew – possibilities that arethreatened by an impending marriage and his awaited return toMalaysia.
***
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 51 min
*Photos from Perempuan, Hujan & Kematian and Afternoon River Evening Sky
