Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia, Malaysian Film Club

Dharmasena Pathiraja Retrospective: A Rebel with a Cause

2009-09-03T03:48:00.000-07:00

In welcoming Mr Dharmasena Pathiraja to Malaysia, KELAB SENI FILEM MALAYSIA is proud to present --

Dharmasena Pathiraja Retrospective: A Rebel with a Cause
Introducing the works of the Sri Lankan filmmaker who initiated a cinema of social engagement

Saturday 5 September 2009

10.30am – One League of Sky (120 mins)
1.30pm – Ponmani (98 mins )
4.00pm – The Wasps are Here (140 mins)
7.00pm – On the Run (100 mins)

Followed by discussion at 8.45pm with Dharmasena Pathiraja, moderated by Hassan Muthalib & Zakir Husain Raju

Venue: HELP University College, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL

Admission by membership: RM60 for 1 year (students RM30); RM40 for 6 mths; RM30 for 4 mths; RM10 per screening or RM20 for the day. Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students.

Enquiries: 012-2255136

Dharmasena Pathiraja
Dharmasena Pathiraja is a ‘rebel with a cause’ who emerged in the late 1960s intent on creating a new cinema that ‘proposed a counter-discourse to the bourgeois artistic cinema and the formulaic popular cinema of the time’. He is regarded as the leader of the ‘second revolution’ in Sri Lankan filmmaking, the first having been initiated by Lester James Peries in 1956.
Born in 1943, Pathiraja graduated from the University of Ceylon with a degree in Sinhala and Western Classical Culture and later obtained a PhD in Bengali cinema from Monash University.
He learnt the language of cinema from Peries and others, but he also recognized their socio-political limitations in a country which was heading for a period of deep turmoil. He also studied the cinema of radical activists like Jean-Luc Godard, Third Cinema filmmakers like Fernando Solanas and Glauber Rocha, and Asians like Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak.
In Pathiraja’s films, visual, narrative and ideological motifs intertwine in a complex and fascinating manner. He is a filmmaker who moved away from bourgeois idealism in favour of a socially engaged and critically humanist cinema – a path taken later by a younger generation of directors like Prasanna Vithanage and Asoka Handagama, the leaders of Sri Lanka’s third cinematic revolution.
Synopses

One League of Sky (Ahas Gauwa; 1974)
Three flatmates frequent the post office to look for job vacancies in the locak gazette. Bandu is lucky when he gets both a job and wins over the beautiful clerk Vijitha. Wije and Gune however struggle to make ends meet. Having befriended some criminals, they turn to smuggling and touting contraband goods for a living. They sink deeper into crime when friendship and family ties become strained.

Ponmani (1977)
Pathiraja’s only film in Tamil is set in the northern city of Jaffna. Ponmani, the youngest daughter of the family, has to wait until the marriage of the middle daughter Saraoia before she can escape her dreary life. An evocative film about land, women, romance and tragedy, Ponmani brings out the texture of life in Jaffna, a bustling commercial hub before the devastation wreaked by the separatist struggle.

The Wasps are Here (Bambaru Avith; 1978)
When the dealer of a fishing village falls ill, his son Victor takes over the business. His eye soon falls on Helen, who responds to his advances, much to the consternation of her suitor Cyril. On the business front, Victor has to contend with Anta. When Cyril is found dead, Anta gathers his cronies and turns the village against Victor. Sri Lanka Presidential Award 1997 for being named one of ten best films in 50 years of Sri Lankan cinema.

On the Run (Para Dige; 1980)
Based on an original short story by Ajith Thilaksena, this film is about a city girl who is pregnant by a repossessor of mortgaged cars. Having left traditional village life behind, the pair have no wish to be tied down and they look for money to pay for an abortion. With only 400 rupees more to go, he attempts to make some quick money by gambling…

Octavia and the Letters

2008-07-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Monday 14 July 8.00pm
Octavia and the Letters
Marcelo Masagao; Brazil, 2007, 83 min

Octavia, a solitary and eccentric 30-something, lives in Sao Paulo and spends his time collecting newspapers and books which he cuts up to make collages of slogans and words. He deposits these rolled-up pamphlets secretly around the city. During these wanderings he meets bizzarre, almost caricatured people. One day Clara shows up at his door, a young woman in 'flesh and blood.' She is drawn to images and spends her time surrounded by books with reproductions of famous paintings. Their meeting sets off a stream of comings and goings, places and encounters, which in an original and creative way represents people's loneliness and their alienation and obsessions.

Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Masagao was coordinator of Radio Xilik and worked for various radio and TV stations. He later directed several short films. In 1998 he made his first documentary Nos que aqui estamos por vos esperamos. Octavia and the Letters is his first feature.

Monday 21 July 8.00pm
Anna, Seven Years on the Frontline
Masha Novikova; The Netherlands, 2008, 78 min
Anna Politkovskaya was killed in front of her apartment on 7 October 2006. She was a lone voice of dissent in Russia, criticising Vladimir Putin's actions and meticulously following the Chechen war. Whoever killed her thought they could shut her up forever, yet Politkovskaya's words have survived her tragic death and are paradoxically more powerful than ever. This portrait of contemporary Russia reveals its contradictions and the problems afflicting democracy in the country.

Masha Novikova studied pedagogy at the University of Moscow and taught Russian language and literature. She moved to Holland shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall to work as an executive producer. In Holland she studied screenwriting and directing at the Kunstweb Art School. Since 2000, she has produced and worked as cinematographer on numerous documentaries. She has won the Amnesty International Prize twice at the Pesaro Film Festival: for Three Comrades in 2007 and Anna, Seven Years on the Frontline in 2008 .

Happy viewing.

Women and Islam

2008-06-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Kelab Seni Filem presents 3 short films about women and Islam.
Presented by Amir Muhammad

Monday 30 June, 8pm

‘Malaises’ / Uncomfortable
Eléonore Merlin & Anna Salzberg, France, 28 mins, 2007

Aisyah and Oubaïdah, are two Malay women who are seemingly very different from each other, except for their common identity as women as as Muslim. Aisyah is a young emancipated person who enjoys the hectic lifestyle of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. Oubaidah, has single handedly raised seven children. She is a delegate of PAS and lives in Kelantan (*then) the only state of Malaysia steered by this political formation.

Both women provide their insights on work, sexuality and their relationships with men. We see in their answers, contradictions that echo and reflect off each other, often raising the burning questions of the challenges, battles for identity and place in a Muslim society in the midst of transition.

An Afternoon with The Hijjabed
Malaysia, Nadia Hamzah and Wan Muhammad Tamlikha, 8 mins/2005

A mockumentary revolving around five different Malaysian women who differ vastly in character, but share one common trait: all of them don the 'tudung' Moslem veil. As they sit over tea one fine afternoon, they ponder on consequences of wearing the veil.
Initially classmates for a production class in Multimedia University, Cyberjaya Malaysia, Wan Muhammad Tamlikha and Nadiah Hamzah started collaborating on creative independent projects since 2004. From music videos they slowly progressed into making films. 'An Afternoon with The Hijjabed' is their second combined effort under on.par pictures, their unofficial filmmaking collective.

Directors' statement: The mockumentary basically exaggerates each of the characters' personalities, bringing them up to manic levels in order to convey certain messages across. It tries to be blatant and blunt about the truth concerning Hijjabed Moslem women, but at the end of it, the audience is left to make their own interpretations.

The Noble Struggle of Amina Wadud
Elli Safari, The Netherlands/USA, 29 mins, 2007

On March 18, 2005, Amina Wadud shocked the Islamic world by leading a mixed-gender Friday prayer congregation in New York. THE NOBLE STRUGGLE OF AMINA WADUD is a fascinating and powerful portrait of this African-American Muslim woman who soon found herself the subject of much debate and Muslim juristic discourse. In defying 1400 years of Islamic tradition, her action caused global awareness of the struggle for women’s rights within Islam but also brought violence and death threats against her.

Filmmaker Safari follows this women’s rights activist and scholar around the world as she quietly but with utter conviction explains her analysis of Islam in the classroom, at conferences, in her home, and in the hair dresser’s shop. Wadud explains how Islam, with its promise of justice, appeals to the African American community. And she links the struggle for racial justice with the need for gender equality in Islam. Deeply engaging, this film offers rare insights into the powerful connections between Islam, women’s rights, and racial justice.

FREE ADMISSION
Venue: HELP University College, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL

Once

2008-06-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Monday 23 June 8.00pm
Once
John Carney; Ireland, 2006, 85min

A modern day musical set on the strets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames". the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.
He lives at home and helps his father repair vacuum cleaners, but he has a dream of becoming a recording star. His girlfriend of many years has just left him and is now living in London. His emotions are reflected in his new songs.
The Czech girl who happens to have a broken vacuum cleaner also has a musical background of playing the piano and writing songs. Their music brings them together and the she begins to help the him realize his dream. They begin to share their music and their feelings for each other. They put together a band with other street players and rent a recording studio for the weekend to record two demos, with the promise of a start to a new and wonderful life.

Academy Award, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Audience Award, Dublin International Film Festival
World Cinema Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival

"...may well be the best music film of our generation" Chicago Tribune.

"The best of the best at Sundance, a gift of a movie that is absolutely worth seeing more than once" Rolling Stone.

2008-06-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Kelab Seni Filem presents a film by Laurent Cantet, winner of this year's Cannes Palme d'Or for his film The Class.

Monday 9 June 8.00pm
Time Out (L'Emploi du Temps)
Laurent Cantet; France, 2001, 128 min

Vincent is a businessman on the move. Seemingly at the top of his game, Vincent speeds between meetings and conferences ... using his cell phone to share the smallest detail of his professional life with his admiring wife, Muriel. What she doesn't know is that Vincent is leading a double life. He was fired from his job and has constructed an elaborate fantasy of employment that has become his full-time occupation. His fictional new job provides "investment opportunities" for his old friends and even his parents. But the web of lies threatens to choke him when the investors start asking about their money. Vincent must now decide which of his lives is most important.

*Don Quixote Award, Venice Film Festival 2001
* FIPRESCI Prize, Viennale 2001
"A masterpiece" New York magazine

"Gorgeous and mysterious...entrancingly beautiful" New York Times

"Truly haunting!" Los Angeles Times

"Extraordinary...all the tension of a thriller" Eye magazine

"A profound, measured portrait of a man driven with no end in sight" Time Out

Laurent Cantet, a graduate of the Paris film school IDHEC, has made several prizewinning short films, a television movie and, in 1999, Human Resources, an auspicious first feature that won him awards at a number of international festivals. The story of a young man who returns to his town as a human-resources manager - and subsequently aids in downsizing the factory at which his father works - Human Resources is one of those rare political films in which human feelings are as crucial to fighting the good fight as ideology. Time Out, a work of expressive formal beauty and intelligence, is yet another exploration of work and alienation, this time through a character who doesn't elicit easy sympathy. In the end, the film's most important revelation isn't what happens but the complexity of the director's own point of view: the struggle to retain one's humanity in the face of radical dehumanization, insists Cantet, isn't the exclusive provenance of the working class; it belongs to us all.

HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

The War on Democracy

2008-05-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling' - George W Bush.

But the reality is vastly different.

John Pilger:

"More terrorists are given training and sanctuary in the United States than anywhere on earth. They include mass murderers, torturers, former and future tyrants and assorted international criminals. This is virtually unknown to the American public, thanks to the freest media on earth."

"During my lifetime, America has been constantly waging war against much of humanity: impoverished people mostly, in stricken places."

"In these surreal days, there is one truth. Nothing justified the killing of innocent people in America last week and nothing justifies the killing of innocent people anywhere else." (referring to 9/11)

Since his early years as a war correspondent in Vietnam, Pilger has been a trenchant critic of western foreign policy.

His views are widely publicised through his writings and documentary films. His polemical style has attracted both praise and criticism. But there is no denying the force and relevancy of his critiques.

Pilger turns his attention to the iniquities of American foreign policy in Latin America in Kelab Seni Filem's screening tonight --

Monday 26 May, 8.00pm

The War on Democracy

John Pilger; UK/Australia, 2007, 94 min

Award-winning journalist John Pilger examines the role of Washington in America's manipualtion of Latin American politics during the last 50 years leading up to the struggle by ordinary people to free themselves from poverty and racism.

Since the mid 19th century Latin America has been the 'backyard' of the US, a collection of mostly vassal states whose compliant and often brutal regimes have reinforced the 'invisibility'of their majority peoples. The film reveals similar CIA policies to be continuing in Iraq, Iran and the Lebanon. The rise of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, despite ongoing Washington backed efforts to unseat him in spite of his overwhelming mass popularity, is democratic in a way that has been forgotten or abandoned by the west.

* One of the film's great coups is Pilger's interview with Hugo Chavez himself.

Festivals: Cannes 2007; Galway 2007.

HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

Raymond Red Program

2008-05-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

Raymond Red Program
Filipino filmmaker and teacher Raymond Red, who is chief judge for the BMW Short Film Awards, will present a special program for Kelab when he comes for the awards presentation.
He will present and discuss with the audience his short film Anino (Shadows), winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or, and a number of short films by his students, on Wed 14 May at HELP Univ College Theatrette, at 8pm.
This event is open to the public, free of charge.

There is no screening on Monday 12 May.

The Raod to Kalimugtong

2008-05-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

Kelab Seni Filem presents an award-winning Philippine indie film...

Monday 5 May 8.00pm
The Raod to Kalimugtong
Mes De Guzman; 2005, 87 min

For Jinky and Potpot, two Igorot children living in Benguet in northern Philippines, life is a daily trek to and from school through mountains, rivers and hanging bridges. Their elder brothers Ramil and Ronaldo work as market porters and all-round handymen to earn money and to Jinky and Potpot to school. Having lost their parents when they were all still young, and now living with their ailing grandfather, they have to support the family and fend for themselves. This portrait of rural family life in majestic Benguet is a lyrical tale of faith and survival, performed with freshness and spontaneity by real Igorot children. The beautiful images heighten the subtlety to lend a powerful voice to the marginalised people.

New Director's Prize, San Sebastian International Film Festival
Jury Prize, Cinemanila Film Festival
Best Director & Best Prod Design, Urian Awards
11 nominations including Best Picture, Gaward Urian

HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths

The Truth Be Told

2008-04-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

Supinya Klangnarong dared to challenge the commercial might of Shin Corporation, Pimpaka Towira dared to document the consequences of that act...

Catch Pimpaka Towira's acclaimed documentary tonight, the last of Kelab Seni Filem's Rotterdam Connection films programmed for this month.

Mon 28 April, 8pm
The Truth Be Told: the Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong
Pimpaka Towira; Thailand, 2007, 105 min

In October 2005, Thailand telecommunications giant Shin Corporation, owned by the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, brought an $11-million defamation lawsuit against Supinya Klangnarong, a prominent Thai journalist, university lecturer and media rights activist. She had accused the corporation of colluding with the government. During the tumultuous months of her trial, director Pimpaka Towira, a leading figure of Thailand's independent film scene, accompanied the level-headed Klangnarong, capturing a portrait of idealism and integrity. The result is a beguiling mix of cinema vérité, personal profile, political exposé and national diary. Proving that freedom of speech and public activism can effect change, The Truth Be Told seamlessly combines a fluid experimental style with an engaging narrative structure that comments on the legal, political and constitutional turmoil in contemporary Thai society.

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2008 Exploding Cinema: New Dragon Inns selection.

Pimpaka Towira studied film at Thammasat University. After graduating, she worked in film production, but finding it disappointing, she turned to journalism and film criticism, which occupied her for several years. Pimpaka is the first female Thai director to attract the attention of international viewers and critics. Her debut film One Night Husband was a critical success. At the 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam, Pimpaka was also a member of the team that conceived and carried out the interactive and political-themed installation Black Air initiated by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

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Venue:
HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

The Rotterdam Connection

2008-04-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

For the month of April - a quartet of films from the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

Mon 7 April, 8pm
25 Watts
Juan Pablo Rebella & Pablo Stoll; Uruguay, 2001, 92 min

A surprise hit at IFFR, this is a wry Montevideo 'slacker comedy' about three boys Leche, Javi and Seba who wander around the neighbourhood with nothing to do but drink beer, smoke, talk about girls and interact with picturesque characters from the 'barrio'. Fresh and funny, 25 Watts is an auspicious debut for co-directors Rebella and Stoll and consolidates Uruguay's participation in the revitalisation of Latin American cinema.
'In many ways, 25 Watts is a remarkable film. It demonstrates that big budgets and technical resources are not necessary when imagination is present.' Fernando López, La Nación.

The film won a total of 10 awards and 3 nominations, including the VPRO Tiger Award and Youth Jury Prize at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and Best First Feature Film Award at the Havana Film Festival.

Mon 14 April, 8pm
Glue
Alexis dos Santos; Argentina, 2006, 107 min
Rotterdam VPRO Tiger Award competition, 2006.

A comedy/drama set in a small town in vast, empty Patagonia, about three youths - the gawky, young Lucas, a time bomb of hormones, boredom, and family alienation, hangs out with his hunky and horny best friend, Nacho, and bespectacled, mousey gal pal, Andrea. The threesome cope with the trials of burgeoning adolescence by getting high and getting off, mostly, in variations with each other.

Young Jury Award -Golden MovieSquad Shield, VPRO Tiger Awards Competition, Rotterdam 2006.
Best Film, Buenos Aires International Film Festival BAFICI 2006
Audience Award, Buenos Aires International Film Festival BAFICI 2006
Jury Award for Best Film by a young Latin American director, Buenos Aires International Film Festival BAFICI 2006
Honorary Mention from Standard Readers' Jury, Viennale - Vienna International Film Festival 2006
Young Jury Award, Festival des 3 Continents, Nantes, 2006

'Glue serves as an example of how to refresh and make strange a perennial subject. There has lately been a flood of coming-of-age movies, but what makes Glue somewhat exceptional is its intimate, lyrical atmosphere and its almost abstract, painterly use of video.' The New York Times.

Mon 21 April, 8pm
What On Earth Have I Done Wrong?! (Qing fei de yi zhi shengcun zhi dao)
Niu Cheng-ze; Taiwan, 2007, 99 min

Mockumentary about a filmmaker who collects money to make a mockumentary.

Nominated for best feature film, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2007
FIPRESCI Award, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2007
NETPAC Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2008

Mon 28 April, 8pm
The Truth Be Told: the Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong
Pimpaka Towira; Thailand, 2007, 105 min

In October 2005, Thailand telecommunications giant Shin Corporation, owned by the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, brought an $11-million defamation lawsuit against Supinya Klangnarong, a prominent Thai journalist, university lecturer and media rights activist. She had accused the corporation of colluding with the government. During the tumultuous months of her trial, director Pimpaka Towira, a leading figure of Thailand's independent film scene, accompanied the level-headed Klangnarong, capturing a portrait of idealism and integrity. The result is a beguiling mix of cinema vérité, personal profile, political exposé and national diary. Proving that freedom of speech and public activism can effect change, The Truth Be Told seamlessly combines a fluid experimental style with an engaging narrative structure that comments on the legal, political and constitutional turmoil in contemporary Thai society.

IFFR 2008 Exploding Cinema: New Dragon Inns selection.

HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

The Tracker

2008-03-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

'A stunning piece of visual poetry' Film Threat

The Tracker
Rolf de Heer; Australia, 2002, 98min
In 1922, the Tracker (David Gulpilil, of Walkabout and Rabbit-Proof Fence fame) leads three mounted policemen across the outback in pursuit of the Fugitive, an aborigine who is suspected of murdering a white woman. The Tracker is a mysterious and enigmatic figure whose true character remains unknown. As they move deeper into the bush and further away from civilisation, the toxic forces of paranoia and violence begin to escalate, stirring up questions of what is black and what is white, and who is leading whom. Their journey becomes an acrimonious and murderous trek that shifts power from one man to another; challenged both by the indigenous people they come across as well as by each other.
The soundtrack features 10 original songs performed by award-winning musician Archie Roach.
Best film, director, original screenplay, editing, music & cinematography - Australian Film Critics Awards
Best film & best actor (David Gulpilil) - Australian Film Critics Circle.

'[Gulpilil] is a commanding screen presence, and his character's abundant humanism makes him the film's moral compas' Philadelphia Inquirer

'...one of the best Australian films ever' The Sunday Times

Monday 31 March 2008, 8pm
HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

The Blue Dahlia

2008-03-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Film noir at its best --

The Blue Dahlia
George Marshall; US, 1946, 98min
In this collaboration between Hollywood legend Alan Ladd and the gorgeous Veronica Lake, Johnny Morrison (Ladd) returns home from the war to find his wife kissing the owner of the Blue Dahlia nighclub, Edie Harwood. Angry, Johnny wanders off into the night, but leaves his gun behind. When his ex-wife is murdered with his weapon, he is the prime suspect for her death. He must now struggle to evade the police, find his wife's killer, and clear his name.
The Blue Dahlia showcases film noir at its best - murder, deception, sex and crime.
Produced by John Houseman, written by Raymond Chandler. With William Bendix, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling.
'A fine hardboiled thriller, with excellent dialogue and performances' (Time Out).

Monday 24 March 2008, 8pm
HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

My Brilliant Career

2008-02-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

My Brilliant Career
Gillian Armstrong; Australia, 1979, 100min

This acclaimed romantic film became a worldwide sensation and launched the international career of Judy Davis.
She debuts here as Sybylla Melvyn, a free-spirited young writer who refuses to conform to society's expectations of how a 'proper' woman should live her life. Sam Neill co-stars as the wealthy suitor who tries to win her restless heart.
This film was an early entry in the magnificent "New Australian Cinema" movement that yielded such classics as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, and Breaker Morant, and 27-year-old Gillian Armstrong (whose directorial debut this was, and who would later direct the popular 1994 version of Little Women) brought just the right feminist touch to this stately adaptation of the 1901 semi-autobiographical novel by Miles Franklin.
Winner of 6 Australian Film Institute awards, including best picture and best director; Academy Award nomination for best costume design.

Monday, 25 February, 8pm
HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

Coming up
Keramat (Kannan Thiagarajan; 74min) - Wednesday 27 February, 8.15pm (Kannan's debut telemovie in the 'Festival' series)
I'm a Muslim Too! (Zan Azlee; 73min) - Monday 3 March, 8pm (repeat screening)
Yasmin Ahmad: My Best Shot - Yasmin screens and talks about the favourites among her TV commercial works (March, date tbc)

I'm Muslim Too!

2008-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Kelab Seni Filem proudly presents Zan Azlee's new feature documentary --

I'm Muslim Too!
Malaysia, 2008; Zan Azlee, 73 mins

Many see Malaysia as a moderate Islamic country that has found a unique and harmonious balance between religion, secularism and multiculturalism. Zan Azlee decides to learn and find out more about Islam and his own identity as a Malay Muslim. He embarks on a journey to the heartland of Islam, the Middle-East, with nothing but his video camera and a bag full of instant noodles. He meets a brutal heavy metal band in Iran, discovers a Syrian version of Low Yat Plaza in Damascus, hangs out with a couple of Palestinian dudes in a camp in Beirut and learns about sex from a bunch of artists in Jordan.

In between teaching film at HELP University College, Zan Azlee dabbles in filmmaking. Several of his shorts have been shown at Kelab Seni Filem's Malaysian Shorts series, as well as at international film festivals. He is currently shooting a 13-episode documentary about foreigners who make Malaysia their home for NTV7.

Zan will be in attendance to discuss his film with he audience after the screening.

Introduced by Hassan Muthalib.

Tuesday 19 February, 8.00pm
HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Free admission

Historias Minimas, coming Monday!

2008-02-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Gaik Khoo recommends our next film...

I loved Historias Minimas. I've been recommending it for the past few years to anyone I know who's interested in Latin American cinema. Even the dog can act! Please do go and catch it. It's a fascinating glimpse into the countryside and the aspirations of a few characters: an old man who goes in search of his dog by hitching a ride, a young mother who goes to the city to claim her prize from a tv quiz show (of sorts), and a traveling salesman trying to impress a single mother with a birthday cake for her child. Even the opening scene of an eye exam is charming in itself. The old man can wag his ears (to entertain the town's kids)....I'll have to stop myself here but I really urge people to watch this film. Great character study, funny, bittersweet and heartwarming.

Historias Minimas
Carlos Sorin; Argentina, 2002, 101min

A charming and affecting tale charting the fortunes of three small town heroes pursuing their dreams, Sorin's film offfers further evidence of the richness of modern Argentinian cinema. It's a deceptively simple, yet delightful road movie about three disparate characters heading for the city of San Julian amid the beautiful landscapes of Patagonia.Gently probing the hopes and aspirations of his characters, Sorin uses the interconnected, tripartite structure to offer astute observations both on a culture relatively unscathed by modernity and on contemporary Argentina itself.
"Touching, witty, warm and wry. Beautifully performed by a cast low on experience but high on talent."
Total Film Special Prize of the Jury, San Sebastian Int Film Festival

Monday 4 Feb 8pm

HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door.

Malaysian Shorts- photographs

2008-02-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

Some photographs of the Q & A section of Malaysian Shorts on 21 Jan 2008.

left to right: Margaret Bong, Liew Seng Tat, Woo Ming Jin, the ever witty Amir Muhammad as the presenter, Akashdeep Singh, Ho Yuhang.

Liew Seng Tat being asked about the source of his inspiration.

Left:
Ho Yuhang expounding on the topic of a director's stand.

Below:
Margaret Bong pondering...

The Story of the Weeping Camel and Historias Minimas

2008-01-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Monday 28 Jan, 8pm
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Byambasuren Davaa & Luigi Falorni; Mongolia-Germany, 2003, 87 min

In the Gobi Desert in South Mongolia, a family of nomadic shepherds assists the births of their camel herd. One camel has an excruciatingly difficult delivery but, with help from the family, eventually delivers a rare white calf. Despite the efforts of the shepherds, the mother rejects the newborn, refusing it her milk and motherly love. When any hope for the little one seems to have vanished, the nomads send their two young boys on a journey through the desert, in search of a musician and a miracle...

"One of the most enchanting and thought-provoking documentaries of all time." Daily Mail.

"Magical and touching...a genuine miracle." The Times.

Monday 4 Feb, 8pm
Historias Minimas
Carlos Sorin; Argentina, 2002, 01 min

A charming and affecting tale charting the fortunes of three small town heroes pursuing their dreams, Sorin's film offfers further evidence of the richness of modern Argentinian cinema. It's a deceptively simple, yet delightful road movie about three disparate characters heading for the city of San Julian amid the beautiful landscapes of Patagonia. Gently probing the hopes and aspirations of his characters, Sorin uses the interconnected, tripartite structure to offer astute observations both on a culture relatively unscathed by modernity and on contemporary Argentina itself.

"Touching, witty, warm and wry. Beautifully performed by a cast low on experience but high on talent." Total Film

Special Prize of the Jury, San Sebastian Int Film Festival

Gunshy (Schussangst), Malaysian Shorts

2008-01-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Kelab Seni Filem's first presentation for 2008 is this terrific German thriller -

Gunshy (Schussangst)
Dito Tsintsadze; Germany, 2003, 105 mins

A major hit on the European film festival circuit, Dito Tsintsadze's "poetic thriller" will keep the viewer on edge from the startling beginning to the jaw-dropping final shot. A young man, Lukas, sits alone on a bus. A beautiful young woman drops a note in his lap asking for help. But what help could she, a self-assured martial arts student, ever need? And how could he, a gentle pacifist who delivers meals to the elderly, ever help her? Yet as our hero follows after her, his bizarre journey begins. Does he become a rescuing knight falling in love? Or a psychotic killer descending into madness? And is there even a difference? Spare, lean, and laced with humour, Gunshy is truly "a film of terrible beauty" (Toronto International Film Festival).
Best Cinematography, German Film Critics Association Awards; Best Director, San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Monday 14 Jan 2008, 8.00pm
HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Institut members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

Coming up

Monday 21 Jan 8.00pm
Malaysian Shorts
New shorts by Ho Yuhang (As I Lay Dying), Woo Ming Jin (Blue Roof), Tan Chui Mui (Nobody's Girlfriend), Margaret Bong (Retrace), Akash (Totaa) etc. The directors will be present for the Q&A. Presented by Amir Muhammad.
Free admission.

Blue Roof by Woo Ming Jin is extracted form his much anticipated new telemovie Cinta Tiga Segi.
Catch Cinta Tiga Segi this Sunday 13 Jan on NTV7's Festival slot at 10.45pm.

Lights in the Dusk

2007-12-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Aki Kaurismaki; 2006, 78 min

Award-winning Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki rounds out his minimalist 'loser trilogy' -- including Drifting Clouds and The Man Without a Past -- with this 'radiantly beautiful' (Film Comment) noir melodrama about a lonely security guard (Janne Hyytiainen) in Helsinki who is dragged into the shady business of a Russian femme fatale (Maria Jarvenhelmi). Timo Salminen's evocative cinematography is fittingly oppressive. Nominated for the Golden Palm at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

8.00pm, Monday 10 Dec 2007

I Don't Just Want You to Love Me

2007-12-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

Hans Gunther Pflaum
1993, 96 min.

This documantaryis an insightful and rich examination of the life and work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a true genius of German (indeed of world) cinema, filled with well-chosen excerpts from his many films and insightful comments from many of his collaborators. The film is divided into various sections profiling his life, career, and thoughts regarding the creative process.
Far superior to the later documentary Love, Life & Celluloid by long time Fassbinder editor Juliane Lorenz.

Monday 3 Dec 2007 8.00pm

BMW Shorties

2007-11-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

Screened publicly for the first time, the 29 films shortlisted for the BMW short film competition 2007.

Presented by BMW Malaysia
Organised by Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia
in cooperation with HELP University College

Venue: HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL

Admission is free

Friday 30 Nov 8.00pm-9.20pm
1. Vroom² & Boot² (Law Gwo Yunn; 5' 17")
2. Roda-Roda (Akashdeep Singh; 1' 41")
3. Fortune Bucket (Muhammad Fatyhil Ahmad Shahab; 5' 50")
4. The Tale of Asli Dream (Mohd Aidil Mohd Snin; 12')
5. Average White Story (Mohd Hafizan Mohd Rajab; 13' 37")
6. Panjang Ceritanya (Anwar Fikri Abdullah; 4' 52")
7. Wake Up (Suntharesvaran Murugiah; 19' 54")
8. Old But Not Necessarily Dead (Ong Boon Keong; 17' 30")
(Total running time: 80' 41")

Saturday 1 Dec 4.00pm-6.00pm
1. Frozen Sun (Ooi Swee Yaw; 19' 24")
2. Still Frame (Derrick Yaw Kim Thean; 8’ 18”)
3. Satu Hari (Kamal Zihni Bin Zul Azhar; 15’ 33“)
4. Childrens (Balamurugan Kesavan; 13’ 33”)
5. Eyes Wider Than Before (Lim Benji; 6’)
6. Moving On (Michael Cheng Seong Mun; 15’ 55”)
7. En Passant (Cho We Jun; 13’ 13”)
8. Shattered (Lee Shee Bee; 20’)
9. The Promise (Sia Yaw Yie; 15’ 38”)
(Total running time: 2hrs 7:34min)

Sunday 2 Dec 4.00pm-6.00pm
<>1. Son of Coconut (Kartikesu Ramalingam; 2’ 42”)
2. The Broker ( Lawrence Tan Cheng Jin; 9’ 51”)
3. First Cut (Yong Jia Ling; 8’ 17”)
4. Karma (Nik Mohsain Harjuda Nik Ahmad; 3’ 2“)
5. The Waiting Room (Ding Jeet Sung; 8’ 32”)
6. Tears of the Island (Lai Soon Lee; 18’ 24”)
7. Noon (Ong Sau Kai; 18’)
8. Going Mobile (Choong Wei Chien; 10’ 14”)
9. ‘6693’ (Chong Kang Meng; 6’ 27”)
10. The Wrap (Hiong Hee Meng; 16 ’5”)
11. An Afternoon with the Box that Goes Around Town (Uzair Bin Sawal; 9’ 15”)
12. Cross Road (Chong Lead Yew; 15’ 3”)
(Total running time: 2hrs 5:52min)

Enquiries: 012-2255136

Offside

2007-11-21T17:07:00.001-08:00

In Iran, all women are banned from watching live football matches, a decision which President Ahmadinejad wished to repeal but he was overruled by the ulema....

Kelab Seni Filem's next film is framed against this background --

Offside
Jafar Panahi; 2006, 93 min
This film recounts what happens when a group of six girls try to sneak into a stadium where the Iran-Bahrain World Cup qualfying match is taking place. They are caught, and although excluded from the game, they are not allowed to go home. While Iran's most important match in years unfolds within earshot but out of view, they are put in the custody of three young and bewildered army conscripts. United by their patriotism and an obsessive desire for Iran to win, but divided by their views on the proper place for women, the characters in Offside represent a society in the process of tumultuous change. Inspired by the occasion when the director's own daughter was refused entry to a football stadium.
Awards: Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival 2006; Best Film, Amnesty International Film Award 2006.

Monday 19 Nov 8.00pm

Akan datang
BMW Shorties - screening of nominations for the BMW short film competition 2007
- beginning Friday 30 November, details to come.

Palestinian Film Festival
Many members missed the first few films of this program owing to the short notice, we will make amends by re-screening a number of the films at a later date.

Happy viewing

Palestinian Film Festival

2007-11-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

n conjunction with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people on 29 November 2007

Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) presents

Palestinian Film Festival

Organised by Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia in cooperation with HELP University College
Venue: HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Open to the public - free admission

Wednesday 14 Nov 8.00pm
Children of Shatila (Dir Mai Masri, 1989, 50min)
Two Palestinian children record with video cameras the experience of Shatila, a refugee camp for 15,000 Palestinians and Lebanese that has survived massacre, siege and starvation.
Frontiers of Dreams and Fears (Dir Mai Masri; 2001, 56min)
Award-winning filmmaker Mai Masri traces the delicate friendship between two Palestinian girls.

Thursday 15 Nov 8.00pm
West Beirut (West Beyrouth) (Dir Ziad Doueiri; 1999, 105min)
About two young boys and how their lives are affected by the Lebanese civil war.

Friday 16 Nov 8.00pm
Paradise Now (DirHany Abu-Assad; 2005, 87min)
Two Palestinians are recruited to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. But the operation does not go according to plan... Golden Globe Award 2005 for Best Foreign Language Film.

Saturday 17 Nov 8.00pm
Women Beyond Borders (dir Jean Chamoun; 2003, 58min)
Director Chamoun (with Mai Masri as producer) turns the camera on female ex-inmates of the notorious Khiam prison in southern Lebanon, run by Israel until 2000.

Sunday 18 Nov 8.00pm
In the Shadow of the City (dir Jean Chamoun; 2000, 105min)
In 1975, 12-year-old Ramli's life is turned upside down when Beirut is segregated into Muslim and Christian sectors. Twelve years later, Ramli is working as an ambulance driver, fighting to get news of his missing loved ones.

Related Program

Exhibition:

Palestin: Ketabahan Dalam Penderitaan

Organised by Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) in cooperation with RA Fine Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

Port of Call (Hamnstad)

2007-11-11T15:04:00.001-08:00

Dir Ingmar Bergman; 1948, 99 min

Bergman's neorealist drama set in Gothenburg is the story of Berit—an emotionally vulnerable young woman recently out of a reformatory and with an abusive mother—who is seen first attempting suicide by diving off the docks, then protesting furiously when she is rescued. A chance of happiness seems to present itself when she meets a dock worker at a dance, but first she must reconcile him to her troubled past and vicious-tongued mother. Bergman makes excellent use of his gritty, sea-front locations and doesn't shirk from showing the drudgery and misery his protagonists endure in their day-to-day lives.

Monday 12 November 8.00pm

The Wheel

2007-10-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Dir. Morshedul Islam, 1993, 70min

The film depicts the journey of two bullock-cart drivers through rural Bangladesh who are assigned to deliver a corpse to his village. Wherever they go, they face hostility from the villagers. They never can find the village; what should they do now with the corpse? A parable that combines State violence with rural imagery, it won the Grand Prix at the Dunkerque film festival in France in 1994 and also bagged three awards at Mannheim .

Mon 5 Nov 8.00pm