Sunday, July 16, 2006
Swifty Starts A Meme: Go Plug Danny Lim's 18? The Documentary That Got Axed By The Seoul Film Festival!
Update (21st of July, 2006): Danny Lim's response regarding this meme.
A few of you might have read from the news recently about the veto-ing of Danny Lim's 2004 documentary 18? at the Seoul Film Festival. If you haven't, here's an excerpt from The Sun's article:
AWARD-WINNING FILM PULLED FROM SEOUL FESTIVALAnd an excerpt from The Star's article.
By Llew-Ann Phang
The Sun. 14 July 2006.
PETALING JAYA: What’s behind the documentary “18?” that it had to be vetoed by the Malaysian Embassy in Seoul from being screened at the EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF) there?
Festival organizers Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) had to close the curtains on the award-winning documentary by Danny Lim after the embassy rejected it for featuring “an anti-government political activist.”
The embassy’s choice for the festival‘s Five Nations Fair, being held from Wednesday to tomorrow, is Hisham Abdullah’s 45-minute “Songs of Change”, which tells the story of Kelantanese dikir barat activist and tukang karut Halim Yazid.
Lim, who is a senior writer with Off the Edge, said the festival director informed him of the embassy’s rejection late last week.
Lim said that even though former exiled activist and Internal Security Act detainee Hishamuddin Rais appeared in the documentary, he did not make any political statements.
Filmmaker baffled by decision to axe 18?
KUALA LUMPUR: Independent filmmaker Danny Lim, whose documentary 18? was reportedly vetoed by the Malaysian embassy in South Korea from being screened at a festival there, said he did not think his film would court any controversy.
Made in 2004, the documentary examines the sudden appearance of socio-political graffiti around the city. Most of the graffiti feature the number 18, while others were caricatures of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and also cartoons about the National Service and human rights.
The Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), organiser of the EBS International Documentary Festival, had to pull the film from the festival line-up after the embassy rejected it for featuring an “anti-government political activist.”
Lim: His 2004 documentary has won several awards
But the embassy has since denied that it had any power to veto the inclusion of Lim's documentary and had only recommended some other documentaries for the festival.
Lim said he was confused about the situation pertaining to his film.
The senior writer with an English magazine said the only political activist who appeared in his film was former ISA detainee Hishamuddin Rais.
“And he only talked about the origins of graffiti, such as cave paintings,” he said. “He also talked about whether graffiti was an art form. What if I made a documentary about the breeding habits of dugong, and I interviewed a political activist who happened to be an expert in that field? Would that be approved?”
I first read about this on a post from the malaysian-cinema mailing list (which I've just joined two days ago) So far, the only person (that I know of) who has blogged about this issue is Howsy who suggested that this may be a repeat of Amir Muhammad's Lelaki Komunis Incident? (Amir's involved in the production of this film and was the one who recommended it to the fest)
The film was vetoed by the Malaysian embassy in South Korea from being shown in the film festival because it features an 'anti-government political activist' - former ISA detainee Hishamuddin Rais. The embassy later denied this and said that they don't really have the power to veto the film and all they did was recommend some other films.
So be it. I am sure they are very supportive when it comes to matters like this.
Here's some info about 18?:
"What is 18? This mysterious number is but one of a prominent crop of graffiti that has popped up around the streets of Kuala Lumpur.The film had won the Gold Prize in the Short Film: Documentary category of the 2005 Malaysian Video Awards, and was also the runner-up in the amateur category at the 2005 Freedom Film Festival. It was screened at the Singapore International Film Festival last year, and at the Jakarta Film Festival in 2004.
Sprayed at strategic urban spaces and applied with a seemingly socio-political agenda, the 18? graffiti and its like (eg "Legalize ganja", "Ada apa dengan National Service?", "Pertahankan Hak Asasi", etc) brazenly takes its place alongside advertising banners and billboards in our urban sightlines.
What does it mean? What is it selling? Why? Who did it? 18? - the documentary - attempts to uncover the mystery behind the graffiti."
It is available for download at Danny Lim's website (50MB). Or you can even watch the thing via Youtube below:
The Malaysian independent film industry is said by many to be undergoing a movement of sorts that is referred to as 'a new wave'. Many works from this country are being shown in festival circuits, garnering accolades from foreign countries that are unfortunately not noticed by our own countrymen due to the lack of media coverage.
If allowed to grow unhindered, I think, and I want to believe, that there will be a bright future for Malaysian films, and that we can establish ourselves as, in Yasmin Ahmad's words, a filmmaking hub (of sorts) that will be noticed internationally. But once again, maybe I am immature and naive, thus I believe so much in the future of Malaysian filmmaking, that viral marketing will play a major role in expanding and causing the maturation of Malaysian cinema in an international stage.
Therefore, awareness has to be raised for works that are deserving, appreciation has to be given when necessary, criticism has to be given as a necessity. I wish more people can watch 18? not because I am so blown away by its greatness that I want to share this with everyone, I have my complaints, not with the content, but more with presentation, so pampered by the (seemingly) slick production values attempted by film students in my own Murdoch University that when I first watched this documentary hours ago, I was slightly disconcerted. To me, it is not a perfect film, many stylistic choices chosen by the filmmaker is not something I agree with, I didn't like the sound mixing, I didn't like some of the framing (I couldn't see some faces clearly because of the light, and angles), and the amount of talking heads used might be too boring for those who are not used to something of such languid pacing.
A film is seldom universally loved, for everyone who lauded 18?, there will always be someone like me who picks at what is regarded as the most superficial aspects of a film, like, well, production values. Yet at least I am still talking about this film.
I am starting a meme for the first time ever. And I'm not sure whether it'll be successful. And because this meme is started by someone who has never started a meme and whether it'll be successful is suspect, I will keep things VERY simple. All you have to do is do any of the following:
- Post Youtube's embeddable player of 18? on your entry.Post a link to Danny Lim's site to download his film. (if you are nice, you can even start a mirror site for him)
- Voice out your opinions about the film , whether it is positive or negative. It can be a line, it can be a word, it can be a paragraph, it can be a fully essay, it's all up to you. No one's going to berate you for your opinions, you don't have to love the film, but at least spread it around.
- Tag three others to do the same.
Char
Chea Yee
Chloe
5xmom
Kenny Sia
Liz
Maya
Minishorts
Otto
Simon
Suanie
Lainie
Vincent
Wingz
It's a large number because I'm starting the meme here. But obviously, I'm sure a majority (if not all) of those above will not participate. However, if you can choose to participate even if I didn't tag you, and I will plug you all the same in return.
I'm posting a list of links under the 'Related Links' section below to every single entry that has replied to this meme if they want me to (just drop me a comment). I'm beginning with Howsy's. And to make this more effective by directing more traffic towards the following links, I will also give a brief summary what's there.
Related Links (constantly updated. Last update: 26/7/2006):
The Sensintrovert: Not Another LKT-like casualty: Danny Lim's 18? Axed From Seoul Film Festival
Howsy's entry has excerpts of the news articles from The Sun detailing this incident.
I hate to sugar-coat my words for you: This might just be about patriotism... or not.
Alynna's the first person to reply to my meme. (thanks) She chooses not to tag anyone because she believes in free will and that anyone who wants to participate in this noble cause will do so without being tagged. I hope she's right.
无聊小站：马来西亚涂鸦很低级
Wong Teck Jung's Chinese entry shows the honesty of his opinions about the documentary and he also muses about the graffiti drawn.
The Laments of a Broken Hearted Silhouette: 18?
Kyels gives an impassioned essay about the Malaysian political system and the culture that may have been brought forth from this system, resulting in what was recorded in the documentary.
CIJ: Local film withdrawn from Korean festival due to embassy's objection
CIJ executive director Sonia Randhawa: "This is a blatant example of censorship, following closely after the banning of Amir Muhammad's semi-musical documentary The Last Communist, we urge the festival to accept submissions based on quality and commitment, rather than succumbing to political pressure." (via Kian Keat)
Han is good: 18?
Fellow filmmaker Soo Han voices his dissatisfaction with the axing of the documentary and some factors that may be detrimental to the struggling indie film scene.The Sensintrovert: Not Another LKT-like casualty: Danny Lim's 18? Axed From Seoul Film Festival
Howsy's entry has excerpts of the news articles from The Sun detailing this incident.
I hate to sugar-coat my words for you: This might just be about patriotism... or not.
Alynna's the first person to reply to my meme. (thanks) She chooses not to tag anyone because she believes in free will and that anyone who wants to participate in this noble cause will do so without being tagged. I hope she's right.
无聊小站：马来西亚涂鸦很低级
Wong Teck Jung's Chinese entry shows the honesty of his opinions about the documentary and he also muses about the graffiti drawn.
The Laments of a Broken Hearted Silhouette: 18?
Kyels gives an impassioned essay about the Malaysian political system and the culture that may have been brought forth from this system, resulting in what was recorded in the documentary.
CIJ: Local film withdrawn from Korean festival due to embassy's objection
CIJ executive director Sonia Randhawa: "This is a blatant example of censorship, following closely after the banning of Amir Muhammad's semi-musical documentary The Last Communist, we urge the festival to accept submissions based on quality and commitment, rather than succumbing to political pressure." (via Kian Keat)
Han is good: 18?
reduced and recycled: 18? eighteen? 0011000100111000?
Xpyred points out that the axe-ing of the documentary is a very ironic thing to happen. Someone has fallen into a well-laid trap... but who? Click to find out!
The MovieBuff: What is 18?
The MovieBuff explains the controversy that surrounds this short film.
D'Blog: 18?
Dabido has much to say about the film and this issue, providing numerous of his interpretations and thoughts on what this film was about, what the graffiti was about, and the ramifications of this film getting axed.
Little Girl In A Reverie: Danny Lim's 2004 Documentary 18? Meme
Jolene/ Jayelle tries to keep the meme alive despite her confusion regarding the whole issue, and for that, I am grateful.
Tags: malaysia, malaysian, film, movie, independent, indie, filmmaking, filmmaker, documentary, 18, danny lim, seoul film festival, meme, viral marketing
What next?
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7/16/2006 04:14:00 AM
Thanks for the plug.
There's a saying "Cari sampai ke lubang cacing". Whereever there's any element of 'gomen bashing' (as half of the people you're tagging would say so), it will be hunted down.
But are we better than Singapore then? Check out this blog No political films please, we're Singaporeans for more info.
7/16/2006 09:30:00 AM
Thanks for the link, I'm bookmarking it. Guess our neighbours are suffering our fate as well, although I have to say that their censorship is much lenient compared to ours. At least they allow the showing of films restricted to the above 18 and 21, some non-mainstream films that most Malaysians would never even bother checking out the pirated DVDs for. Most of our films that are rated more than 18 are just PG-rated fare for the rest of the world.
Yet it is true that our governments may share some similarities, due to our similar history, background and culture. But I wonder how often do Singaporean filmmakers suffer something as ridiculous as this? Heh, it even got mentioned here by Kaiju Breakdown, this Variety-owned blog for Asian films.
P. S. I've long wondered what the whole Mr Brown thing had been about after seeing it being mentioned numerous times at Tomorrow.sg, guess I know now.
7/16/2006 10:12:00 AM
i've watched this docu before it was highlighted in the papers. I thought it was an innocent outlook but an interesting insight into the graffiti. So it's a wonder why some people would blow things out of proportion.
Are we not mature? We don't need another big brother telling us what to do man.
7/16/2006 12:04:00 PM
Perhaps the ideal Malaysian society is one where all of us are told to think what we want to think, told to do what we want to do. All decisions already made for us because we will never know ourselves as much as others know us. Perhaps what exposure to outside means nothing if we live in a Utopia where we can disregard everything that happens outside.
Well, I know I didn't tag you, but you interested in joining the meme?
7/16/2006 07:01:00 PM
Malaysians have to resort to such ways to express themselves. There really is something to be said about our political system...
Badawi is in Brisbane, if you didn't know....
7/16/2006 08:09:00 PM
I feel that if no one bothers to even answer this meme, they are pretty much content with our political system, and there is not up to us to criticize it.
Ooooh, Badawi was in Perth before that.
7/17/2006 11:44:00 AM
Swifty - apologies if I dont' get to the meme for a day or two ... have to work till 9PM tonight, and not sure when I'm working the rest of the week [I scored a contract for two months].
Hope to get to it in a few days, so, just thought I'd tell you so you don't think I'm being a slacker! :-)
Just nudge me a little if I forget to do it. :-)
7/17/2006 12:01:00 PM
I tried loading it in YouTube but I cannot! Ugh. I will try again!
7/17/2006 12:09:00 PM
Dabido: No worries, pal, take your time! And whoa, scored a contract huh? Congrats!
Kyels: Yeah, damn Streamyx, instable like hell! No worries, take your time too!
7/17/2006 01:08:00 PM
Swifty, posting it up now! I got it from your link - using that instead. Stupid Streamyx!
7/17/2006 01:57:00 PM
no problem, swifty. but my freaking download is freaking slow, man...
7/17/2006 04:09:00 PM
Kyels: Thanks, I'll post the link to your entry immediately.
Simon: No worries, dude, take your time. :D Just tell me when you're done.
7/17/2006 05:09:00 PM
i'm not a fan of annuar
7/17/2006 08:09:00 PM
Anwar, you mean? Well, I guess the best way to approach matters like this is to remain objective, never becoming a fan of anyone so that you can remain clear-headed and rational.
7/18/2006 07:35:00 PM
hey, swifty. i come a cross to a blog that talk on the same issue,
here is the url:
http://wenhui.wordpress.com/2006/07/17/local-film-withdrawn-due-to-embassys-objection/
hopefully i can blog a bit later.
thanks
7/18/2006 10:02:00 PM
hey swifty! came to your post abit late. i'm downloading the movie as I type this, and will see who else I can tell about it :)
7/18/2006 10:56:00 PM
KK: Thanks for the link! I'll put up the link to the original CIJ article!
Xypred: I'll be looking forward to it!
7/19/2006 12:11:00 AM
Yo dude, just did it. Have a look. I am planning to go to the porn movie industry, its much better there... lolz
7/19/2006 12:31:00 AM
Yeah, more enjoyable too.