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Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Latest Buli Balik report for all friends. 6 days collection stands at RM1.2 million! That's fast gila! Alhamdulillah.

Meety the fansy ae City Square Johore. Gua terasa macam mawi tu . heehee.
Sain bang jangan tak sain!!
Malaysian Movie fans serang panggung at City Square, JB. Kasi Pecah!!!
Additional Show pukul 2.30 dan 4.55 pagi di JB, COOL!
This is hope for Malaysian Movies!
Malacca Fans of BULI BALIK gather round for their freebies.
Me with some fans at Pelangi Mall JB.
Me and Ako Meet the fans in Seremban.
Me and Ako membuli seorang peminat dan anaknya.

Thank you so much for all those who have gone to see BULI BALIK. It's success so far would not be possible without your support. Thanks la kodok-kodok semua, I have to say that i now officially feel the pressure to not slack off and will do all in my power and ability to keep giving u guys the best i can, bear in mind every new film to me is a new learning experience. . I will still be myself and explore the weird side of life and give you my commentary on our society, but i guess things doesn't get any easier from now on and I WELCOME IT.

LOVE AND PEACE TO ALL.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

AFDLIN SHAUKI

Monday, January 30, 2006

BULI BALIK Collection first four days RM 728 000. GILA SIOT! Gua macam tak percaya. Thanks to you guys.

UMI AIDA sent me this text message today.
Ada orang berpesan, " Mereka yang menang tidak berhenti dan mereka yang berhenti tidak akan menang!" So continue to strive.
What an amazing woman she is and she makes a great Neurosurgeon as well in BULI BALIK.

You know , i thank you all for all your comments and acknowledge all your comments as being valid responses to the film BULI BALIK that you experienced.
Why did i say "the movie that you experienced!" some of you might ask, "Are there many other versions?... How will i know if i am watching a different version from what afdlin made?".
The answer is no, there is only one version of buli balik except for BULI BALIK DVD DIRECTOR'S CUT SPECIAL EDITION which has an additional half an hour of footage. But your experiences may vary because of level of awareness or paradigm. Here i am talking about story and not the technicality of movie making (as i am still a student of that and i guess will forever be). One thing i do know are what the elements needed in the making of a good story, the use of subtext in a film and how to play with the three act structure of storytelling.
I know many people who did not like BAIK PUNYA CILOK and loved BULI BALIK and vice-versa. I am a big fan of the Lord of the rings trilogy but i know many people who thought it was boring and a waste of time. In P. Ramlee days after he did bujang lapuk everybody wanted him to do the same kind of movies but the legend did not just pursue those kind of movies because as a filmmaker you want to feed your soul with stories which touch you and these stories most certainly do not all come in the same genres. BAIK PUNYA CILOK and BULI BALIK are two different Movies with two differing intentions and goals. For Baik Punya Cilok i wanted to have fun and to prove that there is adifferent way to do cinematic comedy in malaysia. In the buli series (BULI & BULI BALIK) i wanted people to feel. FEEL how it feels like when the illness of our society is mirrored back at us. When the daily lives of a certain group of people is exposed to us so that we can emphatise and work towards correcting our wrongs, if any. BULI is an attempt at showing us how life can turn out if we made the same choices as our protagonist (HERO) or antagonist (Villain). BULI BALIK is Life as i see it. Like it or not, it is my paradigm. You are viewing life from my eyes.
Why is a fat person a hero in BULI & BULI BALIK? Because in my life i am the hero.... heehee. It's true, i know my kids and people i love, look up to me and i have to be there for them when they need me, just like a HERO. Besides that, i want to show that anybody can be a hero and you do not have to look like BRAD PITT to save the day ( BRAD PITT FC retaliation expected). WE ARE ALL POTENTIAL HEROES! if we choose to be it.
In BULI BALIK i want to show that even HEROes can make mistakes and go too far sometimes just like in real life. SO for those of you ready to peel away the comedy of BULI BALIK, you will see these layers which i had tried to encorporate but for those of you just looking for a laugh, the jokes are there but not like in BAIK PUNYA CILOK, but definitely a lot more thoughtful.
BUT don't just layan my ramblings, go and see for yourself and let yourself feel. I need you to cancel BAIK PUNYA CILOK from your minds for a little while and come into the movie having BULI in mind. You are going to go on a journey with NORDIN and have a peak into his life.
My personal feeling about BULI BALIK is that it is a very special movie to me. I love a good laugh but i also welcome a good cry once in a while. I guess it makes me feel human. BB is as close a commentary about our lives as a people that i can envisage thus far. A braver attempt would be 'SUMO-lah!' which is about Urban Malays looking for a cultural identity in this day and age.
At the end of the day, eventhough i am a businessman, i remember that i am an artist with a social conscience FIRST. Kalau gua nak kaya, semua filem gua buat macam BAIK PUNYA CILOK la and that style would probably last about two to three more films before i am branded a formulaic director with no passion for anything but making money.BULI BALIK is done because I am interested in telling stories and that is why i am a film director. Peace.

Power to the People

Afdlin Shauki

PS. SELAMAT MENYAMBUT AWAL MUHARRAM MY FRIENDS, may this year allah shines a bright light upon us all and open our hearts to the gift of knowledge and peace. To all my Chinese friends GONG XI FA CHAI and may you achieve what you set your hearts to.

BULI BALIK Collection first three days RM 490 000. Thanks to you guys.

Just got back from the NORTH (Utara) for the BULI BALIK promotional tour and finally back to my awesome home streamyx broadband wi-fi internet connection. Aaaahhhh! heaven is a place called the internet. Not that there is no internet connection up NORTH but kat hotel sana, it's a wee bit expensive-lah for a dial-up connection.
Me and AC MIZAL travelled to Alor Star (or as it is affectionately known as Aloq Staq), Kedah and did a promo thingy at a cinema there and met up with i think about 50 people, mostly kids, at the metrowealth cinema - i swear we were like dua penjual kain batik tersohor but it was fun. Met up with a major kodok up north ZICKEYSSS. Then we went to Sungai Petani and the crowd was a bit bigger, i think it was about 150 people. The very next day we hit Penang. First venue bukit JAMBUL, the complex itself was empty because of chinese new year but the cinema was quite packed. Then we went to Prangin Mall where we pretended to be Cinema cleaners at the end of the movie and started chasing people out of the cinema complaing aloud about how dirty the cinema is. The Audience were shocked to find out that it was us and we all had a good laugh. I would just like to say now that AC MIZAL is Insane cow!!... what a star. He truly is a funny human being and we are all blessed to be able to share his talent. Lastly we went to MEGAMALL PRAI cinemas where we entertained aboout 250 people. Met an old school mate from st. john's ther , Raja Azmir... what a blast from the past that one. Looking at him, i remember the days when we took the 270 Len Seng bus from Bangunan Arab-Libya near the AIA building to go home to taman Permata, Ulu Kelang. We used to laugh and laugh all the time about everything from ponteng sekolah to bukak puasa on the bus sambil korek hidung to kena rotan beramai-ramai etc.. He was always a funny and nice guy at school and pleasingly still is, up till today, but maybe a bit more matured and weathered. I think, i realised then how much i missed the simple uncomplicated life of a student (although we didn't think it was so UNCOMPLICATED at that time) and the innocence of our hopes and aspirations. Nice to catch up with people who was once a great big part of your life once in a while i guess - It sort of gives a reality check doesn't it.
Tomorrow the BULI BALIK circus will be going to SEREMBAN TERMINAL ONE at 12.30 pm and the following day, off to Malacca and Johore. We are giving this movie all that we got because WE BELIEVE in it. WE BELIEVE besides just being a movie, BB has something big to say.
You know guys, i am a very open person and as you can see from the comments, whatever is written (unless it's truly offensive) i will not delete eventhough it is given by a non entity like ANONYMOUS.
i can only hope and pray that we become a society that is not afraid of standing up for what we believe in and are unafraid to be accountable for it. STOP BEING ANONYMOUS. REPRESENT YOUR VIEWS WITH YOUR IDENTITY. THAT IS THE WAY OF AN HONOURABLE PERSON. If you read from the comments from my previous blog there were a few anonymous comments given but this one comment reeally cheesed me off and no, it wasn't the comment which said "watched buli balik last night,my friend beside me (in the cinema after about 30min ) whispered 'somebody please shoot me'.. I dont like it." I thought that was honest and i respected it. BUT what really MADE MY BLOOD GO UPSTAIRS is a comment by really BLUR Anonymous blog reader/commenter who said...

Anonymous said...
" .... besides Siti Nurhaliza and a few other people who are just talent .... "
what does this sentence really mean? siti is just an ordinary talent? true it may be but talent by itself will get her no where with hard work and "tidak cakap besar" like some good director in the making !


now read what i actually wrote in the blog below
"Lemme let all of you in on one open industry secret that might shock you, besides Siti Nurhaliza and a few other people who are just talents (great talents though they may be) in this industry, NO other persons in the creative field of the entertainment industy in MALAYSIA ever makes any good money from it"
WTF???.... Anonymous whoever u are... U have obviously missed the point. Plus, didn't u care to read the following statement "GREAT TALENTS THOUGH THEY MAYBE!!!" did i say, SITI is not a hard worker?... dude, i know she works hard!!... I am in the industry! We all know, that's why she is who she is right now! besides being her friend, I have much respect for her and her achievements. And your cukup lawa comment " TIDAK CAKAP BESAR macam some good director in the making!" was that suppose to hurt my feelings???...heehee. If it was, then all i can say is....People who know me know i am not that kind of person. so the question now is, LUUU SAPAAAAA?... gua takde duit nak makan nasi, lu nak kasi gua ke? Gua mati nanti, lu nak masuk kubur dengan gua ke? so why should i care what u say... why should anyone care? And besides that, the best part is, lu ANONYMOUS jadi lu tak really serious nak tahu "what the sentence really mean!" Did you really want to know or is it just part of your initation for
i would like to apologize to all my blog readers right now for YOUR STUPIDITY. May time bestow upon you great wisdom so that u may not live the rest of your life, LOST.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

AFDLIN SHAUKI

PS. Selamat menyambut awal muharram too all my muslim fans and a happy chinese new year to all celebrating it.
BE SAFE during the holidays.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

BULI BALIK 's VOYAGE BEGINS TODAY, ALL OVER MALAYSIA! MAY THE JOURNEY BE A MEMORABLE ONE. INSYAALLAH. LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL FRIENDS!!

It is the night before my baby comes alive and i want to share with all of you my intimate thoughts on the matter. BULI was a dream i had as a teenager to make my first movie. BULI BALIK was a promise i made to myself, to right the wrongs oy days past, to be able to do the one thing the genius P.Ramlee was never able to do, to own his own creative works. I am writing this down with tear filling my eyes as i remember the day i read how P. Ramlee died a pauper. How a great talent of this magnitude from this country was never allowed to reap the benefits of his own intellectual property really mystifies and disgusts me.

BUt this is the current state of this country even right now. NOBODY respects other people's rights to intellectual property. They feel it is their right to infringe on this rights because illegal music, films and software are being openly sold everywhere so this must mean that it is ok. When i say nobody. i mean from the top level down to normal people like you and me. I include myself because i admit. i also fall into the self-styled culture of checking out the latest foreign films from your friendly neighbourhood dvd PUSHER.

BUT consider this, What if suddenly it was ok to buy your lawyers stamp from a roadside stall or audited accounts from Petaling Streets at a discounted price. Or even giving your pay to someone else, after you have spent all your sweat and time in trying to do the best job u can, why? because everyone's doing it. SO why not you? "That is different!", you say, "Our job is not entertainment!... this won't happen to us". Just think about it, what the hell makes u think that u r so special, that something like this might not happen to you?

TV stations do not respect the rights of small production companies, because they want ALL RIGHTS to your product at an offered price where it should just be for a license fee for a one run or two run to air the said programme. They pay peanuts and so like a bunch of hungry monkeys we swarm over it to eat whatever the scraps is left and not fight for the system to be CHANGED. TV Broadcasters should just be BROADCASTERS and let the creative people do the creative work.

We are a country that is slowly killing it's creative minds because the work we do is not considered tangible like being an accountant or even a clerk at a bank. Banks won't touch creative people and put ridiculous demands on us in trying to secure a loan, only to later say no to the loan because of the age old banking mantra "NO TRACK RECORD". SME banks won't touch creative production companies with a ten foot pole because we are considered HIGH RISK. Like any business worth any grain of salt and not illegal is not high risk. BUSINESS IS ABOUT RISKing!!!

People just take what is currently happening because we all say "well i guess that's how things are in this country!". I say stop the bullshit and let's rewrite the books on how 'things are' in the country

Lemme let all of you in on one open industry secret that might shock you, besides Siti Nurhaliza and a few other people who are just talents (great talents though they may be) in this industry, NO other persons in the creative field of the entertainment industy in MALAYSIA ever makes any good money from it. "You look ok afdlin" some might say, and to the my response is, Yes, I truly am blessed because i am a talent as well as a creative person but i think about all the writers, songwriters, animators, directors etc in this country and i know, most of them live hand to mouth. AND these people are the ones who create all the great songs, poems, writings, scripts that drive this whole industry.

So what can we do about it. Personally at this point in time, i have no frakking clue! but i know that that the parliament has to pass a bill or something to give greater protection to a potential multi-billion dollar industry for it to continue surviving and even flourish.
Why was propaganda films a great important part of the war effort in all the world wars? The reason is because the media affects our mind either subconciously or conciously on any level. It is as important in building the image of a country as the twin towers or the Sepang race course. Our culture, our paradigm and the way we are, are reflected through our films.

FILMS are great tools to window our culture and the hearts of our people. HELP US HELP U MAKE THIS COUNTRY GREAT. Protect us. Give our livelyhood back to us. You take away our soul when you take away our creativity.

So, this is it people. I do not want to die a pauper and this is a promise i made to myself and to the late great P.Ramlee. To own and probably benefit from my own IP. If we don't protect our IP and make it worth something, then we might as well be living in the P RAMLEE days.

Thank you for supporting BULI BALIK and my creative endeavours. For those of you who don't like what i do, support the ones you do, because believe me,you make a difference to them. KEEP ON SUPPORTING MALAYSIAN FILMS.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Afdlin SHauki

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

BULI BALIK / KODOK BOWLING TOURNAMENT RESULTS!

BULI BALIK T-shirt Design : open for orders.


Needless to say it was an outstanding kodok sporting event where all the kodoks menunjukkan belang ataupun tompok-tompok mengerutu mereka. Since , i'm sure many of you will be asking... my team tha 'HARD CORE-DORKS' got third placing overall out of 15 teams. A kodok called NART is the most dangerous kodok with a bowling ball. i myself, (gear macam main piala dunia) was placed 24th out of 55 kodoks. Macam tak caya lak ramai kodoks pandai boling, the top four bowlers have been honoured by being selected for the inter fan club bowling competition on the 5th of march. All their expenses will be borned by the FELLOWSHIP OF THE KODOKS. SO watch out you all for KODOK POWER coming to you this March.

AND BE-fore-WARNED all you non kodoks, that our kodoks HARD CORE-DORKS mean business and are quite lethal when it comes to ball sports. Because most of us look like ball osso.

KODOKS = UGLY ON THE OUTSIDE BUT BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE.

WEBEK, WEBEK, WEBEK!

AFDLIN SHAUKI

DON't FORGET IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GO TO THE SNEAK PREVIEW OF BULI BALIK tomorrow at 10.00 am. Just check http://sultanmuzaffar.blogspot.com

Saturday, January 21, 2006

BULI BALIK next week cometh!! SUNDAY Buli Balik KODOK bowling Tournament at AMPANG POINT!








So today is the day when we will find out who is da best kodok with a bowling ball in all of KOALA LOEMPOUR. Feel the energy and excitement of VICTORY and the agony of defeat.

Gua malas nak crita kat korang yang sebenarnya gua ni perlengkapan bowling semua cukup, cuma helmet bowing aje gua takde. Tapi main bowling aje yang gua tak pandai-pandai.
TAPI main bowling ni sebenarnya bukan untuk menang. It's for grown up people to look like monkeys in public when they get a strike. Macam-macam pesen ada, termasuklah gua sekali.

SUNDAY will be the day where all the malu-malulah konon and the kontrol-kontrol hensem, anggun dan lain-lain will be thrown out the window. Tomorrow is the time for WARRRRRRRRRR!!!!. (teringat gua lagu dari film RUSH HOURyang berjudul war!... cet cet ..cet cet cet... what is is good for absolutely nothing....good god! WAR!... cet cet....cet cet cet... what is it good for absolutely nothing!!!)

Some of the cast of BULI BALIK will also show you their gaya-gaya bergaya yang mungkin akan mengalahkan gaya model runway fesyen berjenama di London, Paris dan Keluang di runway boling alley. so be prepared KODOKS.

Pemenang akan mewakili team kodok yang akan beraksi di dalam pertandingan-pertandingan bowling termasyhur di rantau kuala lumpur dan Irian Jaya.

SO MORE POWER TO YOU KODOKS and JANGAN kena buli dengan pelakon-pelakon buli balik esok. Kalau depa BULI hangpa semua mesti....

BULI BALIK!

M
A
J
U
L
A
H

B
O
W
L
I
N
G


U
N
T
U
K

K
O
D
O
K

KODOK KU. AMIN.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

EXCLUSIVE bloggers and blog readers SNEAK PREVIEW of BULI BALIK!


Joe KLUBBKIDD , SULTAN MUZAFFAR and their merry men/women/avatars, came up with a great idea last week to acknowledge the legion of internet dwellers who have created this massive and powerful tool for networking and just hanging out, ie. to do a special sneak preview of BULIBALIK. Never before has something like his been done before for the local internet community and kudos to them for coming up with such a great event. For your information they are also responsible for another great idea of utilising the internet family for networking thru PROJECT : Maharani.

There are VERY LIMITED SEATS for the SNEAK PREVIEW (220 to be exact) and you must send an email to sultanmuzaffar@gmail.com to confirm your seats. The ticket price is 10 ringgit and there will be a bunch of BULIBALIK and KODOK goodies to snap up there as well.



The screening will be at 10:00 am (that's the only time that has been made available to us by the cinemas, so DO WHAT U HAVE TO DO) at TGV One Utama (OLD WING)

COME 26th JANUARY it's our time to show the country's film industry that we want to watch better films in this country, let it be known to all. BULIBALIK is my best work to date and i want to share this experience with you. It isn't perfect just lik BULI and BAIK PUNYA CILOK but then again, it is the work of an imperfect man and i believe the journey to perfection is what makes life really interesting, since true perfection is only Allah swt.
I am looking forward to people's reaction to my latest escapade so that besides honing my skills as a director, i will also be in-tuned with what the people wants. Many people have asked me to delve into the realm of drama... and so in the vein of BULI... This is another BLACK COMEDY or DRAMA-DY for your viewing pleasure. If You enjoyed BULI and BAIK PUNYA CILOK (although it is not in the same vein as cilok as it was a straight forward comedy)... i am sure you will enjoy BULIBALIK. RAWK the NATION! Ohh.. and AHMAD NISFU RAWKS as well!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

AFDLIN SHAUKI
WWW.BULIBALIK.COM

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

WWW.BULIBALIK.COMis fully operational and rock and rolling. BAGITAHUlah orang kampung semua!! SPREAD THE WORD

"Selepas berlatih SUMO saya selalu pergi ke website Buli Balik untuk memulihkan kekuatan lelaki saya!"
"Dengan website Buli Balik, hidup saya kini lebih sempurna.Dah tiga bulan bil handphone saya tak lambat bayar!"

Hai Gang,
Latest update on BULI BALIK WEBSITE!... KITA DAH UP AND RUNNING and you can get a whole bunch of free studd there, videoclips and MP3s. Checkout PATRICK TEOH as TAN SRI MICHAEL punya music VIDEO. KEtawa guling-guling tu. A really mad thing patrick let me do to him. That's why i love him so much.


On the SUMO front , something has happened which has put my panties in a twist. More on that later. BUT check out at the potential Malaysian Sumo Team for the next SEA games. Malaysian Representative and Singapore's. AWIE, GURMIT, TERRY GALLYOT, RADHI KHALID, GAVIN YAP and Myself are training so hard that even the Japanese coaches are surprised because they thought us actors would just fake our way thru the whole process. Little do they know yang director film ni memang kaki dera orang. My on camera Sumo team at the end of this shoot can literally take on any local SUMO exponent in tornament. I am quite convinced. THIS MOVIE, like BULI BALIK is gonna rock like Elvis on Ice (or speed for that matter).

CILOK hit 2.6 MIllion. DAHSYAT KOME!

JANGAN LUPA - SPECIAL BLOG READER's PREVIEW of BULI BALIK instigated by the Malaysia's blog community is also going to place one day before the actual 26th Januari release of the film. It will take place on the 25th of January at TGV One Utama (OLD WING) at 10.00 am.The price of the ticket is rm10 still, but you will get to watch the movie one day earlier than the general release date and you get to watch with the cast of BULI BALIK.
SO try and make this event as it promises to be one of the KODOK-iest event to date.
Seperti titah seorang sultan...
Sultanmuzaffar said...
Info ttg Tayangan Komuniti Blog : Buli Balik ada di blog saya ya. http://sultanmuzaffar.bogspot.com
TQ

Power to the People.
Afdlin Shauki

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Press Preview BULI BALIK!!!! A different animal from BPC!



let me tell you a little bit about myself and what i believe cinema can and should be.

I hate mediocrity. If i know i can do something well, i will move on to do other things. I challenge myself constantly.
I Love movies. I love to fantasize about the what ifs. But the type of movie which i really, truly adore are movies which are provokable, that disturbs ur emotional well being, that jogs u from ur calm and expect u to think and feel.

SEPET, GUBRA, La Haine (HATE), CINEMA PARADISO are very good examples of this. It is about important stories that needs to be told to shift people's paradigm.

WHAT is paradigm? Your knowledge + the things u have experienced in YOUR world during ur life, up till today. I don't pretend to know all, and i want every new experience i have to shift my paradigm because it means i am learning something new constantly. What i forsee as reality, you might see as something that cannot happen, because we have had different upbringings by people with differing sets of moral values..I come from a poor family but because i converse well in english people think GUA ANAK LORD (a lord's son), because in their world people who speak english well are all anak orang kaya. Another example would be, a slightly more matured married man with children might appreciate Cinderrela Man more than a single happy-go-lucky-never-had-to work-a-single-day-in-his-life-kind-of-fellow.

When directing a movie. I try to cater to two crowds - the simple minded folk and the slightly more sophisticated folks. This might not be the right thing to do and i'm sure a lot of independent directors (who shudder at the very mention of mainstream malay movies) despise the very idea of compromising their art for commercialism. I once tried to use that line on my car reposessor, needless to say.. I am now carless.

I believe in making movies that invite the urban and rural market to converge under one roof. That is why BULI and BAIK PUNYA CILOK have been doing fairly well in the cinemas i guess. Kalau nak gelak aje, dapat gelak. Tapi kalau pergi dengan minda terbuka dapat pengajaran.

At the press preview of BULI BALIK, i don't think i have ever experienced being this happy after a press preview EVER in my life. "WHY?"."Was it because everybody was happy about the movie and excited about it?" you may ask. The answer is yes and no.

Yes! because, besides seeing many teary-eyed people leaving the cinema, i managed to DEDICATE THIS FILM TO MY DEAR MOM (prior to it's showing), who is currently recovering from her bout with stroke and i believe, she is the greatest fighter in the world. She is my hero.

Yes! Secondly because, i had wanted BULI BALIK to be different, i wanted to go back to doing dramatic comedies in the vein of WOODY ALLEN, BARRY LEVINSON although i know my standard dengan diorang punya standard jauh lagi-la beb. SO straight away, my intention is for this film to be different from BPC, but not just for the sake of being different, but of the weight of the subject matter - BULLYING. I wanted people to have fun, but feel kacau after seeing the end of the film, to end it unconventionally. NOT LIKE A TYPICAL COMEDY ENDING.

My wife, in her blog has a very interesting perspective on this matter, which coincides with what i wanted to do, which is people should ask themseves why they feel the way they feel. Could it not have happened or were you not ready for it to happen. I saw many people who got it, but also a few others who were confused like little lambs coming out their mother's womb. Hee hee. surprised and confused with the movie's ending. I like that.


TO BLUQUBE : Everything i do in a film is based on realities of life that i have seen. Is there a logical explanation for a big gorilla to climb up the empire state building, being pumped full with bullets and then dropping to the ground AND NOBODY DIED EXCEPT FOR THE GORILLA (nobody else got squashed into a lempeng on one of the busiest streets in NEW YORK), then i think it is not too far fetched to believe that after the show has finished, the security guards who were formerly guarding the money and later carried the professor out of the hall - which meant that they had left the hall - and to assume that after sending the professor to the clinic, had probably gone off for a teh tarik or two or even deciding to catch the LIVERPOOL vs Tottenham game.


And Alhamdulillah... BAIK PUNYA CILOK telah setakat ini mengutip 2.46 miiion... congrats Tayangan UNGGUL!!!

AFDLIN

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Check it out... BAIK PUNYA TRAINING!!


Seperti di janji, gambar gua training SUMO!!... sampai macam ni nak cari kelainan. Watch out for more updates. Heehee... kalau geli sorry ek.

Today i made my production crew do SUMO training... heehee it was a funny sight. All these wet, sweaty male bodies pushing up against each other... Oh and my cast AWIE, RADHI KHALID and GAVIN YAP was also a sight to be seen in their MAWASHI (cawat SUMO) heehee. Kitorang gelak pecah perut tapi training was harrrrrrd and tiring. Anyway, more SUMO training Pictures to come... TUNGGGUUUU...

More Power to all of you!
Thank you for supporting Malaysian movies.

Afdlin Shauki

Jangan Lupa BULI BALIK 26 JANUARY 2006

Thursday, January 05, 2006

ALhamdulillah!!!...Baik Punya Cilok hit 2.0 MILLION RINGGIT!!!! walaupun Castello masuk.

This is it gang. U are the first to see it here....BULI BALIK FINAL POSTER

Gua janji pada diri gua the next time gua blog gua akan bagitahu u all tentang CILOK dah hit 2 million ringgit dan pada hari ni alhamdulillah lah gang... cita-cita kecil gua tercapai. WE MADE IT GANG!!!... And it seems we are still going strong dan pawagam masih lagi penuh!!...BETUL KE??... kalau betul alhamdulillah sekali lagi... ini semua kerana izinNya.

Tapi something even more exciting happened two days ago... which i think is bigger and more important than CILOK making 2 million and BULI BALIK opening on the 26th of January, My two beautiful Daughters went to school three days ago. Mia is in standard one and Anais is in play school. I was so sedih and scared to let them go and constantly felt the urge to check on my two cherubs all the time. Dah besar dah my two anak dara tu and i feel i have lost so much time with them from working like a khinzir, 22 hours a day to try give them a better life (life is unfair).



And before i forget, watch out for the conclusion of BULI... iaitu
BULI BALIK opening 26th January 2006, I personally feel that, this is my best work to date and i would love to share this experience with you.. If you guys wanna see anak melayu gemuk berjaya, u have to watch this film over and over again... cause this film i got share!!!! hee hee

BUT to show my appreciasi terhadap sokongan padu tahap gaban ditelan gojira yang korang berikan kepada BAIK PUNYA CILOK, gua ada some ...
FREE TICKETS to the press preview of BULI BALIK on the 12th of January 2006!!!! You will also be able to buy exclusive kodok merchandise, which is a t-shirt designed by CIP KODOK aka me and collect it on the day of the press preview. If you are interested in the free tickets and also interested to buy a t-shirt @ RM20 tak mengira saiz vertical ataupun horizontal silalah email kepada...
kodokgonewild@gmail.com
War-warkan kepada dunia gang.... the second kodok MOVIE EVENT OF THE YEAR.

Once again u guys rawk my world. KEEP ON SUPPORTING LOCAL MOVIES!!
One day the world will notice us!!

AFDLIN SHAUKI

PS. Two days ago i had my first official SUMO training... Macam nak tercabut peha gua!!! Nanti-nanti gua tunjuk gambar ok, macam sekampit beras perut gua, tapi macho siut!!! heehee.

Friday, December 30, 2005

BAIK PUNYA CILOK hits 1.1 MILLION mark after six days! and still going strong!!!

MAcam pinang di belah dua kan...kan...!! heehee. Like the pinang fruit cut into two!!

Back in the country after an amazing encounter in bangkok with 'Sai' aka Intira Charoenpura aka 'Nang Nak'... I am happy gila tenuk to inform you guys that she has Agreed to be in SUMO-lah!!! She said she loves the story and the uniqeness of the characters. WICKED!!... and a Reputable Thai production company straight away expressed their interest to Distribute the movie in Thailand!! DOUBLE WICKED.

So guys, we are on our way to having a first major internationally distributed Malaysian film in our hands - SUMOlah!!! It has always been my dream my friends to bring our Malaysian cinema to the world and now it is almost a reality. Alhamdulillah.

Also Alhamdulillah for all the people who have gone to see Baik Punya Cilok and have been going all out to spread the word to their suku sakat and friends. You guys really rock!!

much love and respect to you all.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

AFDLIN SHAUKI

Monday, December 26, 2005

BAIK PUNYA CILOK still going strong!!!... can we make this film hit 5 million???

We'll that is what they are telling me from kl as i am now in bangkok to try and woo a really excellent thai actress named Intira Jaroenpura aka Nang Nak to try and join the cast of SUMO-lah. I will not be berlagak and try to hide my excitement to meet this lady tomorrow, i believe she is truy one of Asia's most remarkable female actors. She is currently shooting a new film produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol (Director of Legend of Suriyothai) at a budget of 50 million Dollarss!!! ( i suddenly have visions of Dr. Evil saying those figures aloud) and here i am a Malaysian Af-DE-WHo? offering her a role in a film with a budget that is probably smaller than the size of that production's catering budget. But i plod on, hoping that a good story would intice a fellow artiste to join a very determined and excited team of Malaysian film workers to try and bring a first truly International Malaysian film project to the region and perhaps the world.

A pipe dream, many might say but guess what? I am a person who constantly believe in dreams and making them come true. Buli was a dream... winning an award at the Malaysian Film Festival was a dream.... The current success of BAIK PUNYA CILOK is a dream... and now to conquer a greater vision of getting a local film distributed internationally... and maybe going to International film festivals and bringing pride to the country like P.Ramlee, Yasmin Ahmad, Ho Yuhang, Amir Muhammad, James Lee and to prove that mainstream doesn't mean shit-stream. Well, at least not all the time.

A great indication is that she has read the treatment and she thinks that it is really funny and a lot of fun. Next we have to talk money and schedules. YIKES!!!... donnolah... apa nak jadi-jadilah... Just tebalkan my face and make my ten cent face, get on my knees and get ready to beg and grovel. I have no shame, some of you might be saying.

Ab-so-frakking-lutely!!!... whatever for a DREAM.

Let's make Cilok the biggest film this year (well it is the last local film of 2005 anyway).... SPREAD THE WORD MY FRIENDS... UNLEASH YOUR EXCITEMENT TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY... IT IS YOUR FILM... YOU MADE IT THE MONSTER THAT IT IS RIGHT NOW, WITH YOUR SUPPORT!!! NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE MOVIES ARE IT WOULDN'T MEAN JACK WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!!... YOU DESERVE BETTER MOVIES!!!... DON'T ENTERTAIN MEDIOCRITY!!!... SUPPORT NEW MALAYSIAN DIRECTORS!!!.... THE POWER IS WITH YOU!!!.... YOU TOO CAN STOP PIRACY IF YOU WANTED TOO!!!.... POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

AFDLIN SHAUKI

PS. ACTORLYMPICS starts tomorrow!!!.... so for an evening of live selambakodok komedy and the opportunity to meet the stars of BAIK PUNYA CILOK, CIP KODOK and Harith Iskander LIVE don't forget to make a date with us at Bangsar Actor's studio.

Baik Punya Cilok, first four days collection (+-) RM 700,000.00!!!!

The cinemas have been packing up every single day since it's opening and it is still going strong!!!.... please continue to spread the word if u like the movie and if you don't, don't give up on Malay movies!!!... i'm sure there are many other local directors out there who can whet ur appetite for good Malaysian cinema.

IKLAN tergempar : WE BEAT ERA at the ERA-DIGI futsal tournament in penang on saturday and guess what? we beat both DIGI and later ERA in the finals, by 2 goals to nothing, wicked!! . THE BAIK PUNYA CILOK Futsal TEAM RULES!!! I told the organisers oredi... we are not very skillful and bergaya, but the baik punya cilok team have great understanding of each other and have great fighting spirit cause, except for AC mizal, we ( lowly free-lancing film workers) need all the work that comes our way..

To be fair, there has been good and bad reviews of the movie, as a filmmaker i do not really care about reviews and will do my movies the way i see fit, but i want you to read them all and then watch the film and see with whom you agree with.

For a bad review of baik punya cilok, please read,
  • Sultan Muzaffar's Review


  • As for me, i like this one review which really captures the spirit of the Baik Punya Cilok that i wanted to make. read this review at
  • Solidmind's Review

  • .

    As my wife said, "It's all a matter of opinion , there is no right or wrong." (yeahh right!!)

    As for me, i remember what U-wei used to tell me, " u just tell ur story! let the technical people worry about the technical side". No excuses, but i guess tayangan unggul could have let me technically finish the film the way i wanted to. But that is another story, in another entry, at another time.

    Thanks for all ur support again and thanks for believing.

    Power to the People

    AFDLIN SHAUKI

    Friday, December 23, 2005

    BAIK PUNYA CILOK ROCKING AROUND MALAYSIA!!! Terima kasih kerana sokongan kodok-kodok semua!!!

    Syukur Alhamdulillah!!!! setelah semalaman mengelabah macam tengilling terkena brandy (hmmmm.... macammana agaknya rupenya ek??).... i baru dapat tahu dari Producer i yang BAIK PUNYA CILOK full house all over MALAYSIA today!!!! dan kepada mereka yang bertanya, BPC opens in SINGAPORE and BRUNEI TODAY TOO!!!!!!.... GILA BABIIIIIIIIIII TONYOK!!!!

    Gua betul-betul dengan all humility dan rasa rendah dirinya ingin berterimakasih kepada semua rakyat malaysia, no matter what race or religion u are for having the faith to go to the cinema and spend your hard earnt wages and duit pusaka arwah tok anda semua kat panggung untuk menonton BAIK PUNYA CILOK.

    I really... really hope the momentum keeps on going and BAIK PUNYA CILOK becomes the monster MALAYSIAN movie of 2005. Ada satu cerita tu, satu family hampa tak dapat tengok BPC kerana ticket habis dan oleh sebab itu, TERPAKSA...TERPAKSA tau.... tengok KINGKONG. Gila tak GILA... selalu senarionya terbalik untuk MALAY MOVIES

    To those of you who haven't watched BPC, please... please make a date with us at any of the cinemas near you because from the feedback that i have been getting... it is a movie u must not miss kalau you mencari something different in MALAY MOVIES.

    Having said all that, i just wanna say that every film project for me is like school. I learn so much from each experience and will definitely try to make the next project better and i pray that god will always give me room to improve... so that i can keep giving u guys better and better stuff. Thank you again.

    All my love and respect

    Afdlin Shauki

    Monday, December 19, 2005

    BAIK PUNYA CILOK start KHAMIS 22 ni!!!!






    Gua excited sangat and NERVOUS yang teramat khinzir sekali akan pembukaan filem baik punya cilok pada hari khamis ni. I would really love for all of you to tell me what you think of it. Ianya bukanlah satu kerja yang perfect but in many ways ianya berbeza dari kebanyakan filem melayu yang lain. Ada yang mengatakan yang the story feels a bit like lock, stock and two smoking barrels but believe me any coincidences are incidental and bukan di CILOK dari situ. It is one of the movies that i used as a reference beside the italian job, snatch as i think LSATSB is one of the best crime caper type film that has been made in recent times. CILOK however has a very strong selamba Malaysian feel to it.

    To all the kodok-kodoks that have seen the movie and have been promoting it gila babi...THANK YOU!!! my brothers and sisters for your undying support and belief in my work.

    LET's ROCK THE CINEMAS AND MAKE CILOK ONE OF THE MOST HAPPENING KODOK EVENTS THIS YEAR. Bagitahu semua orang kampung untuk keluar hujung tahun ini untuk merasakan penangan BAIK PUNYA CILOK, insya-allah tak menyesal.
    The power is now in your hands to make this film a memorable experience.

    LOVE YOU ALL

    PEACE AND POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

    AFDLIN SHAUKI

    Thursday, December 15, 2005

    Finally i can BLOG....... Alhamdulillah! What an amazing two weeks.

    First of all sorry to all my kodoks because dah nak masuk dua minggu dah gua tak comolot ngan u all at the blog. GUA TERBUSY GILA YANG AMAT GILA SANGAT. Gua ada rasa macam tak dapat seks sebulan (only applicable to married bloggers yang dah bernikah). Now, i am ready and freer to purge the contents of my mind again.

    Macam-macam yang berlaku dalam hidup gua yang gua nak share ngan you all tapi tak tahu macam mana nak start.

    Kita mula dengan berita yang cukup menceriakan jiwa ku ini which is, dalam masa dua minggu ni i jadi uncle dua kali, first my sister jayjay gave bith the the beautiful NUR FATIN (she is so damn gorgeous) and then my brother azrul also had a baby boy with his wife Aqryf Shah (nah kau, the other kids are gonna have a field day trying to spell his name at school).
    I have always felt that babies are the bringers of rezeki and everytime a baby comes god opens another door of opportunity for us. Now, if only i can get my wife to subscribe to that point of view too. I am feeling the need and a sudden urge for an afdlin shauki junior or too. Two new lives introduced in this world, i think there is no news bigger than that.

    Now a bit of house keeping.

    FUUYO album!.... To all of you wondering what the hell is happening to my fuuyo order, the honest answer is

    1. After finishing the first shipment of CDs and cassettes, we have decided to include two new songs to the album and the mastering process

    2. Sadly, many people are enjoying the album for free and have not paid for their copy of the cd. I would just like to say thanks to all those guys that paid for the album and your friendship is greatly appreciated. Terimakasih seikhlas-ikhlasnya dan terima kasih kerana persahabatan anda, serta your belief in our art. But if not more of youstart to pay for the album, we would not have sufficient fund to remaster and repackage the second print. So tolonglah, let's not make this PROJECT: AFDLIN DAH HILANG AKAL fail because i want to hilang akal somemore.

    3. We are now going to print the next five thousand orders for all of you and please don't betray our trust relationship. If you don't like it, please return the album so somebody else can hear it.


    Next on the list was gua punya japan trip lebih kurang dalam 8 hari untuk mencari location for my upcoming film 'SUMO-lah'. Our adventure to the land of the rising sun took us from OSAKA to KITAKYUSU to FUKUOKA and finally to TOKYO. I must tell you that i have fallen in love with the beauty of the country and the warmth of the people. They were so welcoming and helpful to this small budgeted malaysian film and treated us like we were a hollywood film company. They told us what location we could get for free and what location was the one we could get the best price for and even the amateur sumo wrestlers offered to be in the film for free. I am hoping if there are any malaysian students staying in the fukuoka area and would like to join us as production assistants, u are more than welcomed to join in on the experience of making MALAYSIA's MOST UNSANGKARABLE FILM NEXT YEAR.. Just email me at selambakodok@gmail.com . too much to write about it here so i will continue the sumo story in the next blog.

    FAT, FOSSIL and FUNNY was the bomb and i really thought we created history that night.Jit ,Harith and myself really had fun with the collaboration and played to a fullhoue of around 500 pax audience. It was a powerhouse stand-up event

    Had a corporate dinner stand-up komedi show to help pay for some festive bank's warnings and notices

    Went to NIKKI's glass house and managed to hear her album for the first time... some good stuff, but what's more important is

    ALWAYS BELIEVE

    POWER TO THE PEOPLE

    Afdlin Shauki

    Monday, December 05, 2005

    Watch JULIUS CAESAR at KLPAC and support MALAYSIAN THEATRE!!


    Hi gang, sorry lama dah tak update but i have been swamped with work, tapi seperti biasa.... tak kaya-kaya jugak.
    Tapi gua redah aje liku-liku hidup ini bak kata si ZAITON SAMEON "Dulu aku sendiri... kini masih sendiri...!!!!" Rasanya macam nak give up pun ada... For your information, i have been busy all year round, but as for income received, this year has been the worst most f@*%ed up off recent years, so as thing would have it, I know feel like a MAS shareholder after reading it's 2005 financial report. alangkah baiknya kalau aku boleh membayar untuk lampin anak aku dengan sebuah lagu atau a joke. That would be the bomb. Oh... kalu ada kengkawan yang dah dapat album dan belum lagi sampai seru untuk membayar... this is a good time to think about it. heehee.

    BUT i still consider myself EXTREMELY lucky and because of that will continue on my journey through MORDOR to reach the fires of MOUNT DOOM so i shall be able to cast this preciously cursed ring into it's searing flames. ARRRGGHH!!! Basicly, i have achieved many landmarks thru this trying times and i guess the old saying of " You never know a true man's character until he is faced with hardship". Well, i come from hardship so i guess this is like visiting my kampung la... it's nice to visit once in a while, it reminds me that i am human, am fallible and still one of god's creature who is on a test called life.

    A lot happened in the recent weeks that i want to purge from my mind so that it doesn't rot in my brain or infect the joyful ions into becoming FRAKK-ed up ions.

    1. My sister gave birth to my latest niece. PUTRI NURFATIN ANTANSHA... haa ambik kau nama, memang nak menyusahkan jabatan pendaftaran la ni my sister ni. I saw the baby recently and she is absolutely gorgeous... i donno why, but i guess whenever i look at a baby's pure innocent face, smell their fresh newborn scent and gaze into their crystal eyes, i feel like i am looking at heaven. I WANT SOME MORE BABIES!!!!

    2. Found out my new father has relapsed back into his cancer situation. He is not going to do chemo this time but has opt to go to CHINA for some herbal treatment. Good thing he has my mom now to take care of him and be his companion thru this trying times. I WISH HIM WELL and all my prayers to him and my mom.

    3. I am smoking too frakk-ing much and i feel it is starting to affect me!!! Batu rasa macam nak tercabut paru-paru... but how to stop la...everyone around me smokes, so no support can be expected by them - except for my wife. i want to TAK NAK! tapi.... K GAK!! selalu terjadi. BUT I HAVE TO STOP!!!!

    4. I Saw Julius Caesar and lemme just say that i am impressed with the whole play and there were some truly memorable performances by the cast namely,
    PATRICK TEOH, ARI RATOS and GAVIN YAP who played members of Caesar's senate . As i am a big fan of Shakespeare and DRAMAS, i am however a bit irked by the fact that the men in the play were not sporting togas but some star trek outfits. The sound design for the play however was breathtaking and mengalahkan tengok wayang yang soundnya pakai DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND 6.1 EX. The price of the ticket to me was worth that alone.

    More importantly the play was directed by one of my Sifus - JOE HASHAM. A person who plucked me out of my college during my KPP days and told me that i had a talent in writing and directing plays. My first professionally produced play was directed by JOE HASHAM and the late KRISHEN JIT. If it weren't for them, i would still be an Architect. Trust me, that is a good thing.

    Also, it is important to support MALAYSIAN THEATRE because it is the source of many great talents to come. So please do try to make it to the play. Kalau interested to find out more check out

    5. Just got back from Singapore from the ASIA TV FORUM... and got Gurmit Singh aka Phua CHu Kang to agree to star in SUMO-LAH!...
    Banyak gak tv programme yang kita bercadang nak beli dari visit tu for our new tv channel... watch out for a truly kodok experience next year.

    6. APA NAK JADI DENGAN FILEM SUMO AKU???????..... Kitorang dah ready nak pegi JEPUN esok (5/12/05) dah tapi duit belum masuk lagi.... TOLONGLAH TUHANKU.... don't let me be a victim of another KEKENCINGAN (after my T.U. experience) and make my VENTURE CAPITALIST/INVESTOR pull thru. IF They do, they will realise that they will be a part of the biggest most rocking Malaysian film EVER!!
    SUMO-LAH.

    7. I am tired of empty promises.

    But that is life.

    But it shouldn't be.


    POWER TO THE PEOPLE

    AFDLIN SHAUKI

    Oh before i forget... i have tickets for 20 KODOKS TO WATCH A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF BAIK PUNYA CILOK!!!! COMPLETE DGN LUNCH BERSAMA ARTIS-ARTISNYA. THIS IS IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR SUPPORT TO ME AND MY RAMBLINGS SO IF U ARE INTERESTED PLEASE EMAIL
    lourenzar@yahoo.com
    The only catch is that it is on a working day 13th december 2005. 1 :30 pm at GSC Midvalley.
    C U THERE MY FELLOW KODOKs.

    Saturday, November 26, 2005

    WHY BE AFRAID OF MONSTERS WHEN YOU HAVE ULTRAMAN ON YOUR SIDE!

    Hey gang, i just have to share this with you cause it cracked me up so much. A friend sent this to me some time this week and it is the highest honour anyone has ever bestowed on me yet.

    What with the HOO HAA with the MAWI fanatics this week. Wow they treat him like god man. Untouchable. Infallible. Interesting to see Malays so driven.

    I now am now no longer afraid of bad people, extremists, fanatics, anonymous bloggers and gergasi-s anymore cause i got me some protection.

    I am proud to say that besides god almighty, i am also now under the perlindungan of..... ULTRAMEN!


    Picture taken at AKADEMI ULTRAMAN 3 finals at Bukit Jalil earier this week.

    POWER TO THE ULTRAKODOKS

    Afdlin Shauki

    DON't FORGET THE BAIK PUNYA CILOK SHOWCASE AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD THIS SUNDAY!!!

    Friday, November 25, 2005

    YOU CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE!


    A ccouple of days ago i attended a 'what was supposed to be a press conference' but the event ended up just being a conference because the press never showed up. This to me was a sad turn of events because here was a genuine MALAYSIAN effort to effect the world positively, to help out our fellow man who's basic human rights were violated and currently ill-treated by oppressors who have decided to to conform to the charter of Human rights set by the United Nations.

    Ini yang gua betul-betul tak faham. Did the press think this was not an interesting story that Malaysians would like to hear about? were they told not to attend by their superiors? Is amnesty international not as cool or as sexy as the AIDS council or MAKNA or PENYAYANG? Inquiring minds want to know... because there was a lot of food wasted you know and mak i cakap, tak baik membazir, rugi - tuhan marah. BUT i think you know, that is not the point.

    I actually never even realised that we had an AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL in Malaysia. Hence i didn't know what to expect but in the discussion that ensued i realise that it was so easy for me to become effective in this world. to make a difference.

    You see, for those of you who don't know, the main work done by members of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL is not tunjuk perasaan or create picket lines, but they are effective thru LETTER WRITING. Yes, letter writing! something that all of us use to do before the advent of E-mails and SMSs. Members of Amnesty international would write letters to appeal for justice for those individuals or people whose basic human rights were violated around the world. The AI's around the world appeal for cases not in their own country but for those outside. Apparently, governments around the world, really lift an eyebrow when they get a hundred letters from TAMAN KERAMAT, KL because he/she then realises that the world is watching what they are doing. Like the atrocities at GUANTANAMO by the American soldiers.

    Currently there are thousands of cases that need our attention. You choose who you want to write to. All cases have been thoroughly researched by the main AI office in London so you do not have to worry that it is a hoax because the whole effectiveness of Amnesty International depends on their accuracy with the cases.

    To me Gang this is the best way to promote brotherhood among human beings, to let the world know that we care for each other and that we have got each other's back. If we cannot do this simple thing... then i believe our planet is in serious trouble.



    AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
    24-HOUR GLOBAL LETTER WRITING MARATHON
    10-11th December 2005
    Venue: AI Office or Wherever you are
    SIGN UP NOW!!

    Every year in conjunction with International Human Rights Day (10th December) AI members and supporters around the world take part in a global letter writing marathon coordinated by AI Poland. During this 24 hours members get together to write letters to help victims of human rights abuses worldwide. A steady stream of letters does have an effect on governments. We know of many political prisoners who have been released or saved from torture or possible death. Last year AI members and supporters from over 30 countries wrote 27,700 letters worldwide.

    How does the letter writing marathon work?

    1. The marathon starts at 12pm on the 10th of December and we keep writing for 24 hours. It ends at 12pm on 11th December. You can write letters anytime during this period. You can come join us, at the venue, to write letters or get together with some of your friends, anywhere, and write letters or write from home

    2. Letters can be written on any case found on the AI website. You can find all our active Worldwide Appeals at http://web.amnesty.org/appeals/active . If you want we can also send the cases to you via e-mail.

    3. For those writing for the first time we will also send you a letter writing guide. We also suggest you use an aerogramme for each letter as they are the cheapest and most convenient method of mailing (RM0.50 sen)

    4. After you finish writing and mailing you need to provide feedback to the AI office on how many letters were written and on what cases. Then we will provide this information to AI Poland who will give us the global tally

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    AI 24-HOUR GLOBAL LETTER WRITING MARATHON REGISTRATION FORM

    Name :

    Contact Number :

    Email:

    Town/City :

    Time you will be writing (you can write for as long as you want):
    12pm-2pm / 2pm-4pm / 4pm-6pm / 6pm-8pm / 8pm-10pm / 10pm -12am
    12am-2am / 2am-4am / 4am-6am / 6am- 8am / 8am-10am / 10am-12pm

    Would you like to join an AI local group near you: YES/NO


    Would you like the cases emailed to you? YES/NO



    To become a member of AI please contact :
    ------------------------------------------------
    Amnesty International Malaysia
    E6, 3rd Floor, Bangunan Khas,
    Jalan 8/1E, 46050 Petaling Jaya,
    Selangor, Malaysia
    Tel : 03-79552680
    Fax: 03-79552682
    Email : aimalaysia@aimalaysia.org
    Website : http://www.aimalaysia.org
    - Defending human rights worldwide -


    To become a member of AI please contact :
    ------------------------------------------------
    Amnesty International Malaysia
    E6, 3rd Floor, Bangunan Khas,
    Jalan 8/1E, 46050 Petaling Jaya,
    Selangor, Malaysia
    Tel : 03-79552680
    Fax: 03-79552682
    Email : aimalaysia@aimalaysia.org
    Website : http://www.aimalaysia.org



    Who says we can't help affect change in the world. A teeny tiny letter from a malaysian with a big heart could just help a suffering human being across the seas.

    I would like to organize a flash mob event at the Amnesty international office so that we can show in force that we may be kodoks but we are kodoks who care about EVERYONE in the world. Lets give meaning to their lives by giving meaning to ours. Let's organize a time to do this people.

    Anyone / kodok who cannot come along, please arrange to write a few letters with the rest of your family or even friends and lets make it our commitment to help others for that day. i believe those who do, will soon realise that it is so easy to give to other people. Also don't forget, god loves a giver and gives to those who gives.

    SELAMAT SEMUANYA. AMAN MALAYSIA

    EMPOWER THE PEOPLE

    Afdlin Shauki

    Monday, November 21, 2005

    Alhamdulillah!!!... I SURVIVED THIS WEEK!.... I AM FAT (and sexy) AND I AM PROUD!

    It is sunday night / monday morning, i have just had my teh tarik with my WHY YOU STILL FAT? production team, Pacai (my bass/guitar player) and some close friends, and i feel completely lega... like orang sembelit temakan julap.

    It was an amazing experience and one with i share with some old friends and many new ones. I would like to thank all my kodok family for their outstanding support. i hope everyone had a good time and some of you maybe even had some positive minor revelations.

    One thing that truly blew me away was the fact that there were many malaysians who were experiencing stand-up comedy for the first time, thhank you for keeping an open mind and for the fortitude to seek something new.

    The show you guys saw is basically based on my candid feelings, observations and pretty much how i feel to be fat and malay in this day and age.

    There has been some inqueries about taking the show 'seberang seas' and I am excited about the prospect of probably doing this show again maybe for the malaysian community abroad like AUSTRALIA, ENGLAND, JAPAN, GERMANY, FRANCE etc... places where there are many homesick MALAYSIAN communities that would like a jist of what MALAYSIAN STAND-UP COMEDY is like. Anyone else interested or anyone with any malaysian student councils or embassies, please contact us if you guys are interested to organize a MALAYSIAN STAND-UP COMEDY WORLD TOUR in the country you're in. IT WOULD BE THE BOMB.


    After WHY YOU STILL FAT?, I think we are in for another treat, as ANOTHER top malaysian stand-up comedian JIT MURAD (one of the most intellectualy hip, happening and funny - comic legend! in my opinion - DAHSYAT GILA BEB!) is going to take centre stage and rock the microphone.

    THIS SHOW IS A MUST WATCH IF U WANT TO LAUGH KUAT-KUAT SOME MORE. DO CHECK THIS OUT. CONFIRM TAK MENYESAL GANG.

    Jit Happens...Again
     
     

    presents 
     
    "A fresh comedy that's guaranteed to have you laughing like nuts" - KLue
    "Jit is one of Malaysia's better playwrights...He is also quite funny" – Kakiseni
    "The bottom line is you won't be disappointed" – The Star
     
    He's back! The incorrigible, indomitable and irrepressible Jit Murad returns to stage with his acclaimed one-man comedy show. Stuffed with endearing anecdotes about the women in his life to animated stories of his childhood – plus a guest appearance from his maniacal counterpart René Choy – Jit Happens… Again is the perfect holiday treat for anyone in search of a good, LOUD laugh. Ya, you? Ya, you!

    Tuesday 22 Nov to Sunday 27 Nov, 8:30pm
    SIX NIGHTS ONLY!

    The Actors Studio Bangsar
    Bangsar Shopping Centre 3rd Floor, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, KL

    Tickets RM35 & RM50

    50% discount for students/senior citizens (limited to 2 per person). For more group promotions, contact info@dramalab.com.my
    BOX-OFFICE 03-2094 0400 or 03-2094 1400
     
    LET'S OPEN OUR MIND FURTHER.
    EMPOWER THE PEOPLE

    AfDlin ShAuki to THe poWEr

    PS. SIAPA KATA KENA JADI MAWI NAK DAPAT FULL HOUSE TIAP MALAM. HEEHEE.
    

    Wednesday, November 16, 2005

    Happy and STRESSED!!!... Boleh berak keluar batu ni.


    Last sunday was an amazing ride. Alhamdulillah! Baik Punya Cilok Showcase memang happening dan adalah pengubat rindu gua untuk menyanyi live sekali lagi. Nyanyi untuk anak-anak dan kengkawan ketika hilang akal memang selalu, tetapi menyanyi dipentas dan meluahkan bakat berendam seakan seekor badak afrika yang kepanasan di keheningan dataran Kalahari.... jarang sesangat semenjak gua mengambil keputusan untuk menjadi komited dengan industri filem ini.

    Bestnya perasaan dapat bernyanyi kembali bersama kengkawan pemuzik iringan terutama sekali partner in crime gua PACAI. Bekas pemain bass kumpulan EKAMATRA ni, adalah pada pendapat gua, salah seorang insan Muzik yang paling berbakat di MALAYSIA ini. Apa jenis groove ataupun lagu dia boleh layan daripada Metal ke Jazz ke Joget. CONFIRM dia ni pun memang tak betul jugak dan gua rasa gua amat selesa bekerja dengan orang yang sentiasa terbuka untuk bereksperimentasi dan mencuba benda baru. Sayang sangat kat kawan lama gua yang juga merupakan seorang insan muzik yang agak frustrated dengan senario industri muzik ini.

    AC MIZAL dan HANS juga patut di berikan tabik spring jugak kerana telah memberikan satu persembahan yang amat dahsyat sekali. MUCH RESPECT to you mmy brothers. You have helped make that nite a very memorable one for a long time to come.

    CIP jugak nak ucapkan TERIMA KASIH kepada KODOK2 yang dapat hadir malam tu, you guys punya suppot make my heart feel very warm and geli-geli inside la... or is that my gastric?..hmm. I hope you know that eventhough we do it to enjoy ourselves but ultimately it's the rush o being entertaining to your viewers is what drives a performer on stage. Once again, thank you my bradas and sistaz.

    Tapi kini tibalah masaalah kedua gua minggu ini.. WHY YOU STILL FAT?... Stand up show gua pada 17 hingga 20 hb ni... Nak melahirkan gua dibuat memikirkannya... it is so tense.. thinking that i have to be on stage alone for about one hour or so just talking away, trying to make people laugh. Rasa macam ada berjuta semuttengah gigit jari kaki aku.... satu badan rasa ngilu... APAKAH KESUDAHANNYA MINGGU INI???.... TOLONGLAH TUHAN BAGILAH MINGGU NI HABIS CEPAT-CEPAT......itulah yang bermain diminda aku sekarang.

    This is the first PUBLIC solo show yang gua buat in the last four years and gua betul-betul stressed. So paham-paham jelah kalau gua tak blog sesangat minggu ni. Tengah tension. Rasa macam nak terberak sentiasa, tapi pegi jamban takde pa pe pun... doakanlah CIP mu ini kengkawan... INSYAALLAH dengan bantuannya...

    GUA AKAN ROCK MINGGU INI!!!!!!!!!!!

    SLEEPLESS IN SETIAWANGSA

    Afdlin Shauki

    Thursday, November 10, 2005

    OMIGOD!!!!!... THE DAY THE CENSORSHIP BOARD DIDN"T STRIKE !!


    I am amazed and at a loss for words ....

    Today i was told that BAIK PUNYA CILOK lulus tanpa potongan!!! that means both the studio films i did, including BULI BALIK didn't get a potongan.... What does this mean?... Is it a good sign?...is it a bad sign?...

    Does this mean my film doesn't have any street cred?... Is it too soft? Is it not provokable enough? heehee.. I am confused. The studios are happy and i am happy because now those two films can be watched without any ackwardness and in it's entirety.

    I admit that the two films don't really have HARD HITTING sensitive issues but i believe that they are good stories, with some elements that we thought were a bit sensitive to certain parties, but we just shot and kept those scenes in anyway...and they passed it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...ALHAMDULILAH!

    but this doesn't change anything, RELAX THE CENSORSHIP STILL!!!!! so we can go to the next level. There is still much work for us to do here. To be world players.

    Day before yesterday i had the good fortune to be invited to the private screening of the final cut of GUBRA and i am once again in awe of my friend's very honest approach toward filmmaking. Yasmin is a gem in our industry. Her bravado in telling her story has taken Sepet to the dizzying heights of recognition that i am humbled by. There is much for me and a lot of filmmakers to learn from her uncomplicated and effective storytelling style.

    There were two very contrasting but deeply meaningful stories in GUBRA. There was the continuation of the ORKED story after she gets married to an older malay gentleman and then, there was also THE BILAL story. The latter really caught my eye more due to the fact that it was a topic that was close to my heart and an important story for all the muslim's here to see especially. Singapore CB has approved the film free off any cuts but i do believe, Yasmin will 'wake the slayer' in the CB members with this one( but then again i could be wrong, as in my case with CILOK).

    I REALLY, REALLY hope that people get to see this film because it will stir up all kinds of very positive and possibly unpleasant emotions. Watching GUBRA made me proud to be a filmmaker in Malaysia today. If this is the way that we are heading, the future looks very bright for us all.

    DAZED AND CONFUSED IN WANGSAMAJU

    AFDLIN
    LU CILOK GUA, GUA CILOK LU.

    Sunday, November 06, 2005

    THE WAY FORWARD!



    Wow, I haven't seen this much discussion and passion about a particular subject since the rumour that a famous female singer was seeing a datuk K. Thank you guys so much for your input yang bernas dan tak bernas.

    Personally, i don't know how far this discussion is going to turn into anything REAL but i know most of you will agree that

    1. WE MUST HAVE OUR CENSORSHIP LAWS RELAXED.

    2. WE MUST HAVE THE CENSORSHIP LAWS WRITTEN AND SET, SO THAT THERE IS NO AMBIGUITY OF WHAT CAN OR CANNOT
    BE DONE. THIS WILL ALSO SHOW HOW FAIR OR UNFAIR OUR SETS OF CENSORSHIP LAWS ARE. ONCE THE LAW IS SET, NO
    MORE ADDITIONAL RULES CAN BE ENACTED UNFAIRLY AND IMPOSED ON AN AD-HOC BASIS TO A SAID PRODUCTION.

    3. WE PREFER A CLASSIFICATION OR RATING SYSTEM, WHERE THE JOB OF THE CENSORSHIP BOARD IS TO GIVE RATINGS TO
    ANY FILM THAT PASSES THROUGH OUR SHORES SO THAT ONLY THE SUITABLE AGE GROUPS WITH THE PROPER MENTAL
    ACUMEN CAN WATCH THE FILMS WITH THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF V,H,S IN IT.

    4. GIVE US THE FREEDOM TO CREATE. TO TELL STORIES LIKE WE WERE TOLD ONCE AS CHILDREN. TO TELL STORIES LIKE IN
    THE GREAT ERA OF P RAMLEE, WHERE THEY WERE TELLING STORIES OF SOCIETY, SOCIAL DIVERSITY, URBAN LEGENDS,
    MYTHOLOGY, ROMANCE, BETRAYAL, INFIDELITY. ETC.. ETC.

    5. WE MUST HAVE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND EDUCATED FILM MAKERS.

    6. WE MUST EDUCATE THE MASS INTO WANTING MORE INTELLECTUAL CONTENT.

    7. WE MUST MAKE MORE FILMS WHICH WILL BE BRANDED AS MALAYSIAN FILMS.

    8. NO DOUBLE STANDARDS between LOCAL and INTERNATIONAL FILMS.

    9. WE NEED YOUNGER AND LEARNED PEOPLE IN THE CENSORSHIP BOARD. PEOPLE WHO CAN DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN GOOD
    CINEMA AND BAD CINEMA. VIOLENCE FOR VIOLENCE SAKE OR VIOLENCE FOR THE SAKE OF TELLING A BIGGER MORE
    IMPORTANT MESSAGE.

    People always say why are our films not as good as P Ramlee's time, the answer to me is simple, besides the genus of a man being an undisputed visionary, he was allowed to explore and do much more interesting stories than we are allowed to. Some of his great films, are also now banned by our current censorship board.

    Can we make stories as good as P RAMLEE?
    I believe the man made movies for his time and was a man beyond his time, he saw things in a broarder context and not just in the point of view of the malays only. Probably this is one reason why he was so close with Tunku Abdul Rahman, who also carried the common vision of a country bigger than the Malays. A country where all it's people were equally as important. OUR FILMS SHOULD POTRAY US, not just one race.

    Why is it important for us to bring Malaysian cinema to the world?
    For many people, unless they have frequent flyer miles that would even make the harlem globe-trotters envious, a country's film is a reflection of how that country is, the mentality of the people, a reflection of their culture and beliefs, but most importantly, i think, how we as a people react to our experiences of life or times we are faced with dire conflicts. Our mettle if you may. A CINEMA WHICH DEFINES US.

    As is said by one THE VISITOR if i am not mistaken, right now the world knows we have the KLCC but all around it, they think we are still living in a swamp and on trees. We complain about it as when they showed that scene of the KLCC in ENTRAPMENT, but what else can we do? The people who control the media help shape the way people perceive others. This is evident on how the world perceive MUSLIMS through CNN, ABC and NBC. If we don't hit back, by enlightening the world thru WORLD CLASS films which can give an accurate potrayal of us as a country and as a people, then we cannot complain because we CHOOSE not to give the world anything but our SENARIOS and MAMI JARUMS.

    How do we get to do WORLD CLASS FILMs?
    Like JAPAN, KOREA, INDIA, HONGKONG and now even THAILAND, we have to have MORE RELAXED CENSORSHIP. Even Indonesia, which has even more fanatical Muslims there, have more relaxed and clearly set out rules of censorship.

    When this is done, i believe, then we will have more interesting content. We have to apply world standards of filmmaking but familiarised with local budgets. Give us five years and i believe within that time we will be noticed by the world. We can do it! LET US GROW TO OUR FULLEST POTENTIAL... These are all things that the government wants of its people, so let us help you, help the country.

    I am aware of the many naysayers who say, "alah... even if the censorship was relaxed pun our movies will still be crap." Well all i have to say to that kind of comment is that, "That is why we are still a 3rd world country you stupid frakk... because your mindset is still 3rd world!!"... HOW THE FRAKK WOULD YOU KNOW IF OUR MOVIES WILL STILL BE CRAP?... YOU SHOOT THE IDEA DOWN EVEN BEFORE WE ARE GIVEN A CHANCE TO TRY ANYTHING!! IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE LIVING THE LIFE OF MEDIOCRITY AND NOT WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR COUNTRY PROUD, keep your thoughts to yourself and don't involve the ones who want to EXCEL and have an AMAZING life in your agenda. WE have the gloss of the tallest this, the biggest that , the best whatever...now let's create some substance to our lives. IT IS OUR DUTY TO GOD (no matter which god you subscribe to or even if you believe there is one at that) to live our lives to the fullest and to face all it's challenges.

    YES I AM A FRAKKING POSITIVE THINKER!... BUT I AM A PERSON WHO BELIEVES DREAMS, WITH A LOT OF EFFORT, WILL BECOME REAL. THIS IS MY VISION. A VISION i know many people share.

    IF we can get enough people to believe in this VISION, to believe in themselves. WE WILL BECOME WORLD LEADERS. WE CAN SHOW THE WORLD WHAT A 'METROPOLITAN ISLAM HADHARI COUNTRY' IS ABOUT. (Errr... ok , i made that one up, but it sounds good- kan? heehee)

    Keep the ruling on SEX if we have too because, i believe that is all asian cultures have the same modesty regarding the matter, but free up the rest. Anyway i personally believe, in films especially, sex is sexier when inferred about, rather than shown.

    I REALLY want this to happen so that MALAYSIANS will be recognised in the world stage as great artisans and we can promote BRAND MALAYSIA, the body of work that all the brave new MALAYSIAN filmmakers have created through celluloid to potray the COUNTRY, in a more accurate light to the world. Make the world know who and what Malaysia is about and is REALLY capable of achieving.

    I AM PROUD TO BE MALAYSIAN AND I WANT THE WORLD TO TAKE NOTICE OF US.

    Watching Chris Rock's stand-up comedy dvd titled 'NEVER SCARED' really was quite an eye opener for me about how intelligent his material is. In one of his stand-up routines he said, "What makes and American an American?"......."If you fought in the world war and are serving the country by putting yourselves on the line to protect the safety of our nation, than you're AMERICAN!"..... "If you ran away from another country and had to swim across rivers and barb wire, risking your life and limb, in pursuit of the AMERICAN dream, you're AMERICAN!"... but, if all you are is someone who came out of your mother's vagina on AMERICAN soil, You're not AMERICAN!... You're just Lucky!"

    So i ask you this, ARE YOU MALAYSIAN?....OR ...ARE YOU JUST LUCKY?

    EMPOWER THE PEOPLE

    AFDLIN SHAUKI
    WANNABE MALAYSIAN.

    Wednesday, November 02, 2005

    FILM WARS - THE ENGINEER STRIKES BACK (heehee)

    hello friends,

    At this point i would just like to make it clear that i have nothing personal against WEBBER and have not taken offence to any of his comments. NO APOLOGY IS NECESSARY.

    This is because i really enjoy any form of intellectual discourse especially one which may eventually reach a healthy conclusion. I apologise to you if my tone sounded a bit stiff but i get really passionate when i speak about something i love, my intention is only to encourage further discussion and hats off to you sir for getting involved further. I REALLY ENJOY YOUR DISCUSSION.

    With regards to the Nascar example my friend, i do believe that F1 and Nascar is as similar to each other as sepak takraw is to a wet t-shirt contest. It is a different sport playing by different set of rules altogether.

    I just want to reiterate the fact that, the issue is how to make our films gain back the bulk of the malaysian market share and to be competitive in the international film market as what has now been achieved by korea and thailand.

    A better example would be between ferrari and for discussion sake, let's say minardi (Although personally i believe Mclaren ROCKS supreme!!). Both have the same sets of rules to play with (because we are in the same industry, ie the film industry) but one is wealthier than the other (US vs Malaysian budget). Your point rings true when you say better education would create better chances to succeed, as in Schumacher vs. Yoong. ( a more educated director could possibly make a better movie) BUT even so, once in a while, there is an opportunity for the RENAULT to shine, eventhough they are working with a smaller budget than ferrari, they find a way to beat goliath because THEY ALL STILL PLAY BY THE SAME RULES (even with a small budget great content can still shine . as in the case of the THAI film industry). But if Minardi for instance, already a weak team, is further weakened by given an additional set of rules only for them, for example , the driver must race in reverse!...heehee. I believe this would further impair their already unenviable position (Malaysia with inconsistent and harsh censorship).

    As in engineering, in architecture, we are asked to follow the proven principles of the past and build on that, in order to develop more advaced technologies (unless it is in a groundbreaking field of engineering with no prior references or case studies whatsoever) My discussions are based on actual data from case studies presented to us in the Asian Content industry seminar from the 14 asian nations and these data all suggests that in order for any film or film industry to get recognition internationally and to gain back the local market share, these countries must have relaxed their censorship laws. If one is not thinking to be a player in the international scene , i guess our censorship law is alright. no problem to cari makan. If that is all you want in life... to be ordinary and safe.

    Here i bring back the example of SEPET which has recently won The Tokyo International Film Festival's best Asian Film Award. The sepet version we saw in the malaysian cinema was severely and ridiculously censored but the version that is avaiable to the world is unadulterated. This shows that WE MALAYSIANS have content that intrigues the world but it has to be honest and It is not so much the budget, but the integrity of the content that is important. The less censorship, the more interesting the content is for the international market.

    I am so happy and excited for SEPET because i believe their win cements the behavioural pattern of the international market based on the data presented to us in the Asian Content Industry seminar. I also Want to congratulate YASMIN once again for her conviction to the integrity of her story and sincerely believe she will help lead us into a new era of filmmaking in Malaysia by example.

    I like what visitor said about the rating system. That is a true mark of a develop nation, that different age groups, with differing levels of experience and intellecetual development are allowed to watch content which is suitable for their age.

    By having a censorship system, the government is losing billion of dollars in potential income to the pirates. Because the more you suppress the more interest it generates. Almost all my friends have watched Schindler's list eventhough it was banned in Malaysia. You can get the DAREDEVIL dvd here eventhough the film itself was banned here in Malaysia.

    By having a censorship system we are saying that the people of Malaysia are not smart enough to judge for themselves what is good or bad, so, we will tell them what is good for them based on our personal value system and bias. Wow, how judgemental we are of our own countrymen. Or maybe that is our CULTURE?

    I am not asking an also not in agreement to no censorship. Keep what is really sensitive to our hearts like religion or what have you... but give us freedom to dabble in the rest. I tell you, then... people will start to notice the country that is near indonesia and in-between thailand and singapore! what's the name of that country again...??

    EMPOWER THE PEOPLE

    AFDLIN SHAUKI

    Tuesday, November 01, 2005

    ENGINEER VS FILMMAKER - A civilised discourse on filmmaking.

    I normally don't do this, but i guess i am in a mental state of mind where i am sick and tired of people generalising that all local filmmakers have no educational background and are a bunch of whinning artistes.

    I personally think that it is unfair for people to generalise and judge based on their limited knowledge of a subject matter but rather to be more ojectively inquiring and not stereotyping when in discussion.

    I do this entry in response to an ANONYMOUS blogger known only as WEBBER, basically this is in response to his response of my previous entry. (errr... or something like that)

    His respond reads...

    Anonymous said...
    my experience as an engineer, kitorang kalau design something, and then present something to the judges at any competition, we always have something we dont agree with the rulings and the way our design is judged.

    But year in and year out, there are many designs and engineering work that go around the rulebook but still manage to stay within the means of the rulings. And some even came out with an even better idea whenever they came with an obstacle provided by the judges.

    You filmmakers can learn a thing or two from us engineers. We accept any "censorships" as challenges for us to be better and to be more "open minded," and not the other way around.

    Im not disagreeing that more freedom means more creativity, but the reality of it is, you wont get total freedom, not in filmmaking not in life. So, getting the censorship board to ease up a bit, wouldnt make much of a difference.

    And i think, you can actually use the censorship to your advantage. Macam the iranian films where there is no touching between men and women. I think hollywood or the rest of the world are more interested nak tengok macamana producer film can make a film with those restrictions.

    Mungkin scene baling pemadam tu dilihat sebagai menjatuhkan maruah guru, but maybe there's a way that filmmakers can do something yang at least menggambarkan something of that perbuatan.

    In the engineering world, at least 80% of the best engineered things came from restrictions. Contoh like formula one car where the car used a fan to suck the car to the road. It was banned, which afterwards led to extensive aerodynamic work. Dari situ, we all dapat all those wings and winglet that you see nowadays. Less material, less moving parts, less electronics, and less cost.

    Even kat malaysia pun, we have some of the best mind in engineering, tapi the reality is ... most of them, banyak education, tapi tak banyak applications. Whereas the filmmakers kat malaysia pulak, banyak application, tapi tak banyak education.

    I guess what im trying to say is, prove what you're capable of within that restriction, and we'll let the public decide whether the censorship should ease up a bit or not.

    Or what we all engineer say, " let the right part fits and not the other way around."

    p/s: i lived in kampong before, tapi tak pernah pun tengok anak beranak duduk kat tangga sikat rambut sambil berkemban. Actually, ive never seen my family or my sedara mara, berkemban dalam rumah all the time like in Sepet. So i think that women berkemban dalam dan luar rumah is kind of an exegeration. Actually, i think 30% of the movie dalam sepet tu, tak melambangkan reality orang melayu. And most of my kampung or bandar frens agreed.

    Webber

    Tue Nov 01, 01:33:56 AM 2005


    This is my uneducated response...

    Dear webber yang dihormati,

    First of all, let me share with you that i completely agree that education, knowledge and wisdom is the key for anybody who wants to improve in life and other matters. I believe problems are our best teachers and discussion is the route to problemsolving.

    In the context to what you have said above,

    Thank you for bringing up our much admired Iranian friends in the film industry and i guess i know now, that this is why, me, being an ex-architect turned filmmaker, have never told engineers how do design engines, because i don't really comprehend the situation you guys are in, since i am not in your industry and that is why you are the engineers because it is your craft.

    In Architecture and i believe the same can be applied to engineering (please correct me because i could be wrong), We design by using the construct of the laws of design and in pricipality, within the design brief that is given to us. Yes i agree that, from this, we can find who has found the best way to manipulate the rules that are given to us, to find out who can create the best design. As where the design process itself is up to the individual's ingenuity, every designer still works with the same set of rules. Now, in the context of the global filmmaking industry, i believe that this is not the case as Malaysians are playing by different, and are handicapped by their, set of rules.

    As for the iranian censorship, i completely agree with you that their filmmakers have managed to make an impact (eventhough not huge compared to the hollywood machine) by making movies within their censorship guidelines. BUT this is the thing, their CENSORSHIP IS CONSISTENT! ours seems to be ad-hoc and new rules are created when certain parties feel that they are not shown in a good light in the cinemas. As in our learning of history, we will not be able to see the value of our independence from our invaders if we do not see the tyranny of the opressors.

    The other thing is, If you have never seen your family and sedara mara berkemban on a tangga menyikat rambut, does it mean it doesn't happen?. My father, has at one time put my mother in the hospital because of an argument, just because it happens in my family, do i have the right to say that it happens in yours?

    Raping your own child is not something that everyone does, is it? but does it actually happen in real life? does that happen among your family and friends? I'm sure they will say NO..

    Just because something is not in the news due to its un-sensationalic nature does it mean it doesn't happen? Reporters won't report "hari ini keluarga PAK ABU telah di jumpai dalam keadaan menyikat rambut sesama sendiri diatas tangga dalam keadaan berkemban!" in their breaking news, because it's not news worthy, but doe that mean it doesn't happen?

    Most of your frens in the kampung and in the bandar, accumulatively, do they make up at least 2 percent of the total malay population of malaysia?

    i also like the F1 example that you gave, in that new controls and restrictions might push the boundries of design to make things better. In F1, when that happens, it is good for the sport because everyone plays by the same rules. It is not however applicable when somebody says "why are malay movies not as good as foreign movies?". Personally, i would not mind censorship if EVERYONE plays by the same rules, ie the local and international filmmakers, then we will see how great the western cinema is as opposed to ours. Do you think that our American counterparts can make a movie with the same budget we have, which is usually even smaller than their catering budget?

    Just a few things to ponder.

    If you don't see it, does that mean it is not there?
    I think the quran will disagree with you on that bro, or i could be mistaken. Because i am merely an uneducated filmmaker and not an learned engineer.

    Personally, i believe that we have reached saturation point in this industry in terms of the content that we can make and it has personified itself in the downward trend of the cinema going audience. Except for stories like KL MENJERIT 1, which has proven that the local viewing audience is still there and proven that peole want to hear more thoght provoking stories. I believe KLM1 has done well because the subject matter is one that is quite recalcitrant; ie. street racing. It is against the law but nonetheless the public wants too see it, because of curiousity and the taboo-ness of the subject matter. Instead of skewing it into something to be glorified, BADAR squewed street racng to something that is to be avoided.

    People don't eat maggots and are jijik by it but do they flip the channel during FEAR FACTOR, some people might do it, but do you think a television network would buy the program it there was no demand for it?

    Let us regain our market share and promote our cultural sensitivities by being able to play with, if not the same, more relaxed rules of censorship. Personally, i am not even really that concerned about the no V,H,S ruling because it's the other stuff like bribery, honour, integrity, and looking at ourselves objectively as a people in Malaysia is what i am really interested in. So i say it again... RELAX OUR CENSORSHIP LAWS AND BE CONSISTENT WITH IT.

    Or what all we filmmakers say, " If the right part doesn't fit, let's see what other part is siutable for the actor."

    EMPOWER THE PEOPLE

    AFDLIN