We were interviewed by bfm on 1 July 2010. It was a pre-recorded sessions, so they will let us know when they will aired it.
Suddenly on Saturday, received a text fr Brendan to say that our interview is gonna be next. At least I managed to listen to it, but Sherrie didnt. But thats okay, ‘cos its available on podcast!
http://www.bfm.my/no-silver-lining-perak-crisis-sploited.html
Sori ahh, no transcript.
Abit late, but here it is:
http://loyarburok.com/selected-exhortations/the-loyarburok-interview-still-no-silver-lining/
By Lord Bobo
Sherrie and Seira (The S-ploited) & Froggie
[UPDATED with BFM's podcast of its interview with The S-ploited on 3 July 2010]
Somewhere, sometime ago in a galaxy far, far away, LoyarBurok and The S-ploited sealed the deal which has now, mind-blowingly, taken the legal fraternity by storm. Rocking the rakyat’s thoughts and comfort zones with what some might deem as controversial forms of legal activism (while at the same time pretending to be real lawyers), The S-ploited douses the more serious socio-political issues (being dealt with by LoyarBurokkers) with their artsy flair for music and film.
In their 2009 Freedom Film Fest (FFF) entry, ‘No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis’, The S-ploited dealt with the issue of three frogs who jumped from PR to BN, and who caused a State Government to fall into the hands of a coalition which only a minority wanted at the last 2008 elections. Instantly recognisable, the iconic froghead (or known as “Froggie”) symbolises the quite dangerous polarisation of our nation’s politics. More frogs have come after the Perak3, and more are anticipated.
To cope with the incessant and increasing demand for a feature on The S-ploited – yes, LoyarBurok indeed listens and hears you - we conducted the LoyarBurok Interview; the ONLY interview you will ever need. The interview was conducted by e-mail based on questions submitted to us by interested readers; so here it is.
Just as the winners of 2010 FFF have been chosen, the feisty duo reminds us of what came before and what ought to come next.
How did it feel when your film was shown?
Seira: Excited and a bit nervous. We were standing at the back and in the dark I saw some of our friends and they had serious looks on their faces and for a split second my mind went, “Oh, no..”. But truth be told, we did not seen the final product until that moment when the film was shown at the premiere. Sherrie and I were standing behind there commenting on our own film! The premiere was awesome! More than 300 people were in attendance including friends, families and haters.
Sherrie: It was nerve-wrecking and exciting as well! We’ve worked so hard on the film. We were anxious to see how the crowd would respond to the film. It was massive – fully packed dual hall that night and we were glad that the reviews have been encouraging thus far.
Do you think all your hard work was worth it?
Seira: Hell yeah! When you have people that you don’t know coming up to you and saying, “Thank you for making this film”, or “Great work on the film!”, it sure was worth it. You realise that you have been so lucky to be given this opportunity to make a film, let alone to do something controversial – well, some say-lah – like the Perak crisis.
Sherrie: Definitely! I kind of miss those shooting escapades that we had. We tried to make the film easy for the masses to understand especially the younger generation. We have been told that the film has a good flow now!
What was the best thing about doing the film?
Seira: EVERYTHING. I can’t pick and choose. The whole experience was a learning process even when it sucked! But the first day of shoot was the best! When the camera started rolling for the first time, when I put on Froggie to do the interview for the first time – that’s when I realised that we were making a film!
Sherrie: From drafting the proposal to actually having a copy of the DVD and watching it at the premiere! Going to the Orang Asli settlement, shooting the live frogs as they were jumping, interviewing the people at the market, continuously amending the treatment, going through the editing process and trying to squeeze the budget and timeline to complete the film within our parameters. Like what Seira said, EVERYTHING!
Would you do another, and if so, on what subject?
Seira: I’ll do it again. Maybe on race relations. It’s such a “sensitive” – no, we can’t use that word – it’s such a “potentially explosive” topic for our country. We promote ourselves as a country where three main ethnic groups live with each other, and yet sometimes I can’t help but sense a deep undercurrent that we all actually hate each other and it’s because of our ethnicities. Or maybe something on the environment. Or on mosques.
Sherrie: I would if I am given the opportunity again. Maybe on interfaith marriages. Or the history of the Malays in this country. Who is a Malay or whether this fact is significant as we have been through many cycles of mixed marriages especially from the Indonesian lineage. Perhaps looking at gender issues in religion too.
All the three films were on difficult subjects, how did it feel “competing” against fellow activists who were also making films for the same purpose you were?
Seira: What was the common purpose again? As far as I know, and this is also based on conversations I had on, and interviews I read about, the other two entries; we were all here to make films about causes that we believed in. Film is like a new medium to spread awareness amongst the blind masses. If that is “The Purpose”, then I would say there was no competition at all. If there was competition, I didn’t feel the heat.
Sherrie: I don’t think it was a competition per se but an effort to recognise our voices through film-making of the concerns that we had in this country. All the three films highlighted issues involving the peoples’ right to be heard and social justice to be upheld.
Some regard it as all three having won, how did you see it?
Seira: All three are winners. We beat 20-30 other proposals wei! We are all winners!
Sherrie: There’s no doubt about it. The three films won the Justin Louis Award and were sponsored to do the films!
The Justin Louis Award for The S-ploited (2009 FFF)
Why did you think “Kayuh” won the most outstanding film?
Seira: Kayuh deserved it. If you look at the issues in Kayuh, it really went to the heart of the rakyat’s struggle, which are repeated on a daily basis. And people could see – what was so dangerous about a cycling campaign? Its time for the Government to wake up and not be too paranoid.
Sherrie: Kayuh was really good. The journey and the struggle they went through to highlight their issues was really something to admire. They beat all odds despite having to go through the hurdles set up by the authorities, and yet they could still manage smiles on their faces! Amazing.
Any mistakes which could have been rectified?
Seira: Yeah a few. And some which I do not wish to discuss. I hoped the film was longer to be able incorporate more interviews that we could.
Sherrie: Some. I wished that we could manage to secure some interviews with the Barisan counterparts. We wrote and contacted them but we got no responses.
So, what’s next for The S-ploited?
Seira: We are seeking funds while mulling over several ideas.
Sherrie: What about doing a documentary on the punk rock movement in Malaysia?
LB’s gotta ask this – which is the coolest website in town? Are u a fan? If so, why?
Seira: Hands down, its loyarburok.com-lah, the greatest blawg. When it was down for a few weeks, I experienced withdrawal symptoms.
Sherrie: Loyarburok.com of course! It’s the most reliable website for me so far. The LoyarBurokkers also supported us all the way and helped with the conceptualisation of the film.
LB’s gotta ask this though we don’t really want to know but it’s a question from readers – any plans to get married and settle down for good?
Seira: Is this important?
Sherrie: Is this relevant? There are always plans but to settle down for good is not for me to decide at this moment.
You are now “mini-celebrities” – SPOTTED! – and your views may be more widely appreciated and heard. What do you think about the Bar Council’s ConstiLC’s MyConsti campaign?
Seira: I love the campaign! It’s a great campaign to create awareness on the Federal Constitution.
Sherrie: Not many people have a copy of the Constitution or know which article guarantees what rights. We were at the launch in November 2009 and we could feel the excitement of the rakyat. Good vibes yo’.
Any last words for your fans?
Seira: Someone famous once said, “Activism is by its nature a slog, but it depends why you’re doing it”. It’s tough work but it’s worthwhile, so keep fighting!
Sherrie: Politicians should never be like frogs. Bangkit rakyat!
_____________________
LB: We knew the film would be a hit, so we stalked The S-ploited. Check out their film-making journey: We are ‘film-makers’ now, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7 & The End of a Journey.
[UPDATED on 8 July 2010] Mysteriously, after we published this interview, BFM sent onto radiosphere a podcast of its interview with The S-ploited on 3 July 2010. Don’t underestimate what LB can do to your mind!
Finally, the review that we have been waiting for from blogger Cerita Orang Gilak!
Ok la, its no secret that we’re friends. But its always refreshing to hear what your friends have to say about the things that you do.
The link is here:
http://ceriterasaya.blogspot.com/2009/12/krisis-perak-yang-dis-ploited.html
The full review:
The S-Ploited, melalui filem dokumentari mereka yang bertajuk “No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis” (NSL) cuba untuk mengungkap krisis ini dari sudut undang-undang dan pendapat orang ramai. Filem pendek yang berdurasi 20 minit ini menampilkan Presiden Majlis Peguam yang kacak Ragunath Kesavan, MB Perak YB Nizar dan subjek penting dalam krisis ini iaitu tak lain dan tak bukan, rakyat Perak sendiri.
Seira dan kepala kataknya
Filem dimulakan dengan ‘pertarungan’ beberapa ekor katak dalam satu pertandingan sukan. Katak-katak sepatutnya melompat merentasi petak masing-masing di atas gelanggang putih. Tapi beberapa ekor katak telah berpaling tadah dan melompat ke petak lawan selepas disondol oleh segulung wang kertas.
Metafora ‘katak lompat’ yang ditonjolkan itu adalah satu mitos yang dikatakan adalah kejadian sebenar berlaku terhadap 3 ‘orang’ katak dalam krisis Perak. Akan tetapi apabila ia ditonjol sebegitu rupa sebagai mukadimah sebuah filem dokumentari, tanpa menghabiskan tontonan, aku sudah berasakan bahawa keseluruhan filem ini adalah berat sebelah kepada pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat.
Tambahan, orang-orang yang ditemuramah memberikan pandangan yang berpihak kepada Pakatan Rakyat. Justeru aku berasakan bahawa tiada apa yang baru untuk aku tahu atau tonton di dalam filem itu. Sebagai penonton, aku juga sebenarnya mahu tahu apakah pandangan pihak yang lagi satu berkaitan dengan segala kejadian di Perak; bermula dari insiden lompat, pertukaran kerajaan, persidangan demokrasi bawah pokok, sembah derhaka YB Nizar di istana, tunjuk perasaan mohon DUN Perak dibubar dan sebagainya. Walaupun kita sebenarnya dah boleh agak apa yang akan dihujahkan oleh pihak satu lagi, tapi bagi sebuah filem dokumentari, informasi itu adalah agak penting.
Dalam keadaan ini, NSL telah diselamatkan oleh temuramah-temuramah dengan beberapa orang peguam yang bercerita tentang undang-undang yang digunapakai oleh BN dan PR bagi menyokong tindakan merampas dan memberontak masing-masing. Ini memberikan peluang kepada penonton untuk membuat penilaian sendiri tentang krisis di Perak dan apakah tindakan yang wajar diambil bagi memulihkan krisis. Di samping itu, YB NIzar juga diberi peluang untuk memberikan justifikasi berkenaan dengan ‘sembah derhaka’ beliau.
Secara keseluruhan, aku agak berpuas hati dan terhibur dengan filem dokumentari ini. Pengeditannya agak pantas dan kemas dan musik latar yang dipilih juga bersesuaian dengan jalan cerita. Tingkah Seira yang muncul sebagai penemuramah berkepala katak juga adalah sesuatu yang unik. Walaupun durasinya adalah terlalu singkat, tapi ia juga agak padat dengan informasi, dan barangkali itu ialah tujuan dan gaya S-Ploited untuk memperkenalkan sospol dan undang-undang kepada penonton yang belum begitu terdedah, terutamanya golongan muda. Kalau lama-lama sangat, nanti bosan.
Diapit Seira dan Sherrie (S-Ploited)
Tahniah S-Ploited kerana menjadi salah satu daripada tiga penerima FFF2009 Justin Louis Award.
Bagi mendapatkan DVD NSL, sila klik sini.
Another forum/talk on the on-going Perak political/constitutional crisis.
Speakers were Tommy Tomas, Prof Shad Faruqi, Dato’ Seri Nizar. Andrew Khoo moderated.
Months after we did No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis, The S-ploited finally met with Dato’ Seri Nizar again and passed him a copy. Yay!
The S-ploited travelled to JB to promote FFF.
But first, we stopped at Muar for some mee rebus. On Sherrie’s account.
Then we went apeshit shopping for bags at the local shopping mall. Yep, I bought 3 bags. From Muar. Beat that.
After that the journey to JB continues…
After checking in, Seira went to hang-out with KBnL and jalan-jalan carik makan.
Then its showtime.
Q&A sessions after the screening
We left JB early after having lunch with Loong (one quarter of KBnL). He took us for mee rebus on my account. Eh this one better than the one at Muar lah.
We made a pitstop at Melaka for the cendol. And to see Nizam.
But the shop closed lah! Damnit.
So we tried the cendol at another shop. Not bad oso.
Nizam and family.
After that balikssss!
Err, not.
Well FFF did go on, but The S-ploited could not go due to some unforeseen (foreseen?) circumstances. Blah.
The S-ploited travelled with Rahmat Haron to promote FFF in Penang.
Hehe kena tahan polis for speeding
Aaahh Penang… food haven. Check out all the food that we tried.
We reached Penang just in time for lunch and it was at Kapitan. Famous apparently.
Titties pic
Then its the famous cendol. Which, IMHO, is not nice. Melaka one better.
After checking in and checking on the FFF peeps, we went jalan-jalan.
Then its showtime.
The S-ploited with Sok Hwa
With The Riot Squad
For supper we had Sup Hameed. Bess!
Next day it was jalan-jalan carik makan. We start the day at 8am.
First stop – Nasi Kandar Kg Melayu
Next – roti canai Jalan Argyll
Then we had the coconut jelly. So sedaps!
Buat santan
After that we went to the flea market. Damn maju!
And then we met up with some of Min’s friends for good ol’ ABC, who happened to be Second Combat! Maju!
With Second Combat woot!
Then we went to look for pasembor.
And finally we pick up Rahmat and went home……
Ohmygod, its finally here. Finally we gonna show the film to the world! Helo World! Haha.
The premier was awesome. Many thanx to all who came and supported us from day one. Thank you for all the praises and criticisms.
Nadia busy working at the registration counter
Interview by The Staronline
Janet Chai
June Low and HR Dipendra
S-ploited with Rahmat Haron
Roger Chan and Ravin
Isrizal and Yanti
Q&A Sessions!
Oi Syah
The peeps behind FFF
And its ova! Kayuh won the overall FFF. Congrats peeps!
And we’re off to the after party…
MAX KOH
WE all must remember the tragic comedy of the political crisis in Perak earlier this year.
Three elected representatives hopped from Pakatan Rakyat to become Barisan Nasional friendly, which caused a mind-boggling political wrestling match in the state.
Lawyers Khaizan Sharizad Razak Dali and Seira Sacha Abu Bakar were asked so many questions about the issue (can the Sultan do this, can the MB do that?), that they jumped at making a film for the FreedomFilmFest.
“We had friends and family asking us about it, and we thought we have to make it clearer for them.
“The film festival gave us the opportunity to present this idea,” says Seira when met at the Komas centre in Petaling Jaya recently.
“We felt very strongly about the issues involved like the interpretation of the Constitution, and the powers of the MB and Sultan,” adds her friend and co-director Seira.
“We wanted to make it simpler, clearer for everyone to understand, especially the Constitutional crisis,” says Khaizan.
Titled No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis, the first-time filmmakers who called themselves The S-ploited interviewed the masses on their opinions on the issue as well as some of the central figures in the crisis.
“We were able to get Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin and Zaid Ibrahim, while Ibrahim Suffian from the Merdeka centre provided us with statistics,” says Seira.
“But the best responses came from the people in the pasar and Orang Asli,” adds Khaizan.
So what was the general sentiment of the people? “For that, you’ll have to watch the film,” says Khaizan with a laugh.
For the film, the full-time lawyers travelled to Perak a few times to shoot.
“It was very demanding because we had to juggle work with this but it was fun and worth it,” says Khaizan.
The film is split into sequences of events such as the Bukit Gantang elections, the demonstrations at Kuala Kangsar, the tree assembly and the court case between Mohd Nizar and Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
The use of punk music is prominent in the film.
A quirky feature is seeing one of the film-makers walking around in Perak with a huge frog head.
“Yeah, that was fun. We had to do it quickly because cars were stopping to look and we were afraid it would cause an accident,” recalls Seira with a laugh.
The Freedom Frog is symbolic to the issue as people has called the defecting politicians katak .
The film ties in with FFF’s theme of Real Change? as it sees how the people’s lives were affected during the short Pakatan Rakyat term in Perak.
n Last day to catch screenings of No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis, Al-Fatehah Memali by Rahmat Haron and Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa at The Annexe, Central Market at 7.30pm. The films will then be screened in Penang (Oct 9-10, 8pm, Han Chiang College, call 017-3749887), Johor (Oct 24), and Kuching (Oct 31). Visit http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org.
MOST movie fans will find themes like the plight of transsexuals, freedom of religion or police brutality too heavy duty for Saturday night viewing.
But if the growth of the annual issue-based Freedom Film Fest 2009 (FFF2009) is any indication, films with social messages are catching on.
Now in its sixth year, the little-known film competition and screening has evolved into a major film event with a steady following.
“More people are coming to watch the films screened. When we started out six years ago, we held the festival in only one venue in Kuala Lumpur. Now we have four venues, including Penang, Johor and Kuching.
Making sense of a massacre: Al-Fatehah Memali, directed by Rahmat Haron.“This means we are reaching out to more people – especially those from outside KL – who may not have the access to information and exposure to films and Human Rights issues,” notes Anna Har, one of the directors of Pusat Komas, which is organising the film festival.
The theme for this year’s festival is Real Change? and as in previous years, the three best film ideas have been selected and developed into short films with a RM5,000 grant award and technical support from the centre.
With themes ranging from an almost forgotten massacre in Kedah to the recent political developments following the last general elections, this year’s winning films are set to jolt viewers from their seats.
The first winner (in no particular order) is poet and artist Rahmat Haron whose film Al-Fatehah Memali tracks the journey of two singer-songwriters, Black and Meor, in their attempt to make sense of a massacre that happened in a remote village in Baling, Kedah, in 1985.
Their stay at Kampung Memali unearths the forgotten tragedy as they talk to survivors and witnesses of the bloody showdown between the police and villagers who were accused of following and sheltering a “religious cult”.
Kayuh, by Soh Sook HwaThe second film Kayuh by an organic farmer from Penang, Soh Sook Hwa, is a first-hand account of the cycling campaign organised by local NGO Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT) involving 100 people who cycled from Alor Setar to Johor Baru for 16 days in order to highlight the major concerns of marginalised groups in Malaysia.
The third is No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis by The S-ploited team, made up of young lawyers Khaizan Sharizad Abdul Razak and Seira Sacha Abu Bakar. As the title suggests, the film looks at the party-hopping incident in Perak early this year, which saw a power match between two opposing political alliances there.
While the films aim to open the eyes of the viewers, the production process was also an enlightening experience for the novice filmmakers.
For Soh, who did Kayuh, it was a nail-biting experience.
“I was very stressed out throughout the production because I had to learn everything as I went along. The most challenging part for me was to translate my idea into interesting visuals so that my film would not be boring.”
Seira Sacha, one part of the filmmaking-lawyer duo S-ploited, agrees.
“If you look at our proposed treatment to FFF2009 and the finished product, they are so different, but the gist of the idea remained. As we are new to this, we keep looking at different angles on how to approach the issues in the film, so filming was fluid.”
Fortunately, for the filmmakers, their passion helped them cope with the pressures of production.
“As lawyers, the Perak issue is very close to us because it involved a lot of legal issues but because we are working full-time, the production process was hectic. The main challenge was to juggle our time,” Seira Sacha recalls.
Pusat Komas, set up some 16 years ago to promote popular media and communications within marginalised communities like the Orang Asli and urban poor, has always advocated the use of films to spread social messages and raise awareness on human rights issues.
Hence, the FFF as it is tagged, was first introduced in 2004 to encourage everybody – from social activists to professionals, students and even senior citizens – to make films that express Malaysian concerns and issues.
Har nevertheless admits the way the trend has caught on, especially among the young, still amazes her.
“The younger crowd even think making documentaries and films with social messages is hip!
“We are not complaining though,” she says with a laugh.
To acknowledge the growing number of people making films on local issues and Malaysian realities, this year FFF has introduced another category in the film competition, which is for completed films.
“Our main aim has always been to encourage social film making amongst the younger generation in Malaysia; to encourage them to think about and express opinions on their social realities and the realities around them.
“So under this category, Malaysians could send in a human rights-themed film that they had made within the past year. The best film will win RM2,000 cash,” says Har, adding that they had received an assortment of films highlighting diverse issues from refugees, native rights to environment and health issues.
And that is the best achievement of the film fest to her, says Har.
“I feel that we have managed to create a space for people to express themselves on issues that matter to them and their realities as well as those that have gone unnoticed or undocumented.”
·Community video forum and screenings (Today, 3.30-6.30pm): A sharing session of experience between community filmmakers and activists from the region. Pre-registration required as seats are limited.
·FFF09 launch and opening film, At Stake (Today, 8pm): At Stake is a brave and eye-opening documentary tackling taboo issues faced by Indonesian women including female genital mutilation and the sexuality of a migrant worker.
Producer Nia Dinata (director of Berbagi Suami, Arisan, Ca Bau Kan) will be present for Q&A after the screening.
·Screening of Burma VJ (Tomorrow, 4pm): This award-winning film by Anders Ostergaard tells of courageous young Myanmars who risk their lives to send out news from their closed country to the outside world.
Premier of FFF2009 winning films (Tomorrow, 7pm): Screening of FFF2009 winning films: Al-Fatehah Memali, Kayuh and No Silver Lining: The Perak Crisis.
FFF2009 will be held from today till Sunday at The Annexe, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. For full listing and dates of other venues, go to freedomfilmfest.komas.org. For inquiries and reservations of passes, call 017-374 9887.
