SUARA FILMS
SUARA COMMUNITY FILMMAKING | WORKSHOPS | FILMS | STORIES | TRAINERS
The principle material outputs of the Suara training include the completion of SUARA FILMS. Films are shot on location in the participants’ communities, and represent the culmination of efforts undertaken throughout the year-long Suara training. This constitutes a great stride forward for the Suara programme, and the growing skills, dedication and maturity of community filmmakers are truly evident in their final products.
Completed Suara films are brought to a public audience on the big screen during the festival. Each filmmaking teams responsible for producing a completed film is given the opportunity to introduce their film to the BEFF audience. Screenings prove to be a highly satisfying conclusion to Suara’s efforts for participants, trainers and organisers alike.
Suara Films in 2016
In 2016, Suara participants managed to complete seven short films were selected to be premiered at the BEFF festival weekends screenings on the 9th of October. The filmmaking teams who responsible for each of the selected films had the opportunity of introducing their film and speak with audience members about the issues behind their stories.
| TITLE (DETAILS) | BY |
|---|---|
| Community Abai Project (Malaysia, 2016, 5 mins 30secs) | KOPEL |
| Ensera (Malaysia, 2016, 3 mins 30secs) | Suara Workshop participants |
| Harapan di Pinggir Muara (Malaysia, 2016, 6 mins 30 secs) | KOPEL |
| Perjalanan dan Harapan (Malaysia, 2016, 3 mins) | Suara Workshop participants |
| Pesan Ibu (Malaysia, 2016, 2 mins) | Suara Workshop participants |
| Tradisi Kraftangan Kampung Lutut (Malaysia, 2016, 6 mins 30 secs) | Kinabalu EcoLinc |
| Warisan dan Masyarakat ( (Malaysia, 2016, 4 mins) | Suara Workshop participants |
Suara Films in 2015
In 2015, Suara participants managed to complete six short films that were premiered to BEFF audiences. Four of these films were shot on location in the participants’ communities, and represented the culmination of efforts undertaken during the entirety of 2015.
| TITLE (DETAILS) | BY |
|---|---|
| Seniku Jiwaku (Malaysia, 2015, 4 mins) | Suara Intensive Workshop participants |
| Kebakaran di Kg. Bangau (Malaysia, 2015, 5 mins) | Suara Production Workshop participants |
| Lokos (Malaysia, 2015, 3 mins 27 secs) | KOPEL |
| Mastal Arikik (Malaysia, 2015, 2 mins) | Wanita Pulau Omadal (WAPO) |
| Turipas (Malaysia, 2015, 8 mins) | Hutan |
| Kisah Budak Jalanan (Malaysia, 2015, 7 mins) | Green Semporna |
Two of the films, “Seniku Jiwaku” and “Kebakaran di Kampung Bangau” were produced over the course of a single workshop, while the other four films – “Lokos”, “Mastal Arikik”, “Turipas” and “Kisah Budak Jalanan” – were a result of community filmmaking teams’ continued efforts over the course of the year.
Suara Films in 2014
Two Suara Films, “Manik Rungus” and “Tradisi yang Diwarisi”, were premiered to a public audience during Sabah Forestry Department’s high-profile Centennial Celebrations at Kota Kinabalu’s Town Padang in November 2014.
Manik Rungus (5 mins 48 secs)
Entitled “Rungus Beads”, this film was made by a team of seven community filmmakers who wanted to tell a story about the traditional beadwork of the indigenous Rungus ethnic group in north Sabah. The films examines the cultural roots of Rungus beadwork and looks at the prominence of Rungus beads as cultural artefacts and expressions, having come far from its humble origins in remote villages to the markets and shops of Kota Kinabalu City.
Tradisi yang Diwarisi (4 mins 47 secs)
Entitled “Inherited Traditions”, this is a story of a young man from a remote village who is finding his way in the city by running a market stall he inherited from his mother. Made by a team of five community filmmakers, the film explores how his way of life has changed and his aspirations for the future.
Zookeeper (6 mins 36 secs)
A team of six community filmmakers made this film as a window into the day in the life of a zookeeper who works tending birds and other animals in a zoo. The film depicts the ordinary day-to-day tasks and the years of service this zookeeper has dedicated to caring for the animals – a task that is often taken for granted by the many visitors who come to the zoo – and begins to ask the bigger question about our responsibility as custodians of nature.
A Tsunami in Moyog River (12 mins 13 secs)
This dramatic film was made by a team of five community filmmakers who investigated the social and environmental impacts arising from development projects that are faced by the local communities in the village of Notoruss, Penampang. Having unsuccessfully protested against the building of the Babagon Dam on the Moyog River, the community now faces another threat in the re-opening of a dormant rock quarry in the upper catchment of the Moyog River. The film investigates local people’s objections to the quarry and how they remain fearful of the severe flash floods that may ensue if the quarry proceeds.
Orang Utan (3 mins 34 secs)
A team of five community filmmakers decided to shoot this film with no interviews and used only footage of orangutans to convey the character of this gentle animal. Combined with footage pre-shot in the Kinabatangan, this film contrasts the life an orangutan leads in the wild with the life of captivity in a zoo. It asks difficult questions about the fate of wildlife species when large-scale land use changes are removing Sabah’s remaining natural habitats.
Tembok Kehidupan (3 mins 50 secs)
Tembok Kehidupan (3 mins 50 secs)
The six community filmmakers in this team chose the title “Bastion of Life” to encapsulate the story of a single mother who runs a food stall at the seafront markets in Kota Kinabalu City. Told through her prosaic voice, she describes a way of life that begins as the night unfolds and is sustained by the comings and goings of the many people who patronise these markets.