PREBET Sapu is a black and white film that tells the story of a colour blind Malay man named Aman who moves to KL and carves out a life as a driver working illegally. He encounters Bella, a Chinese escort while driving one night, and learns about the realities of life in the big city.
Known internationally as Hail Driver, it has been chosen by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) to represent Malaysia in next year’s Academy Awards. It is seen as an unlikely selection, given the influence of censorship boards on the types of stories told.
“While writing Prebet Sapu’s script I was aware that it may have been censored because of its content touching on the electoral and political atmosphere [in Kuala Lumpur],” director Muzzamer Rahman told Al Jazeera.
Up to now, Prebet Sapu has earned recognition at Italy’s Far East Film Festival, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, and Spain’s Asian Film Festival.
The film opened in local cinemas on Thursday, December 16.
Finas hopes it will be among the film’s nominated in the Oscars’ often competitive Best International Film category. The other film that contended for government support was Barbarian Invasion by Tan Chui Mui. It won the Golden Goblet Awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
“The panel ultimately decided on Prebet Sapu because it’s a bit closer to true life and best reflects what we, as Malaysians, really are,” Finas member Ku Mohamad Haris Ku Sulong told Al Jazeera.
Last year, the horror film Roh was Malaysia’s Oscar submission. It is now available on Netflix and other streaming platforms.
This is part of a Finas strategy to support more complex films that reflect the reality seen by many Malaysians, as well as to stay competitive with the more artistic films being released by Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Prebet Sapu has a multi-ethnic cast and features multiple languages, in keeping with the complex cultural dynamic of the country. – The Vibes, December 17, 2021
