ANIMATED short film Walinong Sari has been awarded Honorable Mention and the Best Soundtrack award at the New York International Short Film Festival recently.
Directed by Eugene Foo, the short film stars Nadia Aqilah as the Gunung Tahan princess and major actors Bront Palarae and Tony Eusoff, reported IGN.
Foo, together with scriptwriter Honey Ahmad, assembled a team of animators to produce the film in the style of wayang kulit.
Foo has said that there should be more Southeast Asian representation on the big screens. He also felt that they should challenge visual conventions, which he and his team are keen to work on.
The soundtrack was composed by Irena Taib, who is part of indie band The Impatient Sisters, along with her sisters. Irena relied on the use of synthesisers and traditional Malaysian musical motifs as a means of breaking boundaries.
Walinong Sari is about the titular warrior princess who is the heir to the Inderapura Kingdom in present-day Pahang during the Malaccan sultanate.
In the film, Walinong Sari is set up for an arranged marriage. In protest, she went down the Pahang River to say goodbye to her land. She then met Mambang Segara, a celestial prince, where she faces a choice to be the dutiful daughter or to follow her heart.
A recipient of the MDEC DC3+ grant, Walinong Sari is not widely available yet. It has been to several film festivals, including the Sea of Art Film Festival, the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the Oniros Film Awards New York, and the New York International Short Film Festival.
For updates, visit its Facebook page. – The Vibes, August 12, 2022
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