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A NEW short film titled ‘Tun Fatimah: The Rebel Queen’ is set to hit digital screens later this year. The short film is an adaptation of Ninot Aziz’s Kirana: Dream After the Rose, which centres on Tun Fatimah, the last queen of Melaka.
The story is not a straightforward retelling of Tun Fatimah, but instead features a modern twist. The setting of the plot takes place both in present-day Melaka and the use of visual effects aims to capture the city in all its glory during the 16th century.
According to writer Ninot Aziz, “Tun Fatimah: The Rebel Queen’ shines a light on a strong female figure in Malaysian history, and highlights the values, culture, and heritage of Melaka during the 16th century.
"We are storytellers and the opportunity to explore this with the use of digital creation in the form of CGI is very exciting for us.”
“Hikayat, legends and folklores contain a wealth of knowledge on topics ranging from governance, protocol, diplomacy, architecture, shipbuilding, weaponry and textiles to medicinal practices, literature, entertainment, music, dance, wisdom and creative thinking – proof that our ancient societies had highly conceptualised ideas and creativity,” she added.
The script of the short film was penned by Said Bani, Ninot Aziz and screenwriter Nadia Khan (Gol & Gincu Vol 2, Motif) highlighting the beauty of the Malay language and prose in 16th century.
Filling in the lead role as both Tun Fatimah and Kirana is up-and-coming actor Yna Rose Noah, last seen in Anwardi Jamil’s Showtime 1958 (available to stream on Netflix). Other cast members include Naim Shamsol as Nadim, Niezam Zaidi as Sultan Mahmud Shah, and Jimmy Leong as Uncle Wong.
Providing the sound design and music for the short film is accomplished local creatives, Taja Mustapha, who composed the score with an original soundtrack written by Teuku Umar Ilany Teuku Iskandar, lecturer at Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) and founder of Gamelan Group Gangsapura.
To accurately render and represent the world of 16th-century Melaka, digital artist Walid Muhamad and 3D artist Faizal Rahmat were tapped to build the concept art for the film. Through the DC3+ grant awarded by MDEC, the producers of the movie were able to materialise a more authentic experience for audiences.
Tun Fatimah was a key figure in the history of Melaka, known for her courage, political finesse, and determination.
Beyond the role she played during the Portuguese invasion in the early 16th century, through her strong influence with Sultan Mahmud Shah, the last Sultan of Melaka, Tun Fatimah’s son and daughters went on to establish new political powers in Semenanjung Tanah Melayu.
This is especially through the establishment of Johore Sultanate through her son, Raja Ali Ibni Sultan Mahmud, known as Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II (1528–1564) and Perak Sultanate through her stepson, Sultan Muzaffar Syah (1528-1549).
Founder and managing director of BzBee, Professor Mohd Said Bani, alongside Azlina Merican as executive producers together with Ninot Aziz, have been working on this project for more than three years as part of the company’s efforts to highlight local culture and heritage.
Their plans finally came to life with the support of a grant from MDEC. The making of this short film is a collaborative effort with Nur Hussein of Langit Terang Productions and a strong line-up of Malaysian production team.
Led by director Bade Azmi, the short film has huge promises, and bzBee intends to produce a full-length feature film.
“Malaysia has ample stories which can and should go international.
"It is high time that we shine a spotlight on the wealth of stories in our very own Hikayat. Tun Fatimah: The Rebel Queen’ is an important stride forward to bring awareness to as well as preserve the Hikayat of Malaysia,” Said Bani remarked. – The Vibes, September 11, 2022
