ACTOR Bront Palarae thinks that as a country, Malaysia can be proud of the successes Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh has had in breaking through by earning a nomination at the prestigious Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.
However, he believes there is no reason for the country's entertainment industry to ride on her name since she is not a product of the local entertainment industry.
Michelle began her acting career in Hong Kong in the 1980s, which paved the way for her career in Hollywood.
"There is nothing for our industry to be proud of because she is not from our industry. It is true that she was born in Malaysia, but she is a Hong Kong actor.
"However, Michelle’s nomination inspires us, especially young people, to pack your bags and leave because there are always opportunities elsewhere. Michelle has already shown the path and the road more clearly.
"But if you want to survive in the local industry and fight for it, that's fine too. Hendry Golding started in Malaysia even though he has not yet been nominated for an Oscar," Bront said when met by Getaran at the Harum Malam press conference yesterday.
According to Bront, the country has great talents among local artistes, but unfortunately, not everyone is good at appreciating and maximising the potential of their talents.
"What is clear is that we are not short of talent. But we lack people who are good at appreciating these talents.
"The most difficult thing is not finding the difference between glass and gems. But I want to find someone who is good at judging which one is glass and which is a gem. This failure is a sad thing for the industry," he added.
Meanwhile, Bront is one of the actors starring in the film Harum Malam, directed by Dain Said and produced by Apparat, D'Ayu Pictures and Skop Productions.
It tells the story of a man named Iqbal who has the ability to see supernatural beings around him. He is faced with many scary situations while unravelling a mystery near his home.
Harum Malam has been screened at the Sitges Film Festival, Spain, and Fantastic Fest, the largest ‘genre’ (horror, fantasy) film festival in North America.
Also starring in the film are Remy Ishak, Nadiya Nissa, Nabila Huda, Idan Aedan, Arnie Shasha and Faizal Hussein. – The Vibes, February 3, 2023
* this story originally appeared in our Malay-language sister portal Getaran
