KUALA LUMPUR – Khairi Anwar, a theatre director turned film director, defies all odds and had his film premiered in Indonesia for the Jogja-Netpac Film Festival in the non-competition segment, Asian Perspectives.
The film, 'Mentega Terbang', discusses faith in Malaysia which is a sensitive topic to most Malaysians.
'Mentega Terbang', a locally produced indie film, will premiere at the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival on Sunday. The film had made its way to many private and successful screenings since last year. It had gotten the attention and approval of veterans in the theatre and film industry.
Jogja-Netpac strives to provide a space for Asian films to tell stories that matter, especially arts, culture, and tourism. So being able to premiere their film internationally is not only a personal achievement, but an achievement to the Malaysian film industry.
Produced by Tan Meng Kheng, this first-ever film by Khairi was a Kuman Pictures Feature Challenge finalist and an instant hit.
The film begs the question: What is the afterlife? Reincarnation, heaven, hell, purgatory? Aisyah, a Muslim schoolgirl, is fascinated with religions especially what happens to life after death.
She is driven by the question; “What happens to people after they die?” With an ailing mother and an ever-present father who is caring as he is devoted, will Aisyah be able to find the answer to what she seeks?
“I’ve always wanted to do a film like this ever since I founded Anomalist Production. I had a team of fresh, talented writers and such creative producers that made this dream of mine possible,” said Khairi.
Tan added: “When Khairi approached me to be involved in this movie, I was so terrified, but then again, if we don’t address topics like this, then who will?”
The film may contain scenes and topics that leave the audience aghast, but they believe that this film has the power to unify all Malaysians through the similarities that we have such as food, culture, kinship, and friendship.
For more information, visit @mentegaterbangmovie on Instagram and fb.com/mentegaterbangmovie on Facebook. Tickets are available via donation through the link in the social media pages. – The Vibes, November 26, 2021
