ELEVEN years ago, Marc Abas ventured into the world of filmmaking with a bold vision – to create culturally authentic Sabah films weaving in the timeless “hero’s journey” narrative.
Today, with nine films under his belt and his tenth, “Mad Mamai”, set for release in June, Abas stands as a testament not only to passion and perseverance but also to defiance against big budgets and influential players.
The grandfather of two’s journey into film-making was far from conventional.
Describing himself as a “rolling stone dropout”, he spent 21 years as a street artist after changing jobs in the public sector – from welfare services to teaching.
But the call to the cinema was strong for Abas.
“I wanted to live art – art that can move, talk and shine, one that can tell many stories on one canvas,” said the Penampang native.
So, in 2010, Abas made into the filmmaking world as an actor. Working under over 20 directors, mostly from the peninsula, he played many roles as villains and extras, while learning the craft’s intricacies and literally working for them like “machais”.
“All the directors have the same basics: being good with cameras, meticulous in editing and taking care of their actors. But I also learned their weaknesses. By avoiding their flaws, I believe I can be a better director,” said Abas, realising that becoming a director is more suited for him than just acting.
His drive in becoming a director was further reinforced by a slew of incidents. One significant moment was during an audition for the 2018 film “Tangisan Kinabalu”.
He was asked to act out a scene where a father scolds his daughter, the protagonist, telling her not to climb Mount Kinabalu.
The instructions given were not true to Sabah’s cultural expressions.
“A Sabah father would probably say, ‘Bagus-bagus kau sana. Saya tempiling kau, melekat kau di dinding’ (You better listen to me, or I will slap you and you will stick to the wall).
“Instead, I was told to deliver a harsh and loud line in Malay: ‘Kau jangan lagi naik gunung. Kau lawan cakap bapa!
(Don’t climb the mountain again. Don’t go against my orders)
“It felt like a non-Sabahan teaching a Sabahan how to speak like a Sabahan,” he said.
Although Abas was the filmmakers’ first choice, he was rejected for the role. But he had no qualms as he was not interested in playing the character either.
Such instances further reinforced reasons that he should be directing movies and not just act in them.
By directing, he would have more control and can make the film as “Sabahan” as possible as he made it clear his primary goal was not to obtain fortune, but fame for being true to his roots.
Abas went on to fund his first film project and release his movie “Home of Hope” in 2013 on DVDs and sold 1,500 copies for RM25 each.
He said good films can also be made on a modest budget and after paying his crew and actors from proceeds of the DVDs, the excess would then bankroll his next film.
Abas would then repeat the same formula up to his seventh film and it was on his eighth movie project that Finas began to take note of his works.
Finas stepped in and granted him RM400,000 to fund “Avakas” and later his ninth movie “Silence of the 177”.
Avakas had been based on the old headhunting era in Sabah while the other had been based on the Petagas War Memorial or the Jesselton Revolt.
Although Finas’ help had been a great boost to his efforts, Abas sees himself as unworthy to the aid and viewed the fund as a “sympathy handout” to a small filmmaker that does not produce box office movies like him.
Yet, Abas takes pride in the 2020 released movie “Avakas” and views the film as a milestone.
Not only did he direct, produce, and write the script, but he also played the protagonist and paid all the actors.
The film subsequently made its way to screens in San Francisco and London, winning foreign recognition, as well as a 7.7-star rating on IMDb.
Abas said the film industry in Sabah still has a long way to go as it is still in its infancy.
He said it was impossible to compete with filmmakers in the peninsula whose industry has existed some 80 years.
“There are 12 cinemas in Sabah, mostly located in townships like Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Keningau, and Papar,” he said.
“The young town folk have different tastes in movies. They would spend their money on Hollywood films over mine. I’m not saying my movies do not have a following – they do – but most of my audience lives in places like Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Kota Marudu, and Kota Belud,” he explained.
Abas noted that his films have garnered up to 300,000 views online while cinema collection could only go as high as RM18,000. – June 2, 2024
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