Mention Asian cinema and the first countries that normally get talked about instantly are China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. Very rarely will Malaysian cinema come to mind, and save for some hardcore South East Asian cinéphiles, one would be hard-pressed to think of any noteworthy titles to speak of.
People always ask me what would be a good introduction to Malaysian cinema and I must admit that it is an interesting question. One could easily hark back to the period of P.Ramlee and the Shaw Brothers, or even the heyday of melodrama in the 80’s.
But in light of the current turbulent cultural, social and political climate of Malaysia, I believe the groundbreaking work of the late Yasmin Ahmad is what truly captures the essence of Malaysian storytelling via film. Check out this essential Yasmin Ahmad viewing:
