Sepet

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Sepet
Slit Eye
Yasmin Ahmad's Sepet 2004.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Yasmin Ahmad
Written byYasmin Ahmad
Produced byRosnah Kassim
Elyna Shukri
StarringNg Choo Seong
Sharifah Amani
Linus Chung
Harith Iskander
Ida Nerina
Adibah Noor
Tan Mei Ling
Thor Kar Hoong
CinematographyLow Soon Keong
Edited byAffandi Jamaludin
Release date
24 February 2005
Running time
104 minutes
CountryMalaysia
LanguagesEnglish
Malay
Cantonese
Hokkien (Min Nan)
Mandarin

Sepet is a 2005 Malaysian Malay-language teen romantic comedy-drama film set in Ipoh, Malaysia. Directed by Yasmin Ahmad, it tells of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. Sepet is a Malay word which, in this context, refers to the 'slit eyes' of the Chinese.

Contents

Plot

A 19-year-old Ah Loong (who also called himself "Jason") is in charge of a stall selling unlicensed VCDs. Contrary to the stereotype of his social standing, Ah Loong is an incurable romantic with an unlikely hobby: he loves to read and write poetry. Quite content with being the Romeo of the slums, Ah Loong's life takes a sudden turn one day when a Malay schoolgirl, Orked, comes to his stall looking for films starring her favourite actor, Takeshi Kaneshiro. Love blossoms between Orked and Ah Loong, although social and racial pressures stand in their way.

In the end, Ah Loong is involved in a motor vehicle accident while Orked is going to England to pursue her studies. It is not clear if he lived or died until the sequel, Gubra which shows that Jason died. After the credits finish rolling however, Orked is shown sleeping beside Jason, both wearing a wedding ring. In Mukhsin, the third instalment, Jason and the adult Orked are shown to be living together. However, the adult Orked is not called by her name in this scene as the young Orked is.

Cast

Awards

YearAwardCategoryRecipientsResult
200518th Tokyo International Film Festival Best Asian Film AwardWon [1]
Ninth Malaysian Video AwardsBest FilmWon
27th Créteil International Women's Film Festival in FranceBest FilmWon
18th Malaysia Film Festival Best FilmWon
Best Original ScreenplayYasmin AhmadWon
Best Supporting Actress Ida Nerina Won
Adibah Noor Nominated
Most Promising ActorNg Choo SeongWon
Most Promising Actress Sharifah Amani Won
Best PosterWon
Best DirectorYasmin AhmadWon
Best Supporting Actor Harith Iskander Nominated
Best EditorAffandi JamaludinNominated
Global Chinese Golden Arts AwardsBest FilmWon
Anugerah EraBest FilmWon

Sequels

The sequel to Sepet, called Gubra , was filmed in Ipoh, Malaysia and released in 2006. The third movie in Yasmin Ahmad's Orked trilogy is a prequel to both Sepet and Gubra , titled Mukhsin .

Adaptations

Theatre company Liver & Lung debuted a musical adaptation of Sepet in September 2019. Shafeeq Shajahan directed the adaptation, with music and lyrics by Shajahan and Badrish. [2] The adaptation was a critical success, winning Best Direction at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2020. [3] Joshua Anthony Gui and Badrika Baluch played the roles of Jason and Orked in the adaptation, receiving positive reviews. Theatre critic website Critic Republic wrote that the musical had an "unexpected quality, where audiences all cried, laughed and smiled together." [4]

Songs from the musical were released on Spotify in July 2021, to celebrate Yasmin Ahmad's 12 year death anniversary. [5]

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References

  1. "18th Tokyo Film Festival 2005 : 22-30/10/2005 (TIFF) - Awards".
  2. S, Bissme. "Putting Sepet on stage". thesun.my. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. Nathan, Lydia (1 July 2020). "BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2020 goes online".
  4. "Yearning for Yasmin, Sepet Stays Faithful". 3 December 2019.
  5. "'Sayangku': theatre company set to release 'Sepet The Musical' soundtrack". The Star. Retrieved 27 December 2023.