Sepet Slit Eye | |
---|---|
Directed by | Yasmin Ahmad |
Written by | Yasmin Ahmad |
Produced by | Rosnah Kassim Elyna Shukri |
Starring | Ng Choo Seong Sharifah Amani Linus Chung Harith Iskander Ida Nerina Adibah Noor Tan Mei Ling Thor Kar Hoong |
Cinematography | Low Soon Keong |
Edited by | Affandi Jamaludin |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
Country | Malaysia |
Languages | English Malay Cantonese Hokkien (Min Nan) Mandarin |
Sepet (English: Slit Eyes) 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.
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.
Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 18th Tokyo International Film Festival | Best Asian Film Award | Won [1] | |
Ninth Malaysian Video Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
27th Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France | Best Film | Won | ||
18th Malaysia Film Festival | Best Film | Won | ||
Best Original Screenplay | Yasmin Ahmad | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Ida Nerina | Won | ||
Adibah Noor | Nominated | |||
Most Promising Actor | Ng Choo Seong | Won | ||
Most Promising Actress | Sharifah Amani | Won | ||
Best Poster | Won | |||
Best Director | Yasmin Ahmad | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Harith Iskander | Nominated | ||
Best Editor | Affandi Jamaludin | Nominated | ||
Global Chinese Golden Arts Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
Anugerah Era | Best Film | Won |
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 .
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]
Ipoh is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Perak. Located by the Kinta River, it is nearly 200 km (120 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur and 150 km (93 mi) southeast of George Town in neighbouring Penang. As of the 2020 census Ipoh had a population of 759,952, making it the eighth-largest city in Malaysia by population.
Yasmin binti Ahmad was a Malaysian film director, writer and scriptwriter. She was the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Her television commercials and films are well known in Malaysia for being humorous and touching. Her work crossed cross-cultural barriers, particularly her ads for Petronas, the national oil and gas company. Her works have won multiple awards both within Malaysia and internationally. In Malaysia, her films were highly controversial due to their depiction of events and relationships, which have been considered 'forbidden' by social conservatives, especially hard-line interpretations of Islam. She was a central figure of the "first" New Wave of Malaysian cinema.
Sharifah Amani binti Syed Zainal Rashid Al-Yahya, better known by her stage name Sharifah Amani, is a Malaysian actress. She is the best known for her role as Orked in Yasmin Ahmad's 'Orked' trilogy.
Puteri Gunung Ledang is a Malaysian musical directed by Zahim Albakri, co-directed by Adlin Aman Ramlie, book by Adlin Aman Ramlie, Saw Teong Hin and Zahim Al-Bakri and music composed by Dick Lee. The musical is based on the 2004 Puteri Gunung Ledang film. The original production was staged at the Istana Budaya in February 2006, this was followed by two more productions and an upcoming third in February 2009. Tiara Jacquelina and Stephen Rahman-Hughes starred as Gusti Putri and Hang Tuah in all the productions to date. Other members of the production team are music director Roslan Aziz, choreographer Pat Ibrahim and production designer Raja Malek. The musical was staged in poetic Malay and Javanese-accented Malay, but English subtitles were provided.
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Colin Kirton is a Malaysian stage and television actor. He is also known for his work as a director, trainer, musician, singer, choir director, host/emcee and voice actor. He was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Solo) at the 2007 BOH Cameronian Arts Awards for his leading role in the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre’s 2006 production of Broken Bridges – The Musical and won for Best Group Performance (Theatre) as part of the ensemble of Footstool Players' production of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which he also created, produced and directed, at the 2009 BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.
Mukhsin is a 2006 Malaysian Malay-language romantic drama film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It is the third instalment in the "Orked" trilogy. Shot in just 12 days, it won one award and one special mention at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival (2007) under the children's film category: International Jury of Generation Kplus - Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for Best Feature Film and the Generation Kplus Children's Jury Awards - Special Mention. Within the first 4 days of its release in Malaysia, it earned RM700,000 in box-office takings. It went on to have a final gross of almost RM2 million.
Gubra is a 2006 Malaysian Malay-language romantic drama film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It was shot in 14 days in Ipoh, Malaysia. It is the sequel to Sepet, and was followed by Mukhsin.
Adibah Noor Mohamed Omar was a Malaysian singer, actress and master of ceremonies. She made her start in the entertainment industry in 1995 and had gone on to star in films such as Sepet and Gubra.
Ida Nerina binti Hussain, better known by her stage name Ida Nerina, is a Malaysian actress, producer and director.
Muallaf is a 2008 Malaysian Malay-language drama film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It tells a tale of three souls finding solace in religion. This is Yasmin Ahmad's fifth film after Rabun, Sepet, Gubra and Mukhsin.
Joanna Bessey is an actress and director from Malaysia. She is best known for her role as Marie Tan in the situation comedy Kopitiam which ran for 7 seasons.
Talentime is a 2009 Malaysian Malay-language drama film written and directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Yasmin, in her blog, has described it "as a story full of joy and pain, hope and despair, a host of beautifully-written songs, and rich characters". A Hindu open cremation and a scene reminiscent of the 2001 Kampung Medan riots are included in the film.
Yang Hormat Dato' Yasmin Yusuff, DIMP, is a former beauty queen, veteran actress and singer in Malaysia. Yasmin is one of the few well-known Malay pageant contestants who won the Miss Universe Malaysia title back in 1978, she competed in Miss Universe 1978.
The Secret Life of Nora is a Malaysian musical produced by Enfiniti (M) Sdn Bhd, with Tiara Jacquelina as Executive Producer, story by Raymond Miranda, directed by Steven Dexter and choreographed by Pat Ibrahim. The show is an adaptation of the 1965 Shaw Brothers film Nora Zain - Agen Wanita 001.
Rabun is a 2003 Malaysian Malay-language romantic drama film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It tells a story about a free-spirited older couple, Pak Atan and Mak Inom who decide to spend more time in the country after getting tired of city life. But they find that life in the old village isn't a good thing when they get cheated by a distant relative, Yem, out of some money. They cut him off and Yem plots revenge. Meanwhile, in the city, the couple's daughter Orked is being wooed by a young gentleman, Yasin. Rabun is Yasmin Ahmad's first film before her other films, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, Muallaf and Talentime.
Malaysian popular music, sometimes called shortly Malaysian pop or abbreviated as M-pop, refers to popular music forms in Malaysia. Although popular music in various languages such as Mandopop are popular and have been produced in Malaysia, Malaysian pop refers to music recorded primarily in the Malay language in Malaysia.
Nasi Lemak 2.0 is a Malaysian film directed by and starring rapper Wee Meng Chee, known more by his stage name Namewee. The sequel, Nasi Lemak 1.0 was released 11 years later on 27 January 2022.
Cempaka Schools is a private school in Malaysia that offers Early Years Education, the Primary & Secondary Malaysian and International curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and the A-Level for students aged from 18 months to 18 years old.
The Journey is a 2014 Malaysian Chinese-language comedy-drama film directed by Chiu Keng Guan and written by Ryon Lee. The film stars Ben Andrew Pfeiffer, Lee Sai Peng and Joanne Yew Hong Im. The story follows a father that finally allows his daughter to wed an English lad with a condition that he shall follow him on a journey around the nation to deliver their wedding invitation. The Journey was also invited to be screened at the 16th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.