Malaysian director Woo Ming Jin, whose work was shown at the Busan International Film Festival from his first film “Monday Morning Glory” (2005), is back with his latest feature film “Stone Turtle”.
The film, which won a FIPRESCI Prize in Locarno earlier this year, follows a woman living on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, who becomes involved with a stranger claiming to be a turtle researcher, in a dangerous dance of duplicity and deception.
The “stone turtle” originated from the time Wu spent on the east coast of Malaysia a few years ago, where he met some turtle egg hunters and the villages that lived on this trade. He learned a lot about the history, culture and way of life of the region, and this became his motivation for creating the hero of the film.
I have always been drawn to the richness of Malaysian folklore and mythology and felt that it was not shown in cinema very often. The original folklore of “Stone Turtle” is a story that reflects a journey [the main character]and I tried to use that as a starting point to dig deeper into the character’s mission,” Wu said diverse.
Wu was also inspired by Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst” and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s “Woman in the Dunes,” both of which are about two characters. “Just like those movies, I wanted to make a movie centered around two characters in one place, partly for practical reasons—it was the pandemic and we had limitations in terms of crew and what we could do,” Woo says.
“The film is somewhat personal and deals with social themes that are present in many of my films, so that way it’s not really a huge departure. The difference with this movie is that I wanted to be more fun, and I wanted to make something that was emotionally accessible and thought-provoking,” he adds. Wu. I wanted audiences to go for a spin where they aren’t quite sure what kind of movie to watch, yet still be fully invested. Stone Turtle is a revenge thriller with a time loop with magical realism and a dash of animation.
The film is a co-production between Malaysian company Greenlight Pictures and Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media, produced by Woo, Edmund Yeo, Yulia Evina Bhara and Cheng Thim Kian. It was funded by government grants and COVID relief funds with support from the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) and private equity.
“After the festival kicks off, we hope to secure some areas for theatrical distribution, where we hope the audience will enjoy this film on the big screen. We are currently in talks with different film distributors. diverse. “We are also pleased to work with Yulia and Kwan Kawan Media to explore the vibrant Indonesian film market.”
Bhara said from KawanKawan Media diverse: “We have seen its potential for audiences and the Indonesian market. Moreover, the most important factor for us is to strengthen the cooperation between filmmakers in Southeast Asia.”
The film, which stars Indonesian co-stars Bronte Ballari and Asmara Abigail, will be shown in some of the following Indonesian festivals. KawanKawan aims for a large-scale release in Indonesia next year.
Woo is a pioneer of the Malaysian New Wave and his work has traveled to Cannes, Berlin and Venice. “I think the movement was a reaction to the lack of diverse content in Malaysia and, to some extent, it showed the potential of what Malaysian cinema could be. So I am grateful for that period and the films that came out of it. Cinema is constantly evolving, so we must evolve,” says Wu. As filmmakers too, to continue expanding our canvas, whatever that may be. Personally, I would like to see a new batch of filmmakers come out of Malaysia, as we have seen in our neighboring countries. I think the future is very bright.”
There are already bright signs at the Malaysian box office as domestic films have done well both theatrically and post-pandemic. “It’s refreshing to see, although the scope of what is considered a marketable film is still fairly narrow. You look at horror and action films, and not many other things, made for a Malay audience,” Wu says. that do not fall into these categories specifically presents a major challenge. But as a filmmaker, I’m very familiar with the changing landscape, in terms of how we can economize on our films. With the addition of OTT platforms, I believe there are more options for filmmakers. I feel optimistic about the near future as there are more co-productions and local government agencies like FINAS stepping in to support filmmakers who can help develop cinema in the country.”
Next up for Woo is the horror movie “Indera,” which has been released and is due for release in 2023. Yeo and Woo have some projects in Asia and Southeast Asia in development, and Woo is also developing his English language debut with some resident producers. in the United States.
“Stone Turtle” premiered in Busan on October 7 as part of A Window on Asian Cinema strand. Parallax Films deals with international sales.
[ad_2]
