My name is Zan Azlee. I’m a FREELANCE MEDIA PROFESSIONAL who can’t decide which aspect of the media I enjoy more. So, I get myself involved in everything. I’m a TV/FILM DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, VIDEOGRAPHER and WRITER (not just for the screen, but also for print). I’m involved in JOURNALISM both for broadcast and print, a content developer for NEW MEDIA/INTERNET, and a CONTENT CONSULTANT. I'm also a mass-comm LECTURER at a local university.
Have you heard of APOSTROPHE? Its a yearly art project organised and sponsored by DiGi. Its been going on for two years now (the first focused on literature while the second was on photography). This year is the third installment and it will focus on filmmaking. I’ve been asked to be one of the mentors (the others are Azharr Rudin, Woo Ming Jin, Tan Chui Mui and Mussadique Suleiman). There was an article in The Star recently which you can read.
Recognising how my blog has such a massive cult following, the organisers kindly asked me if I could help promote the project. And being the humble superstar celebrity that I am, I obliged.
Basically, its a competition where all you need to do is to produce a film between 90sec and 160sec based on the theme ‘makan’. Winners will win prizes and a trip to some obscure country, I think. Just go visit the website at Apostrophegallery.com for more information. Once there, you’ll also get to see the works of the mentors which were done specifically for the project.
I cheated though… I cut out a short scene from my film ‘I’m Muslim Too!’ which I thought fit the ‘makan’ theme and could stand alone. The video above is of the original scene from my film. For the purpose of the Apostrophe project, I did make a slight adjustment (I’m not that much of a cheat!). So if you want to watch that version, check out the website, yeah?
(The 2008 General Election heat is still pretty intense. I have so much documented on video which would be great to release online right now, but I think I should hold on as the main purpose is to complete the feature length film, ‘I May Be Malaysian, But I Carry A Big Stick’, and not to have a newsflash blog. Woo!! Suspense wohh!!! Can’t wait for the film huh? Well… there’s still a little bit of shooting to do and then editing. So just hang on.)
Keroncong in Jogja eight months before the earthquake. But everyone is doing fine after. As for this film, its boring. Don’t waste your time. If you do watch it, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Searching for Sheila (2006)
Synopsis :
When the filmmakers went to Jogjakarta in Indonesia, they were hoping to find the popular Indon rock band ‘Sheila on 7′. They searched high and low throughout the city…
Screenings:
- Jakarta SlingShortFest 2006
- Malaysian Documentaries 2006
- 2007 Singapore Indie Documentary Film Festival
I made this film in 2004 after watching a couple of Errol Morris’ films. Muahaha! The film is 30 minutes long but I’ve broken it up into three parts here for easier online viewing.
R.A.H.M.A.N. (2004)
Synopsis : Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, is such a respected man. So much so that his name RAHMAN has been turned into a prophecy in determining all future Prime Ministers of the country; R - Rahman, A - Abdul Razak, H - Hussein Onn, M - Mahathir Mohamed, A - Abdullah Badawi. While N has yet to come, many predict that it will be the current Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak. How true is this prophecy? And what is in store for the country after R.A.H.M.A.N. runs its course? This documentary is a snapshot of the lives of several Malaysians during the country’s 2004 11th General Elections.
Screenings & Awards:
- Malaysian Video Awards 2004 (‘Best Short Film – Documentary’, Silver Award)
- 2004 Asian Film Symposium (Singapore)
My first work to be invited to an international film festival. I like it. I think it’s funny. You may now kill yourself for the time wasted here.
Popiahs, Murtabaks and a Patriotic Donkey (2003)
Genre: Documentary/Video Essay
Role: Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
Screenings & Awards:
- 26th New York Asian-American International Film Festival 2003
- The Emergency Filmmaking Project 2003 (Singapore)
- Cyberjaya Digital Video Competition 2003 Gold Award (Humour and Spoof)
- 2004 Eksperimento Film & Video Festival (Philippines)
Thanks to everyone who came for the preview screening of The Look-East Project AKA Pandang Ke Timur. All your comments and questions made my day! Also, a big shout out to Mr. John and Mrs. Silva… thanks so much for your support. Last but not least… thanks to Amir and Tuck Cheong for making the screening possible. For those of you who missed it, you will have to wait for its broadcast on ntv7 on Merdeka Eve!
Tudung (2005), Directors: Liew Seng Tat & Zan Azlee
“What is the purpose of the tudung? Is it to keep things clean and fresh?”
Screening Details:
6 March, 7.30pm
The Substation Theatre, Singapore
Searching for Sheila (2006), Director: Zan Azlee
“When the filmmakers went to Jogjakarta in Indonesia, they were hoping to find the popular Indon rock band ‘Sheila on 7′. They searched high and low throughout the city…”
Screening Details:
10 March, 8.30pm
The Substation Theatre, Singapore
So… book your tickets to Singapore now! And if you are Malaysian and can prove that you were at the screenings of my films… I shall give you a free DVD of my first feature film ‘The Look-East Project’! DING DING DING DING!! FREE GIFT BONANZA!!! (But no bungalow with a pooooool!)
Editing ‘The Look-East Project’ is taking up a lot of time. Hours of footage to look through and I’m no where close to coming up with a proper structure. But it’s fun, so no worries. I’ve also been doing some other work such as writing proposals for several future film projects which, rest assured, will be announced here if everything goes according to plan.
And… I’ll be lecturing again at HELP University-College after taking a two month break. I’ll be teaching the ‘Intro to Film’ course which I have taught several times before, and a new subject called ‘IT, Mass Media and Society’, which shouldn’t be a problem since I’ve been a bloody IT journalist since 2000! Students always mistake me for being one of them (thanks to my boyish good looks!) so I can’t wait to see if any girls hit on me on the first day of classes next week!
My documentary film, Searching For Sheila was recently selected to screen at the Jakarta SlingShort Fest 2006. If you weren’t in Jakarta at the time, you can download and view the film at Outphace.com. It’s DA BOMB!!! And remember… if you can’t understand it… that means it’s ART!!
