KUALA LUMPUR: Local filmmaker Chong Keat Aun was awarded Best New Director for his film The Story Of Southern Islet at the 2020 Golden Horse Awards which took place in Taipei, Taiwan last Saturday.
The drama was also honoured Best Film by the Network For The Promotion Of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
In September, The Story Of Southern Islet won Best Film at the Istanbul Film Awards in Turkey.
Chong, who also wrote the screenplay and acted in the film, said that it was a big honour for him as it was the first time he had worked on a large-scale production.
He added that the success of the film would motivate him to continue to produce films that feature the unique and diverse cultures of Malaysia.
The Story Of Southern Islet which was inspired by his family story showcases Hokkien, Kedah Malay and Siamese dialects and stars Season Chee, Pearlly Chua, Jojo Goh, Mei-Sim Hoon and Ling Tang.
"I notice that there's a lack of local films that focus on the beauty of our various Malaysian cultures after the passing of the late, great Yasmin Ahmad.
"When I showcase the unique Chinese, Malay and Siamese cultures in Malaysia which attracts attention at an international level, it indirectly gives me the spirit to continue the legacy that was left behind by Yasmin.
"I will strive to produce more films that mirror the people of Malaysia," he said in a news report today.
Chong said that since the 2020 Golden Horse Awards was held as a physical event at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, he took the opportunity to fly to Taiwan to attend the event as well as his film's premiere there.
The filmmaker had to undergo quarantine for two weeks while over there as well as another similar round after returning to Malaysia.
Chong said that The Story Of Southern Islet was inspired by a mystical occurrence that his family experienced back in his home town of Alor Star, Kedah.
The events that took place were told to him by his mother about his father's mysterious illness.
"It was a true story about my father who had an unexplainable disease when I was 10. My mom had turned to all sorts of doctors, medicine men and drugs to treat him.
"The hardships that my mother endured in order to cure my father became the inspiration for me to make this film.
"It's not a horror story but a tear jerking drama on the various efforts to cure a father who is now close to the age of 80," he said.
Chong said that the interesting thing about the film was that it portrayed the uniqueness of the three cultures found at the Kedah-Thai border.
He added that the intention to produce The Story Of Southern Islet came from the late filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad who was a good friend.
"Actually, she gave me her ideas and was very supportive. It was supposed to be made in 2010 but I lost the spirit to do so after she died.
"Only in 2017 did I find the will to realise this film once again," he said.
Chong, who worked as a radio announcer for 12 years at RTM's Ai FM, quit three years ago to focus on making films.
The film graduate from Lim Kok Wing University and Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman added: "I handled many film segments while at Ai FM."
"Yasmin was a frequent guest on our shows. After many interview segments with her I was awarded Best Radio DJ at Anugerah Seri Angkasa in 2011," he said.