"MALAYSIA is a multiracial and multicultural country. We all know that and it has always been our strength. It's in our stories," says local filmmaker Teng Bee.
His last movie, the 2018 epic biographical feature Lee Chong Wei: Rise Of The Legend, was screened in Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as in 8,000 cinemas across China.
"Our stories can travel. Because of our backgrounds, we have different ways of looking at things and fresh ideas," says the director who is in his late 30s.
Teng Bee started off as a musician in the local Chinese scene before becoming a director of music videos and commercials.
In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Kepong Gangster, and this followed with 2015's Kepong Gangster 2.
GAINING EXPERIENCE
The soft-spoken and bespectacled director has also spent a lot of time in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong working on various productions.
His biggest project was the 24-episode mystery crime drama Po Jian, which was filmed in Chongqing, China, and aired regionally in 2020.
"I learnt a lot about working in big budget productions with professional crew members, so it is great to gain the much-needed experience on my part.
"We can copy the format and apply them here. The knowledge and technical aspects can be learnt.
"But I feel that Malaysians have more creativity and we can sort of think out of the box.
"When I go overseas, people there think you are Malaysian, so what's so special about that?
"If I speak Mandarin, they can speak it much better and when I make Chinese movies, they can also do the same. So what's the difference?
"For me, I feel that it's our diversity and differences in race, culture and religion that gives us an edge," he says.
EMOTIONAL STORY OF LOVE
Teng Bee's latest movie, Biko, is his first Malay-language feature that was released in cinemas nationwide yesterday after being held back for more than a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I didn't want to put myself in a box and ventured out of my comfort zone to do this. I want to work with more people from various backgrounds since there's a lot of talent in Malaysia," he says.
Biko, which was filmed in 18 days at locations in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Shah Alam and Sepang, features a story of love between a father and son.
The touching drama revolves around Izwan, played by Azrel Ismail, who just wants to provide a comfortable life for his young son named Biko (played by child actor Syed Irfan).
But the down-on-his-luck lorry driver just can't seem to catch a break after his hard-earned money gets stolen by a realty agent just before he can buy his dream house.
Homeless after being evicted from their low-cost flat for failing to pay the rent, they end up lodging in Izwan's lorry.
Izwan's best friend and Biko's godmother Sherry (Sara Ali) brings the boy to audition in an upcoming music video for a hugely popular singer Sara (Baby Shima).
But things take a turn for the unexpected when it slowly comes to light that Izwan and Sara have a mysterious past together. Adding friction to their meeting is Sara's controlling manager Amir (Josiah Hogan), who does not want any changes to affect her stratospheric career.
FINDING INSPIRATION AT HOME
"When I came back to Malaysia, that was when the pandemic and lockdown began.
"I was stuck at home with my 3-year-old daughter, so I wanted to make a film about love. I started watching lots of Hong Kong and Taiwanese movies from various eras and that's how I came up with the idea for Biko," he says.
Teng Bee also composed the music and wrote the lyrics to the theme song Cinta Darimu, which is performed by Baby Shima.
"The cast had a great talent for acting, so it was a dream come true for me. Everyone had put in their best effort.
"And I also got to improve my Malay," he says with a laugh.
The director adds: "Love is the greatest energy of human beings. And love is our common language no matter who you are, it goes beyond race, culture and religion, as well as borders."
Now that Biko is finally out, Teng Bee will be working on another project that he is still keeping under wraps.
"I'll be starting my next film in December and it'll be very meaningful for Malaysians.
"It'll be a story highlighting our history linked to badminton. That's all I can say for now," says Teng Bee with a smile.