PROMISING Malaysian filmmaker Jean Ho is passionate about human rights, especially the rights of stateless people in her country.
For this reason, she has come up with a moving animated documentary film, 'Invisible People' which highlights the sad truth about their suffering.
"It showcases Malaysia's stateless and refugee communities. It explores individual stories beyond news headlines, uncovering diverse experiences behind often simplified perspectives," said Ho in a recent interview.
"Despite hosting a large population of refugees, Malaysia is not party to the United Nations' 1951 Refugee Convention, leading to a lack of protection and asylum system for refugees.
"And Malaysian women cannot pass down their status to their overseas-born children, rendering many stateless as a result.
"According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at least 10,000 individuals in West (Peninsular) Malaysia are currently denied nationality.
"And as of 2023, there are around 184,220 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia."
FURTHER EXPLORE
Ho said that Malaysia's stateless and refugee communities have always been something she wanted to further explore.
"The documentary's original concept was submitted as a 2020 grant application for Freedom Film Network, a Malaysian not-for-profit body promoting human rights through social films.
"Although it did not make the cut, I proceeded to independently fund and produce the project.
"I was determined to find out why, despite there being an estimate of 10,000 stateless individuals in West Malaysia and around 185,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, these topics were not getting much mainstream attention."
SOCIAL FABRIC
Ho said that the film's title was a poignant reflection of many stateless individuals and refugees.
"The lack of documentation and systemic barriers to obtain it are the primary obstacles preventing these communities from accessing the same opportunities as regular Malaysians."
Ho said that her longtime friend Ng Li Wei served as the film's producer.
"We were both in film school with me going to DePaul University, Chicago and she going to California State University, Northridge. We had no documentary-making experience."
The duo reached out to their social circles, asking if they knew anyone who was part of the stateless or refugee communities.
CHIN REFUGEE
"This eventually led to us connecting with Adria Sharmini Elwell and her son Rishon on Facebook.
"Though Adria is a Malaysian citizen, Rishon, who was born in Sri Lanka, was stateless when they met as Malaysian mothers are barred from conferring their citizenship status to overseas-born children.
"We then got in touch with Tawk Lian Sang (Peter), a Chin refugee from Myanmar who runs a non-profit school dedicated to the education of child refugees who are otherwise denied from attending public schools.
"We sent out emails to various non-governmental organisations and individuals who are specialised in these fields."
FAMILY UNITY
The first to respond was Maalini Ramalo, the director for Social Protection of Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (DHRRA) Malaysia who focuses on evidence-based advocacy and provides direct services to stateless persons.
Another was Dr Tamara Joan Duraisingam, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Law at Taylor's University Malaysia.
Also on board was Chee Yoke Ling, a lawyer and committee member of Family Frontiers Malaysia, a non-profit organisation that aims to advance, promote, and strengthen family unity and development.
"Their interviews provide audiences with a more informed understanding of the struggles faced by stateless and refugee communities."
NATIONAL HEADLINES
Ho also roped in Rohana Abdullah who made national headlines in 2022.
The child of a Malaysian father who left her at birth and an Indonesian mother, Rohana was unable to prove her link to the country via biological parentage which left her stateless.
NARRATIVE FILMMAKING
Ho said: "My work is largely narrative filmmaking, though I routinely participate in the advocacy of global social issues. Prior to 'Invisible People', I volunteered for causes like the 24 Hour Race, the world's largest student-led relay run to raise awareness and funds to fight against human trafficking."
NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Ho stumbled upon the Netflix short documentary 'A Love Song For Latasha'.
"While most of the film was live-action, it featured a brief segment of participants' narrations accompanying an animated sequence. Watching that sequence prompted a thought that would soon become the foundation of my project."
The latter half of 2022 to early 2023 was dedicated to re-editing the documentary with the help of Ho's fellow DePaul University graduate Marissa Metoyer, and searching for eligible animators.
SIX EPISODES
"The series consists of six episodes, with each participant getting his or her own moment to shine.
"I hope that the recent success of local movies like 'Abang Adik' (2023) will allow for projects like mine to flourish in the mainstream," she said.
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONS
Their crowdfunding campaign ran from September to November 2023, and raised US$6,405.
"The series is currently in the post-production stage with a projected release date in May," said Ho.
FILM FESTIVALS
Ho and Ng are planning to submit their film to Malaysian festivals like the Freedom Film Fest and BMW Shorties, and international ones like the Chicago International Film Festival and the Asian American International Film Festival.
'Invisible People''s website is www.invisiblepeopledoc.com.