Award-winning actress Sharifah Amani tells Dennis Chua about her latest role fighting zombies in James Lee’s online movie
WHEN a deadly virus turns your close friends and loved ones into hideous, man-eating monsters, your survival instinct gets the better of you, and saving yourself is not an option but a must.
This is what tough-as-nails heroine Farah (played by Sharifah Amani) thinks throughout her terrifying, 24-hour ordeal that forms the basis of filmmaker James Lee’s latest online movie, KL 24 Hour Zombies.
“Farah, a brilliant lawyer, is supposed to have a meal at her boyfriend Steven’s house, but before she can meet everyone, they quickly become zombies when Steven’s brother Adam is infected and starts biting the rest of the family,” says Amani.
“Fortunately, Farah has combat skills, and she finishes off the zombies with her brilliant use of swords and knives. She’s our own Buffy The Vampire Slayer, except that she slays zombies.”
However, Farah’s encounter with zombies takes a turn for the worse when her polygamous father, Karim, learns that his fourth wife Melati is infected with the zombie virus after being bitten while shopping.
“The zombie menace literally shows up at her family’s doorstep in the form of Melati. While Karim is in denial, his first three wives Salwa, Husna and Karina pressure him to kill Melati before they are bitten. But their demands aren’t followed and Karim learns the hard, painful way.”
Farah eventually becomes the leader of the Malaysian resistance to the zombies. Armed with swords and knives, she secures the antidote for the infected from a scientist shortly before zombies devour him.
“I’m happy to play Farah as she’s the strongest of my movie characters to date. Not only is she an action heroine, she is also a human rights and social activist,” says Amani.
EXCITING AND ENTERTAINING
To develop the character, tips and advice from Amani’s mother, Fatimah Abu Bakar came in handy. “The good thing is she’s also starring in the movie, as Salwa.”
Amani is also thankful to Lee for creating a hilarious, exciting and entertaining movie that is wholly Malaysian in its humour. “James is a keen observer of Malaysian life. That’s why he’s really good at coming up with jokes and gags that viewers around the Klang Valley can relate to. The same can be said of his co-directors Gavin Yap and Shamaine Othman.”
Early next month, Amani will begin shooting her new movie Mencari Rahmat, directed by Aljafrey. It is a Malay adaptation of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest.
Others in the cast are Amerul Affendi, Azman Hassan, Nadia Aqilah Bajuri, Fauziah Nawi and Namron.
“Mencari Rahmat stays as true as possible to the novel by Wilde. I play heroine Ratna who is known as Cecily in the original novel. Amerul is Azman, the male lead.”
Amani is delighted to star in a movie based on Wilde’s books, as she has great respect for the free-spirited author. “I’m all for movies based on good books!”
Lee says his film aims to show Malaysia in a new light through the zombie genre. “Zombie films have always been popular worldwide, no matter their culture or language. The notion of zombies appears to be universal amongst people in every corner of the world, but it’s rarely told from an Asian perspective, especially in Southeast Asia.”
He adds that zombie movies are a good genre to examine contemporary issues in society. “This film was shot from three different points of view, telling the story of a zombie outbreak in the first 24 hours. Each director pursued a different story with characters representing various local communities.
“With our society that is comprised of different customs, religious beliefs and backgrounds, the film could be a very insightful, funny and intriguing experience.”
Lee completed shooting the film in three months, and released it online to the public for free.
KL 24 Hour Zombies also stars Ali Alasri, Alia Kearney, Farrah Abdullah, Farah Rani, Alfred Loh, Nadira Ilana, Pete Teo, Sue Tan, Thor Kah Hoong, Joseph Germani, Benji Lim, Naa Murad, Jivan Sekar, Fahad Iman, James Lee, Azman Hassan and Mark Chan.
Lee says: “This film is the perfect vehicle to showcase independent filmmakers’ works. Independent films are seldom released and usually lack resources for marketing to mainstream audiences. I hope to create more awareness for the public about independent films, expanding their film-going horizons and encouraging them to support local filmmakers.”
Yap says his next project is a pontianak (vampire) movie based on the classic vampire movies starring Datuk Maria Menado. “It’s a two-year-old idea of mine, and I hope to get as many popular actors to star in it.”
Shamaine says she will continue writing scripts for TV, and her next major screenwriting project is for the telemovie Kasut Bola Pink, directed by her brother Shamyl Othman.
KL 24 Hour Zombies can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/doghouse73pictures.