The Big Durian (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sylvia Tan
| The Big Durian | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Amir Muhammad |
| Produced by | James Lee Sylvia Tan |
| Cinematography | Woo Ming Jin |
| Edited by | Terence Raj |
| Music by | Hardesh Singh |
Release date |
|
Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Languages | English Malay |
The Big Durian is a 2003 Malaysian film by Amir Muhammad that combined documentary with fiction. It made history by being the first (and only) Malaysian film to screen at the Sundance Film Festival.[1]
On the night of 18 October 1987, a soldier, Prebet Adam ran amok with an M16 in the area of Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Due to the thorny circumstances of the time and place, his amok triggered a citywide panic and rumours of racial riots.
Cast
The Big Durian features 23 people: some are actors, while others express their personal opinions. The first group includes Patrick Teoh, Low Ngai Yuen, Jo Kukathas and Rashid Salleh; while the latter include Farish A. Noor, Nam Ron, Anne James and Chacko Vadaketh.
Release
The Big Durian screened in over 30 film festivals, including the Singapore International Film Festival and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival[2] in 2003 (the former being a world premiere), and the Sundance Film Festival,[3] the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival in the following year.[4]
Critical response
Variety magazine said: "Ambitious, sleek-looking docu examines wide array of ethnic, religious and political divisions in modern Malaysia."[5] The Village Voice said that it is an "impertinent love-letter to the citizens of Kuala Lumpur that does not let them off the hook for their apathy."[6]
