Liow plays minister, citizen in video
KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is the main character in the short video by multi-talented Pete Teo and Liew Seng Tat’s new project titled ‘Citizens’, produced in conjunction with the upcoming National Day celebration.
In the five-minute video which was released on YouTube yesterday, Liow played dual roles as a minister and a citizen conversing to each other on the spirit of nation building.
Teo in a statement issued in the Facebook of ‘Citizens’ last Friday said the film was to reflect the mood of the country at the moment.
“As Malaysian Chinese filmmakers, we were compelled to portray the fears of the Chinese community. It would therefore have to contain anger, helplessness and conflict.
“Yet it must contain hope, for we are even now not without hope, and so the film should also unite us in hope across the political spectrum,” he said.
The other issue touched in the film is the multiplicity of identity.
“In an era where hyperreal images of oneself can be iconised by the press of a button on Instagram, it is easy to forget that we all have multiple identities in real life. So, everyone is an angry commoner, a happy social media celebrity and a harborer of secret dreams all at the same time,” Teo said.
On Liow’s acting, he said: “Since ours is a political film and must be played by a functioning politician, our character must therefore concurrently be a minister, citizen, common man, spouse and lover. In other words, he must not be a stereotype but a human being like the rest of us.”
Liow’s wife Datin Seri Lee Sun Loo also acted in the movie.
Liow who has pinned a tweet on the movie to his Twitter posting, said it had been a pleasure to work with Teo and Liew on this film and wished all Malaysians ‘Happy National Day’. - Bernama