First-ever Penang Hokkien film debuts
‘Puteri Gunung Ledang’ director’s tale coming to cinemas on May 4
KUALA LUMPUR: The first-ever Penang Hokkien feature film is finally coming to cinemas nationwide on May 4.
Produced by Astro Shaw, director Saw Teong Hin’s semi-autobiographical You Mean The World To Me is filmed almost entirely in the dialect, and was seven years in the making.
Best known for directing Malay language epic Puteri Gunung Ledang, the Penang-born Saw wrote the script in 2009, but could not get the funds to produce it.
He then turned the script into a stage play that premièred at the 2014 George Town Festival to critical acclaim, which helped revive the chances of making it into a film
“I had some success, but none of the work I was doing was truly reflective of me.
“So, I set out to write a script that would be more ‘my voice’,” Saw said during a press conference at Golden Screen Cinemas Mid Valley.
The film’s Hokkien title is Hai Kinn Xin Loo (which literally means “new road by the sea front”), the old Hokkien name for Penang’s Victoria Street (now known as Lebuh Victoria), where Saw grew up.
The story revolves around a Penang-born filmmaker named Sunny (played by Frederick Lee), who returns home to make a film about his dysfunctional family, which is linked to a shocking incident he witnessed as a boy and caused resentment towards his mother (Neo Swee Lin) and his older, mentally-disabled brother Boy (John Tan).
The cast includes the actors from the original play, including Lee, Neo, Tan and Chelsia Ng, as well as award-winning Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann.
Internationally-acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle, best known for his work with Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, also worked on the film, while Taiwanese musician Zhao Chuan sings the theme song, titled Kam Sia Li (Thank You in Hokkien).
“Hopefully, with internationally-known names like Doyle and Zhao in the film, we will be able to take You Mean The World To Me beyond Malaysia and into international markets,” said Saw.