Winning film inspires more to join Teach for Malaysia
PETALING JAYA: Not only did Adiwiraku – a movie about rural students preparing for a English competition – win Best Film at the 29th Malaysia Film Festival, it inspired more people to sign up for the “Teach for Malaysia” programme.
Sangeeta Krishnasamy, who also won Best Actress for the role of the teacher who inspired her students to do well, said knowing the positive impact Adiwiraku had in real life was what mattered.
“Teach for Malaysia has been screening this movie for companies and I’ve been told that the number of sponsors is growing. There are also more people signing up for Teach for Malaysia.
“A friend told me that he met someone who said he joined Teach for Malaysia after watching
Adiwiraku,” she said.
Sangeeta said the movie was “dedicated to all teachers and the hard work they do to inspire students to be better everyday.”
A film about underdogs made with a budget of RM600,000,
Adiwiraku beat multi-million- ringgit productions Redha, Interchange, Hanyut and Desolasi to take the coveted award.
Director Eric Ong believed that the judging committee was moved by Adiwiraku’s story.
Adiwiraku was released in cinemas in March. It was based on the true story of Cheryl Ann Fernando and her experience as a Teach for Malaysia volunteer teacher at SMK Pinang Tunggal in Sungai Petani.
Teach for Malaysia is a social development programme aimed at raising education standards in schools.
In 2013, Cheryl inspired 35 students to take on the challenge of competing for a choral speaking competition. The film showcased the struggles faced by rural students such as poverty, having to work after school and a lack of confidence in the English language.
Jason Chong, who received the Best Original Story award for his screenplay, said he pitched the story to a major production company and it was rejected.
“At one point, it almost became a serial drama. So Eric and I thought, let’s make this movie with our own money.
“We believe that the strength of the story, sincere acting and basic cinematography helped us deliver a quality movie,” Chong said.