Marking a first

> Amanda Nell Eu’s Malay language short has been selected for the Orizzonti Short Films Competition at the Venice film fest

believe there is a pontianak in every woman.”

Her story bears some similarities to the famous Swedish horror film, Let the Right One In (later remade into the Hollywood movie, Let Me In, starring Chloë Grace Moretz).

Let the Right One In deals with an awkward teenager who becomes friendly with his new neighbour. Later, the boy discovers the girl is a vampire and their friendship is tested.

Eu is not insulted by the comparison, saying that she loves the Swedish version of the film but not the Hollywood version.

She insists, however, that her short is entirely different compared to Let the Right One In. Eu says she has her own style of directing. One of the ways she gets her actors into character is to give them a series of music that they should listen to before the camera begins rolling, as she finds that music indirectly helps the actors get under the skin of their characters. She loves working with her actors, and states that her audition process is also unique. “I will show the actors my script but I will never ask them to recite the lines,” she says. “Instead, I will end up asking the actors a series of questions about themselves and how they would relate to the characters that they had read.” Eu admits to having a major flaw as a filmmaker: she cannot decide which scenes to retain and which scenes to cut. “I am terrible in editing my films,” she says. “I cannot be ruthless with my work. I know I need to master the art of editing.” Eu never thought of making films as her career. Instead, she took up a degree course in graphics and design in London where she had been living and studying since she was sent to a boarding school there at age 10.

But she remembered stepping into a video store in London when she was a teenager and being fascinated by a series of black-andwhite 1920s films the owner introduced to her.

Those films attracted her to watch more films, especially those of the horror genre.

Her fascination with videos and films was evident in all her assignments she did for her graphics and design course, so much so that her lecturer told her she should be pursuing films instead.

She took up her lecturer’s advice and graduated with a master’s degree in filmmaking from the London Film School before returning home for good six years ago.

Eu loves to explore the female psyche within the context of Southeast Asia in her short films.

Currently, she is working on her first feature film.

“It is a big jump from making shorts to a feature film and I do not want to rush into it,” she says. “I know many people who started their film directing career late in their life. But age should not matter in this profession.”

She admits the stories she loves to tell are not commercial types and getting finance for her projects is going to be difficult. But she is not ready to change her style yet.

“I know the journey is going to be difficult but it will be worthwhile,” she adds.