''The Big Durian'' is a 2003

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n film by Amir Muhammad that combined documentary with

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

. It created history by being the first (and only) Malaysian film to screen at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Synopsis

On the night of 18 October 1987, a soldier, Prebet Adam ran amok with an

M16 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...

in the area of

Chow Kit Chow Kit is a suburb in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located around Jalan Chow Kit (Chow Kit Road) and is enclosed by the parallel streets of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It is named after Loke Chow Kit (陸秋傑) a w ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. 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 are expressing their personal opinions. The first group includes

Patrick Teoh Patrick Teoh (born 16 October, 1947) is an actor and radio personality in Malaysia. A career in radio, on TV, stage and in movies spanning more than five decades earned Teoh the nickname of "Voice of Malaysia", bestowed by his fans and the Mala ...

Low Ngai Yuen Low Ngai Yuen () is a Malaysian film director, producer, actress and TV show host. She is also a women's rights activist and an entrepreneur in the arts industry. She directed the production of short films and documentaries that advocate women' ...

, Jo Kukathas and Rashid Salleh; while the latter include

Farish A. Noor Farish Ahmad Noor (born in 1967 in Georgetown, Penang) is Professor at the Department of History, Faculty of the Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya. He was formerly attached to the Zentrum Moderner Orient ( Centre for Modern O ...

, Nam Ron, Anne James and

Chacko Vadaketh Chacko Vadaketh (born 1963 in Kerala, India) is a Malaysian actor, emcee and voice over artist, formerly a litigation lawyer who is part of the Malayali/Keralan Syrian Christian community. He is based in Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles. Recent cre ...

Release

''The Big Durian'' screened in over 30 film festivals, including the

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for ...

and

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan ( ). It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and ...

in 2003 (the former being a world premiere) to the

, the

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

and the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

in the following year.

Critical response

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine said: "Ambitious, sleek-looking docu examines wide array of ethnic, religious and political divisions in modern Malaysia." ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' 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."Review in ''The Village Voice''
by Dennis Lim

References

External links