‘Kilat Kan Silat' is driven by the desire to celebrate and bring awareness to the power and beauty of the martial art Silat Tua. This ancient art form, which has deep roots in the culture and traditions of Southeast Asia, is celebrated in a new light, as a contemporary dance film. This film aims to showcase Silat Tua as a contemporary art form, highlighting the fluidity, grace, and strength of its practitioners. 

Inspired by the etymology of the word ‘Kilat’, which could be read as either ‘lightning’, ‘bright’ or ‘shining’, Kilat Kan Silat endeavors to bring the practice into the spotlight, shining a light on its beauty. Our goal is to create a visual representation of the beauty of Silat Tua, using film to highlight the artistry and skill of its practitioners. We hope to inspire others to appreciate and celebrate the cultural richness of Singapore and the Nusantara region.
Founded in 2016, Paradise Pictures is helmed by Filmmaker Yusri Shaggy Sapari who endeavors to use film as a medium to explore the complexities and nuances of local narratives, giving a voice to underrepresented communities and perspectives.

Multi-disciplinary artist Sarah Lin Zi Lin is dedicated to exploring the negotiation of women's bodily autonomy in various cultural contexts. She hopes to inspire actions that can lead to greater agency for women.

Tan Guo Lian Sutton is a performer and theater maker. As a trained martial artist, Lian constantly seeks to merge his talents to tell stories in varied and engaging ways 

DIRECTOR

Yusri Shaggy Sapari

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sarah Lin

SILAT PRACTITIONER

Lian Sutton

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jannah Monjiat

CAMERA OPERATOR

Lin Sankin

CAMERA ASSIST

Benjamin Lim

KEY LIGHTING TECHNICIAN

Niki Muliade

LIGHTING GRIP/DRIVER

Azman Asaraf Ali

LIGHTING GRIP

Melvin “Beng” Han

HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST

Molly Leong

STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER

Dave Lim

FOLEY RECORDIST

Carisa Davies

Video Editor

Kyaw Myo Thant

AUDIO POST

Christopher Cheah

MUSIC

Genbano - Silat Kelantan

Interview with National Museum of Singapore

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=181506441523001

Story: A young woman decides to take a leap of faith but is
stopped by strange encounters that influence her decision.
Narrative: The film begins with Merpati, the young woman,
standing on the edge of a building. She decides to “fly” to
meet with her family who recently died in a plane crash when
she is met by women from different walks of life who come to
stop her with their stories. The film ends with a solidarity
walk across the bridge to the other side.
Style, mood and tone of performance:
a. Inspired by Samuel Beckett and some of Woody Allen movies
b. the reality of the film is real/non-real
c. the acting is heightened but the delivery of lines is
naturalistic
Woody Allen movie references:
a. Manhattan https://youtu.be/J5c93q3gU3w
b. Irrational Man https://youtu.be/IGU-AaqnsH4
c. Café Society https://youtu.be/xD8k_qJuOOY
d. Vicky Christina Barcelona https://youtu.be/4Ur7BmMYiIs

Location of shoot: Within the Supreme Court Wing of the
National Gallery Singapore

Cast

____

(in order of appearance)

Danish Dasuki

Nor Sherina

Koh Ming Yang (Xenon)

Palaruan Jyanne

Tajiyah Sulwana Tajuddin

Mah Wan Yin

Hannah Sonia

Pooja Gajiwala

Noorhidayu Abdul Malek

Hashara Perera

Crew

____

Director

Ruzaini Mazani

Writters

Danish Dasuki

Nor Sherina

Koh Ming Yang (Xenon)

Palaruan Jyanne

Tajiyah Sulwana Tajuddin

Mah Wan Yin

Hannah Sonia

Pooja Gajiwala

Noorhidayu Abdul Malek

Hashara Perera

Script Supervisor

Ruzaini Mazani

Director of Photography

Yusri Shaggy Sapari

Camera Operator

Camille Pasquier

Production Assistant

Lu Yixin

Post Production

Yusri Shaggy Sapari

Production Equipment Support

Paradise Pictures

Songs

"Rebirth"

by Some Were at Sea

from the album "Rebirth"

Special Thanks

______________

National Gallery Singapore

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Collaborative Lab Fund (Nafa)

The work was created in response to the artworks on display in the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery at the National Gallery Singapore

Raden Saleh

Boschbrand (Forest Fire)

1849

Oil on canvas, 300 x 396 cm

Collection of National Gallery Singapore.

This work has been adopted by Yong Hon Kong Foundation.

Raden Saleh

Wounded Lion

c. 1838

Oil on canvas, 88 x 108.5 cm

Collection of National Gallery Singapore

Pablo Baens Santos

Bagong Kristo (New Christ)

1980

Oil on canvas, 122.4 x 86.6 cm

Collection of National Gallery Singapore

Alfredo Manrique

Karampot (Meagre)

c. 1978

Oil on canvas, 59.5 x 102 cm

Collection of National Gallery Singapore

Director: Yusri Shaggy Sapari

Year: 2018

Duration: 20 minutes

Country: Singapore

Language: Malay

Subtitle: English

Trailer Boys follows the journey of Muhammad Irfan Rafieh, a key member of Abam2 Trailer Singapura, which is a community of heavy vehicle drivers from Singapore. 
Truck drivers are mostly seen as uneducated and unskilled compared to the rest of society, especially in fast-paced competitive Singapore. 

This film explores how young truck drivers in Singapore such as Irfan find ways to break stereotypes and improve how society perceives them through their day to day work and their trailer club.

Lombok, an island East of Bali in Indonesia, is the birthplace of ayam bakar taliwang, the inspiration behind Nasi Lemak Taliwang in Yishun, Singapore. Lombok is also a place where Khairul Kamal, who used to work in a multinational technology company, currently works to build houses for tsunami survivors. That’s where this journey starts. 

Looking for Lombok is about how Singaporeans as a people continue to draw inspiration from our neighbours till today. On the other hand, we also continue to contribute what we can to our neighbours. Looking for Lombok explores how Singapore relies heavily on working together with other countries, in this case, Indonesia, to keep its economy growing.

Deep within the notorious town of Yishun in Singapore, lies a hawker centre with a stall that’s been grilling the latest great spicy chicken to come to these shores. We see shots of the flaming grill as the chicken thigh is grilled. The next shot shows the plating of the dish and the pouring of the taliwang sambal.

Noorman Mubarak, a Singaporean hawker proudly fronts his stall that continues to grow since they opened in 2017. Noorman is interviewed introducing himself, his history growing up with hawker parents and how he started the business. He reveals his previous job as a flight steward with his wife who is Indonesian. Noorman then tells the story of how he first tried ayam taliwang in Indonesia and describes his feelings about it. He also gives away the fact that he actually doesn’t eat spicy food but gives an exception for ayam taliwang.

A scene of a plane flying goes on screen as we are transported to Lombok, Indonesia. There is a montage of different ways ayam bakar taliwang is sold and prepared in Lombok. We discuss with a local from Lombok about the origins of the dish. The dish is named after Karang Taliwang in Mataram, a place in Lombok. Next, we are shown how the dish is eaten in Lombok. Everyone including the camera crew gets a taste of it. We also see their reactions. We could get some mild comedy from the reactions to the spicy food.

The local shares that they are a survivor of the tsunami and earthquake in 2018. They share how their lives have changed after the natural disaster. We get more accounts of the tragedy and how the locals have moved on since then. Now, they are getting their house rebuilt by a team that includes a Singaporean by the name of Khairul Kamal.

We discover that Khairul used to work in a multinational technology company and quit his job to build homes in Lombok for the locals. There would be photographs of him working at his previous job to substantiate his story. He would then describe his turning point which led him here. We also discover his wish for the future. The next scene would show how he relates to the local we interviewed previously. They decide to go eat together. They head off to a warung for ayam bakar taliwang.

There is a match cut to the Singaporean hawker centre showing the nasl lemak ayam taliwang. We show Noorman and his wife Puti Andam Dewi presenting their dish. We hear a voiceover, “Living in Singapore, it’s easy to get swept away by the fast-paced lifestyle on our island. Sometimes we forget how interconnected we are to our neighbours. Next time you look at your plate, think about how different cultures create and share their ideas to bring these gifts to us.”

The voiceover plays over several shots of people and places that we visited earlier in the documentary.

The Last Bangsawan Musician in Singapore

A documentary film about the last surviving bangsawan musician in Singapore, and the fight to keep the traditional art form alive for the future generations.

This documentary follows the journey of the last surviving bangsawan musician in Singapore, Pak Samsuddin. This is dedicated to preserving the traditional art form of Malay opera or theatre that encompasses music, dance and drama.

Despite the challenges posed by modernization and changing cultural attitudes, Pak Samsuddin continues to rehearse and perform his craft with unwavering passion and commitment. 

Through interviews with Pak Samsuddin, current practitioners and stunning footage of the performances, the documentary sheds light on the beauty and importance of this art form, while highlighting the struggles and sacrifices made by these dedicated artists in their quest to keep it alive for future generations.

‘The Last Bangsawan Musician in Singapore’ is the first documentary short film trilogy that delves into the world of a group of performers who are fighting to preserve the traditional art form of Malay opera or theatre in Singapore. 

Bangsawan is a form of Malay operatic theatre that derived from the etymology for “nobility”, bangsawan focuses its stories predominantly on Malay nobles and royalty.

Through interviews with the performers and stunning footage of their rehearsals and performances, the film sheds light on the beauty and importance of this art form, while also highlighting the challenges and struggles faced by these dedicated artists.

The film opens with an introduction to bangsawan and ther history, tracing the roots of this art form back to the 19^th century in the geographical location of South-East Asia places such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.

We then meet the members & the Founder/Artistic Director of Sri Mahligai, a prolific Malay traditional music group in Singapore, who share personal stories and discuss their passion for this traditional art form. They speak about the challenges in keeping the tradition alive in the face of modernization and changing cultural attitudes.

The film then takes us on a journey to trace the mysterious disappearance of the last surviving bangsawan musician in Singapore. Known to be an accordion maestro or music icon in the traditional Malay music sphere disappeared abruptly as an invited speaker at a heritage conference in the 2010s following his unhappiness with the industry. Before the pandemic, the Founder/Artistic Director finally found him. We then trace his life stories of struggles and triumphs from the heyday in the 1930s through old photographs and newspaper archives in his home in Malaysia to realising his present-day endeavours of playing in front of a live audience again, on the prestigious Victoria Theatre stage in Singapore. 

Finally, the film reaches its climax with the powerful, yet sensitive and delicate sounds of the accordion. The camera captures the last bangsawan musician’s music performance in front of the live audience with the melodies weaving together. The emotion is clear as he takes comfort in the memories of past performances to life. We see the joy and pride on his face as he takes the final bow, and the gratitude he feels towards the audience for appreciating and supporting this art.

The Last Bangsawan is a poignant and inspiring documentary that showcases the power of traditional art forms to unite communities and preserve cultural heritage. It is a testament to the resilience and dedication of these artists, who continue to keep the flame of the bangsawan tradition burning bright.