Sepet

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Sepet is a 2004 romantic Malaysian film set in Ipoh, Malaysia. It tells a tale of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. Sepet is a Malay word meaning 'Chinese eye' or 'slitty eye'.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Cast 4 Awards 4.1 18th Tokyo International Film Festival 2005 4.2 Ninth Malaysian Video Awards 4.3 27th Creteil International Women Directors Festival in France 4.4 18th Malaysian Film Festival 4.5 Global Chinese Golden Arts Awards 4.6 Anugerah Era 2005 5 Sequel 6 Controversy

[edit] Plot

19-year old Ah Loong is in charge of a stall selling pirated VCDs. Contrary to the stereotype of his social standing, Ah Loong, starring Ng Choo Seong, is an incurable romantic with an unlikely hobby - he loves to read and write poetry. Quite content to carry on being the Romeo of the slums, Ah Loong's life takes a sudden turn one day when a Malay schoolgirl, Orked, arrives at his stall. Love blossoms between Orked and Ah Loong, although there are social and racial pressures that stand in their way. In the end, Ah Loong is involved in a motor vehicle accident while Orked is going to England to pursue her studies. It is not clear if he lived or died until the sequel, Gubra.

[edit] Production

• Directed by Yasmin Ahmad
• Writing by Yasmin Ahmad
• Executive Producer - Rosnah Kassim
• Producer - Elyna Shukri
• Cinematography - Low Keong
• Editing - Affandi Jamaludin
• Art Direction - Odeng and Ujang

[edit] Cast

• Ng Choo Seong - Ah Loong
• Sharifah Amani - Orked
• Linus Chung - Keong
• Mei Ling Tan - Mah (Ah Loong's mother)
• Harith Iskandar - Abah (Orked's father)
• Ida Nerina - Mak (Orked's mother)
• Adibah Nor - Kak Yam (Orked's maid)
• Kar Hoong Thor - Pah (Ah Loong's father)
• Edmund Tan - VCD Seller

[edit] Awards

[edit] 18th Tokyo International Film Festival 2005

• Best Asian Film Award

[edit] Ninth Malaysian Video Awards

• Best Film

[edit] 27th Creteil International Women Directors Festival in France

• Best Film

[edit] 18th Malaysian Film Festival

• Best Film
• Best Original Screenplay (Yasmin Ahmad)
• Best Poster
• Best Supporting Actress (Ida Nerina)
• Most Promising Actor (Choo Seong Ng)
• Most Promising Actress (Sharifah Amani)

[edit] Global Chinese Golden Arts Awards

• Best Film

[edit] Anugerah Era 2005

• Best Film

[edit] Sequel

A sequel to Sepet, called Gubra, was filmed in Ipoh, Malaysia and released in 2006. There is a planned prequel to both Sepet and Gubra, titled Mukhsin which will be released in Asian screens soon and has already made its way to the Tokyo Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Asian Film.

[edit] Controversy

At first, this movie was banned because of four reasons:

1. There's a scene where the father and the mother were dancing in their 'sarongs'(a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist (for men) & above the chest (for women)).
2. A scene where the father and the mother were tickling each other in bed after having sex.
3. There's also a scene where the family comb each other's hair, depicting the laziness of Malays.
4. Ah Loong didn't convert to Islam at the end despite his courtship with Orked who is a Muslim.

Fortunately, director Yasmin Ahmad gained much support from the government, and finally, the movie was shown in Malaysian cinemas, with 9 cuts on the movie.