Men Who Save the World explained

Men Who Save the World
Director:Liew Seng Tat
Producer:Sharon Gan
Music:Luka Kuncevic
Cinematography:Teoh Gay Hian
Editing:Patrick Minks
Liew Seng Tat
Distributor:Everything Films
Runtime:94 minutes
Country:Malaysia
Netherlands
Germany
France
Language:Malay

Men Who Save the World (Malay: '''Lelaki Harapan Dunia''') is a 2014 Malaysian Malay-language comedy film written and directed by Liew Seng Tat. The film was nominated for multiple awards in international film festivals, and won several awards at the 27th Malaysian Film Festival, including Best Picture.

Cast

Production

Liew developed Lelaki Harapan Dunia at the Cannes Director's Residence – Cinéfondation and participated at the 2011 Sundance Screenwriters Lab. The film was shot in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Lelaki Harapan Dunia was supposed to be Liew's debut feature film but he ended up shelving it and making Flower in the Pocket first. The critical success of Liew's debut paved the way for him to receive grants from all over the world for Lelaki Harapan Dunia.[1]

The film is produced by Sharon Gan and is a co-production project between Everything Films Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia) and Volya Films (The Netherlands), Flying Moon Filmproduktion (Germany) and Mandra Films (France) with support from Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture (Malaysia), TorinoFilmLab (Italy), Hubert Bals Fund (The Netherlands), Netherlands Film Fund, World Cinema Fund (Germany), Visions Sud Est (Switzerland), Fondation Groupama Gan pour le Cinéma – Cinefondation (France), Prince Claus (The Netherlands), Sundance Institute Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and the Doris Duke Foundation (USA).

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 67th Locarno International Film Festival on 6 August 2014. Its North American premier was held at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September 2014. The film was released in Malaysia on 27 November 2014.

Critical reception

The film got mixed reviews with praise for the humour and stunning cinematography. Critics were also more focused on the issue of the absence of actresses, homosexuality and racism that exists in this film. Kamran Ahmed of entertainment portal Nextprojection.com in describing the film," It’s an extreme and exaggerated form of humour that works well to make certain ironic or sardonic remarks...". Shelly Kraicer of film portal Cinema-scope.com reviewed this film as "... sets out to be a boisterous comedy of rural cross-dressing and ghostly hauntings, but it has fascinating, somewhat disguised undercurrents suggesting something more serious."[2] [3] Jenna Hossack of dorkshelf.com entertainment portal also provides two words to describe this film, namely "Vibrant and funny".[4] Shane Scott-Travis of entertainment portal vivascene.com give 4 out of 5 stars for this movie.[5] Muzaffar Mustafa from Astro Awani also praised "... among the best films of in aspects of production, both in terms of art direction and cinematography."[6] Irvan Syed Syed Mahdi of Utusan Malaysia praised the film directing and cinematography.[7] Hassan Abd Al-Muttalib from the same newspaper also commented of the film being " a continuation of the early Malaysian cinema".[8] K. Anand of the news portal The Malaysian Insider loomed on the film as "the best local film this year and among the best films of the decade."[9]

Jay Weissberg of Variety criticised the film for playing with issues of homosexuality and racism. "This ultra-light comedy about an apparently haunted house in the jungle is loaded with racially problematic scenes and homophobic gags, plus barely one line is uttered by the marginalized female characters." he stated.[10] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "From ridiculing superstitious villagers to stereotyping Africans and completely sidelining women, Liew’s film barrels ahead with barely a clue. His puerile script leads the well-known Malaysian cast members pointlessly astray and returns little on the clearly significant effort required to move the house and shoot extensive footage in the depths of the jungle."[11] Mark Adams of Screen Daily questioned the absence of actresses in this film.[12] Nazim Masnawi of news portal Malaysiakini observes the film imitating the style of Mamat Khalid's early films but whereas Mamat "still gives sympathy to his character line-up", Liew is "really brutal with his satire".[13] Aidil Rusli of The Star notes of this movie as being filled with potential yet that can not be translated properly.[14]

Accolades

Lelaki Harapan Dunia swept five awards among other fourteen categories nominated including the prestigious Best Picture and Best Director awards in 27th Malaysian Film Festival.

The film was selected as the Malaysian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[15] [16]

AwardCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult
2014 Toronto International Film Festival[17] [18] Contemporary World Cinema & Grolsch Audience Selection AwardSharon Gan
33rd Vancouver International Film Festival[19] Dragons & TigersSharon Gan
19th Busan International Film Festival[20] A Window On Asian CinemaSharon Gan
67th Locarno International Film Festival[21] [22] [23] [24] [25] Concorso Cineasti del PresenteSharon Gan
25th Singapore International Film Festival[26] Asian Feature FilmSharon Gan
3rd Nara International Film Festival [27] [28] Main CompetitionSharon Gan
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards 2014[29] [30] Asian WindowSharon Gan
Kolkata International Film Festival[31] [32] [33] [34] Asian Select (NETPAC Award)Sharon Gan
2015 International Film Festival Rotterdam[35] Bright FutureSharon Gan
2015 Göteborg International Film Festival[36] Den gudomliga komedinSharon Gan
27th Malaysian Film Festival (FFM) [37] [38] Best PictureEverythings Film Sdn Bhd
Best DirectorLiew Seng Tat
Best ActorWan Hanafi Su
Best ScreenplayLiew Seng Tat
Best StoryLiew Seng Tat
Best CinematographyTeoh Gay Hian
Best EditingLiew Seng Tat
Best Sound EditingImaginax Studios
Best Art EditingTunku Mohd Taufek
Best Original ScoreImaginax Studios
Best Costume DesignTunku Mohd Taufek
Best Child ActorRaykarl Iskandar
Muhammad Farhan
Kuala Lumpur Film Critics Society Awards 2015 [39] [40] Best PictureEverythings Film Sdn Bhd
Best DirectorLiew Seng Tat
Best ActorWan Hanafi Su
Best ScreenplayLiew Seng Tat
Best CinematographyTeoh Gay Hian

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia. Ho. Mabel. 2014. Poskod Malaysia. PopDigital Sdn Bhd.
  2. Web site: TIFF 2014 – Men Who Save the World (Liew Seng Tat, Malaysia/Netherlands/Germany/France) – Contemporary World Cinema. cinema-scope.com. September 2014 .
  3. Web site: VIFF: Class Enemy, Men Who Save the World, Gente de bien, Mercedes Sosa: Voice of Latin America, Still Life Reviews. Kamran Ahmed. Next Projection. 28 October 2014 .
  4. Web site: TIFF 2014: Men Who Save the World Review. Dork Shelf. 8 September 2014 .
  5. Web site: 'Men Who Save The World' Film Review – Vivascene. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141001220510/http://vivascene.com/featured-articles/viff-men-who-save-the-world-film-review/. 1 October 2014.
  6. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia, bila fitnah bermaharajalela, satu kampung huru-hara. Muzaffar Mustapa. 29 November 2014. Astro Awani. Astro Awani Network Sdn Bhd. Malay. 1 August 2016.
  7. Web site: Siapa Lelaki Harapan Dunia?. Syed Mussaddad Syed Mahdi. 30 November 2014. Utusan Online. Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad. Malay. 1 August 2016.
  8. Web site: Filem Malaysia di persada dunia. Hassan Abd Muthalib. 7 December 2014. Utusan Online. Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad. Malay. 1 August 2016.
  9. Web site: A Malaysian movie to be proud of . K. Anand . 11 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150930110903/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/k-anand/article/a-malaysian-movie-to-be-proud-of . 30 September 2015 . The Malaysian Insider . dead .
  10. Web site: 'Men Who Save the World' Review: There's No Saving This Malaysian Movie. Weissberg. Jay. 15 August 2014. Variety Media, LLC. 1 August 2016. Variety.
  11. Web site: 'Men Who Save The World': Toronto Review. Lowe. Justin. 25 September 2014. 1 August 2016. The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. Web site: Men Who Save The World. Adams. Mark. 12 August 2014. ScreenDaily. Media Business Insight Limited. 31 July 2016.
  13. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia jauh dari hati. Nazim Masnawi. 3 December 2014. Mkini Dot Com Sdn Bhd. Malay. 1 August 2016. Malaysiakini.
  14. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia is a breakout delight. Aidil Rusli. 29 November 2014. Star Media Group Berhad. 31 July 2016. The Star Online.
  15. Web site: Malaysia To Offer Over 1,600 Hours Of Creative Content At MIPCOM 2015 . Bernama . 25 September 2015 . 25 September 2015.
  16. Web site: Liew Seng Tat's 'Lelaki Harapan Dunia' is Malaysia's pick as Oscar entry . Malay Mail Online . 25 September 2015 . 25 September 2015.
  17. Web site: TIFF Adds 'Clouds of Sils Maria' and 'Two Days, One Night,' Reveals 5 More Lineups . 28 August 2014 . Indiewire. 12 August 2014 .
  18. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia: Budaya tradisi penuh nostalgia. HM Online.
  19. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia ke Peringkat Antarabangsa. https://web.archive.org/web/20141127183351/http://malaysiandigest.com/hiburan/521201-lelaki-harapan-dunia-ke-peringkat-antarabangsa.html. usurped. 27 November 2014. farahanim. Malaysian Digest.
  20. Web site: Nik Amir Nafi Sindir Wartawan Dalam KIL. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150928083525/http://www.murai.com.my/berita/tempatan/article/articleid/358831/nik-amir-nafi-sindir-wartawan-dalam-kil. 28 September 2015.
  21. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia Sertai Festival Filem Antarabangsa Locarno!.
  22. Web site: Liew Seng Tat's up-lifting film.
  23. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia World Premiere at Festival Del Film Locarno – Moviemotion.
  24. Web site: Showbiz: Malaysian film at Festival del Film Locarno. NST Online. 22 July 2014 .
  25. Web site: "Lelaki Harapan Dunia" selected for 67th Festival del Film Locarno. Tony Teh. ColourlessOpinions.com™.
  26. Web site: Men Who Save The World – Singapore International Film Festival. Singapore International Film Festival. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141126051441/http://sgiff.com/films/men-who-save-the-world/. 26 November 2014.
  27. Web site: 'Lelaki Harapan Dunia' Ke 2 Festival Filem Antarabangsa - Terkini - Media Hiburan . 15 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141123024714/http://mediahiburan.karangkraf.com/terkini/lelaki-harapan-dunia-ke-2-festival-filem-antarabangsa-1.315671 . 23 November 2014 . dead .
  28. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia Tayang Di 2 Festival Filem Antarabangsa Bulan Ini.
  29. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia Terpilih ke Festival Filem Taipei Golden Horse. The Daily Seni.
  30. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia terpilih ke Festival Filem Golden Horse, Taipei. Terbakor !.
  31. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia Terpilih Ke Festival Filem Antarabangsa Kolkata. Sensasi Selebriti. 8 November 2014 .
  32. Web site: "Lelaki Harapan Dunia" terpilih ke Festival Filem Kolkata. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129022525/http://www.tupai.com.my/2014/11/lelaki-harapan-dunia-terpilih-ke.html. 29 November 2014.
  33. Web site: Lelaki Harapan Dunia – Women Online Magazine. Women Online Magazine.
  34. Web site: "Lelaki Harapan Dunia" terpilih ke Festival Filem Kolkata. 7 November 2014. Yahoo.
  35. Web site: Men Who Save the World – IFFR.COM – International Film Festival Rotterdam 2015 – IFFR. iffr.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150115080751/https://www.iffr.com/en/films/lelaki-harapan-dunia/. 15 January 2015.
  36. Web site: Göteborg Film Festival. filmweb01.filmfestival.org. 10 May 2017.
  37. Web site: cinema.com.my: "Lelaki Harapan Dunia" dapat 13 pencalonan di FFM27. cinema.com.my.
  38. Web site: MFF27: The Journey wins 4 trophies, including Best Director and Best Actor. astroawani.com.
  39. Web site: TONTONFILEM. blogspot.my.
  40. Web site: Men Who Save the World.