Hassan Muthalib Went To Japan And Brought Back Some Wisdom For Local Filmmakers
He may have been to 35 countries, but Hassan Muthalib‘s visit to Japan was one of the most momentous events of his life.
The award-winning Malaysian filmmaker and historian was part of The Japan Foundation Asia Center Short Term Invitation Programme for Cultural Leaders back in April when he embarked on a cinematic tour around Japan – Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.
Sharing session at the Content Malaysia Pitching Centre, where Hassan reflected on Japanese cinema.
Suffice to say, Hassan appeased his love for Japanese literature and cinema during his two-week stay in Japan. He even got to meet Academy Award-nominated animator Koji Yamamura and legendary director Yoji Yamada of the Tora-San film series.
According to Hassan, late director Yasmin Ahmad loved one episode of Tora-San so much that when he told her there are 48 installments to the film series, Yasmin bought all episodes on Amazon. She eventually thanked him for introducing her to “the best scriptwriting class ever”.
Hassan also had the opportunity to trace Japan’s legacy on the silver screen via site visits — he got to drop by shooting locations of enduring classic Tokyo Story.
Hassan claimed that he has watched Tokyo Story 20 times and the film never ceases to amaze him, for every time he re-watched the film, he learns something new about it. He believed that there is a great deal of subtlety in the film, and he also noted on the way the story flows so seamlessly that what is presented in the beginning relates to the ending.
If you are curious what Tokyo Story is about, be sure to catch it this Saturday, 1st August!
Hassan added that unfortunately in Malaysia, there’s still too much of an emphasis on technique rather than storytelling; local filmmakers are still not playing with ideas and expressing themselves enough through film.
When asked what Malaysian filmmakers are lacking and what they can learn from the Japanese, Hassan answered, “That something to say is what’s lacking in Malaysian cinemas. 99.9 per cent of our films are only text, there is no subtext.”
According to Hassan, subtext happens when the filmmaker has got a deep concern within him and he wants to share his thoughts with the viewers. However, it’s also worth noting that this entity does not seek to teach, moralise, or make you lean over to his thinking.
“The filmmaker just wants to tell a story. If you are able to grasp his conveyed message while staying entertained, then the film succeeds,” said Hassan.
More than anything, the film must also reflect the culture of a country.
Hassan with director Yoji Yamada.
“For example, if we look at the Tora-San series, there will always be cultural elements in the towns Tora-San goes to. Right from the very beginning when I saw the film, I knew that Mr. Yamada loves Japan.”
Hassan said that to achieve this state in filmmaking, a filmmaker must have knowledge of civilisation in terms of music, literature, and other realms of art. The first step would be to look back upon the country’s traditional performing arts culture in order to discover stories and develop one’s own identity.
“You cannot sit in an air-conditioned room and write a script. It doesn’t work that way. If you do that, you’ll get something like KL Gangster. You have to be out there, seeing and experiencing to be able to relate to society on a deeper level.”
After all, shouldn’t a film be more of a medium for reflection rather than a form of entertainment?
All pictures sourced from Hassan Muthalib’s page.
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