Saw Teong Hin’s Fourth Film ‘Jejak Warriors’ Just Had An Exclusive Media Premiere And We’re Here To Tell You About It

Local film director Saw Teong Hin built a huge name for himself a decade ago with his directorial debut, Puteri Gunung Ledang. To know what else he’s been up to since then, read our piece published in May because we’re here to talk about his latest movie Jejak Warriors! And what a movie, fellas, what a movie.

Premiering at Cathay Cineplex, E-Curve today for media members and special guests, Jejak Warriors stars young actor Mohd Aliff Firdaus, players from Kelantanese football team The Red Warriors, Nadiya Nisaa and the late Harun Salim Bachik.

We had no idea this particular local football team was so popular; many of the guests were huge fans who wanted photos with the players as well as the gorgeous Nadiya Nisaa herself. Also in attendance were cast members Pekin Ibrahim, Mohd Aliff Firdaus, Saw Teong Hin, and executive producers Siti Nur Mokhtar and Fauziah Hussein.

But enough name-dropping.

After all the attendees were seated and ready, the first surprise of the day was cued. There was a flash mob dance performance that literally took place in the cinema, right below the screen.

A group of no less than 15 individuals took to the front of the room and did traditional dance, and this went on over the span of three dikir-styled songs.

Then the movie began, and the second surprise came in the form of an unexpected language barrier: the film’s protagonists speak dominantly in legit Kelantanese. But thankfully, the U2 Media team probably knew that most urban Malays have trouble deciphering the dialect so there are some very neat-looking subtitles done in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.

We were astonished again when the delightful Nadiya Nisaa had a fairly sizable role in the film, while Pekin Ibrahim (whose name features prominently in the project) merely appeared during the opening segment and within a fuzzy flashback. But we’re not complaining; all these people are utilised wisely, and you can never have too much Nadiya Nisaa or Harun Salim Bachik in a film project.

Nadiya plays Nadia, an overworked, young urbanite who used to be in love with football – her favourite team is Harimau Selatan JDT. Largely a road movie with strong focus on family ties, Jejak Warriors makes full use of Nadiya’s naivety and sincerity, two traits that often make her shine as a performer on screen.

Saying that, make sure to bring a packet of tissues along if you’re watching the film. No, not because you get to see Khairul Fahmi Che Mat running in the rain while his wet jersey clings to his torso, but because Nadiya knows just how to tug at the heartstrings.

That’s right guys, Jejak Warriors isn’t just a film for football aficionados.

It’s a movie that explores relationships between strangers and families, something director Saw Teong Hin has been quite successful with as evident through the Festival Filem Malaysia ke-25 nominee and Sudirman-tribute Hoore! Hoore! as well as critically-acclaimed George Town Festival 2014 headliner Hai Ki Xin Lor (You Mean The World To Me).

For those skeptical about the football team fronting the film’s promotional media, fear not: these guys seem to know what they’re doing judging from the final product. If we’re discussing who has a legit shot at a post-soccer acting career, we’ll tell you Ahmad Fakri Saraani and Khairul Fahmi as they seemed most comfortable.

Though barely accumulating several minutes of screen time, Ogy Ahmad Daud‘s role as Nadia’s employer is a frightful standout. Simply called “Boss” throughout the film, her absolutely vicious portrayal of a heartless accounting firm owner thrills and discomforts at once. She’s utterly brutal here, and we’d dare advocate the movie based on her two short scenes alone.

According to Teong Hin, scenes revolving around the match between JDT and The Red Warriors were shot live during the actual game. In fact, there was only one chance to complete a lot of these shots so most of what you’ll see during the climax were results of a single take!

In any case, Jejak Warriors opens on the 27th of August so make sure to catch it once it’s out! Unless you’re in Kelantan, in which case you can just wait for a screening in a dewan somewhere. Ta, and see you at the cinemas next week fellas!