MICHAEL Chuah, co-founder of production company, Dream Image, and director/producer of Chinese horror film Seed of Darkness delivers a different kind of tale now. Pencak Akhir, one of Malaysia’s first martial arts films, stars Jehan Miskin as the underdog that enters a silat competition to win money for his mother’s surgery. The film also features Sari Yanti and Fouziah Ghous. Michael gives us 60 seconds of his time to tell us about his latest directorial effort.

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Tell us about yourself.

I am a movie lover. I’ve been watching martial art films by Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li since I was young.

I’m inspired by them, and that’s one reason I wanted to get into the film industry, especially action related films.

Tell us about your latest effort, Pencak Akhir.

It is basically the story of a young man who finds a purpose in life through martial arts. We have incorporated various forms of Malaysian martial arts into the film, and there are quite a number of fight scenes.

Why Pencak Akhir?

Basically we wanted the title to portray something more localized, and Pencak is commonly used and associated with the Silat martial art form, and Silat played a big part in the film. The story is ultimately a build-up to the final showdown between the protagonist and the antagonist, so we thought Pencak Akhir would make a great title, compared to the other title options we had.

Why does Malaysia need a martial arts film?

I think Malaysia needs more variety, and currently, we are lacking in good martial art films. Malaysia has a good mix of different martial art forms from different cultures, and I thought it would be good to utilize what Malaysia has and portray it on film.

Describe silat in five words.

Swift, unique, powerful, energetic, calm.

What’s your favourite line from the film?

“Nothing in life remains the same. Everything changes.”

How did you first get into film?

I have always wanted to be involved in filmmaking. After graduating, I started making short films. Then I started to get awards, and gradually I moved on to the commercial side of filmmaking.

How was shooting?

Hectic! This was the first time I was involved in a martial arts film, so there was a lot experimenting, even though time was limited. It was tiring, but fun for everyone, because most of the cast and crew are really into martial arts as well.

I hope people will take a look, and like the end result. We have put a lot of effort into the film, and so far the feedback has been positive. But my greatest hope is that most audiences will like it when it airs on Astro Ria at 10pm on Friday 18 April. Hopefully, this in turn will lead to more interest in local martial art films.

What are your greatest fears for Pencak Akhir?

I fear that Malaysian audiences may not be receptive to a local martial arts film. But we’ll have to see what the response is like.

How was working with the cast?

They’ve been fun to work with, but they’re still serious when it comes to work. The lead actor, Jehan Miskin loves martial arts, so he was willing to do all the choreography. Everyone put in a lot of effort.

How long was a usual day on the set?

Around 12- 15 hours daily. More than that at times.

Tell us a really bad joke you heard during production.

That one of us would end up in hospital thanks to one of the action scenes.

Who is your secret super-hero alter-ego?

Spiderman. I have always liked his character. Even though he’s a super hero, he’s vulnerable, and always has to challenge the odds to succeed. But most importantly, he gets the girl, and is admired by all New Yorkers.

What is the most productive thing you could do in 60 seconds?

I can come up with a story plot in 60 seconds. I always have to come up with plots for our projects in short amounts of time.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on an action feature, which hopefully, if everything goes well, will start shooting in August 2008.

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Yasmin Zetti Martin writes for Kakiseni.

Pencak Akhir airs on Astro Ria on Fri 18 April 2008 (10pm). To see the trailer, click here.