PENANG: WOU, through the George Town Institute of Open and Advanced Studies (GIOAS), hosted a private screening of the movie, “KITA-Sabah Celebrating Diversity”, which portrayed the realities, values, and aspirations of Sabah’s diverse society.
Over 300 people attended a screening of the locally-produced documentary film at the seafront WOU main campus today. The one-hour 45-minute film, with the underlying theme “Ten Journeys, One Aspiration”, follows the real-life stories of 10 ordinary Sabahans in three separate but interrelated sections, each with their own unique journey but united by one common aspiration.
The ten casts were Agnes Chung, Yunus Lee, Ernahwatikah Nasir, Quen Pang, Teo Seng Chong, Rizo Leong, Anne Antah, Raphael Jay Peter Lee, Pison Jaujip, and Jack Weldie Pai. Their stories and experiences were meant to resonate with the people.
Through the enriching experiences shared by the casts, the audience rediscovered the strength, beauty and deliciousness of Sabah’s diverse society, as illustrated by the diverse ethnicities, arts and foods of the Sabahans.
The film was produced by Videographics Productions Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Sabah Unity in Diversity Community Partners (SUIDCP), and funded by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). SUIDCP is a non-profit and non-partisan collaborative network of local faith and community-based organisations that work together to promote ‘Unity in Diversity’ on project basis. The film’s main director is renowned and talented filmmaker, Nova Goh Khai Thai.
The film’s producer Mr. Lim Hock Song shared the journey of his young production crew in creating the documentary film. They wanted to portray the realities, values and aspirations of Sabahans in embracing, celebrating and preserving cultural diversity in Sabah. In an effort to convey the message of diversity, the production crew had to find the right characters to offer a balanced representation of the ethnicities and cultures.
The film took two years to complete, including 10 months of shooting throughout 16 locations in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur, and four months of post-production work. The filming locations covered a vast geographical area, such as Kota Kinabalu, Donggongon, Papar, Tamparuli, Kiulu, Keningau, Tambunan, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Kundasang, Ranau, Pitas, Sandakan, Semporna, Salakan Island and Kuala Lumpur.
Lim explained the background to making the film and how they chose the casts and stories. The production duration was stretched to cover as many local festivals as possible, including Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Harvest Festival, and Christmas. The team members sacrificed their time and resources to document the film, and were rewarded by some unforgettable experiences and touching stories they encountered during the filming project.
This entertaining English-language movie is a must-watch for Malaysians as it conveys positive lessons of good values, decency, and respect for one another’s culture.
Among the attendees at the screening were Chairman Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Members of WOU’s Board of Governors, DISTED College CEO Datuk Lim Si Boon, and the teachers and students of SM Teknik Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Penang Chinese Girls High School, Kolej Vokasional Batu Lanchang, and DISTED College.
KITA premiered at Kota Kinabalu on 11 February 2023. Special screenings have also been held in Tokyo, Helsinki and Budapest.
Contact:
Ms. Eng San Chok
GIOAS
sceng@wou.edu.my
019-475 7125
Rasidah Mion,
Corporate Communications Manager
rasidahbm@wou.edu.my
019 314 2003