By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
Singer-songwriter Pete Teo is undertaking a major project addressing the issue of racial politics. — peteteo.com pic
For the past three months Pete has been working hard on a secret project, something big, stupendous, major, gigantic, and enormous.
Yes, the project deserves to be shouted out loud. Subtlety does not go well with notoriety, especially if one wants to announce something significantly arresting and interesting.
Pete Teo, of course, is a veteran at taking on the difficult task of addressing a serious issue as racial politics with music and humour. His previous project, the collaborative song effort by Malaysia’s most renowned artists and performers, was MAFU (Malaysian Artistes For Unity) with its aptly-titled “Here In My Home” song and video.
If you thought that was inspiring, wait till you hear what Pete has to say about his latest venture, called 15Malaysia. It explores similar themes as MAFU, but this time around it utilises the medium of film to talk about a lot of things — food, race, politics, religion, bank loans.
Every little thing that Malaysians come across in their daily lives is touched upon here. No stone is left unturned.
Fifteen short films, directed by famous directors such as the late Yasmin Ahmad, James Lee, Amir Muhammad and Ho Yuhang as well as fresh faces like Liew Seng Tat and Johan John promise a Malaysian-ness like no other.
The Malaysian Insider recently spoke to Pete about the project which will be launched tomorrow:
Q: What inspired you to start this project?
Pete: Well it basically started shortly after the MAFU music video was released last year. I had many people come up to me and ask “Pete, what are you going to do next year?”
I also felt that on a certain level, there are limitations when it comes to making music videos. Short films are appealing, and it can be utilised to address issues. I mean I was not going to start a project where I would get people to carry the Malaysian flag and sing patriotic songs.
I believe that people have to be frank, and these are some of the issues that 15 young voices have successfully addressed in their respective films.
Q: How did you manage to gather so many directors and actors from such diverse backgrounds? Did you have a specific vision or idea in mind?
Pete: Well, it started with a handful of people who were basically winning awards overseas. They were the ones who formed the core of the project. A lot of these directors are underappreciated and tend to be more famous abroad than here in their own country.
There are also new faces too. I tried to get a big spread of people from different genres. It was quite an effort in the beginning to get people to participate.
Q: Were there any major obstacles along the way?
Pete: Not at all. Surprisingly the only real issue was some technical glitches, and trying to get the cast to pick a date to shoot, especially since some of them are influential political figures. (chuckles)
Q: That brings me to my next question. I’ve noticed that there are a number of famous politicians who took part in this project. Were there any differences in views/opinions made by the politicians during the course of production?
Pete: Absolutely not. You’d expect a politician to use this film space as a platform to boost their image, but none of them did. They were really supportive from both sides of the political aisle. At the end of the day the need to combat racism is much bigger than party politics.
Q: How long is each film?
Pete: On average each film runs to about 3-5 minutes.
Q: Did you oversee each film?
Pete: I was only involved in pre-production and post-production. I don’t go to every set because that would be counter-productive to the creative process.
Q: Which was your favourite film?
Pete: (Laughs) Watch the films and decide for yourself.
Q: Do you think films/songs can effect change, or an understanding of the current socio-political situation in Malaysia?
Pete: Not by itself. Film and the arts have the power to rally forces within society who want that change. It reaffirms values within a society.
It isn’t about changing the world. We’ve got 27 million voices in the country, and so far only 15 are heard. My job is to make this platform even bigger.
Q: How are the films going to be released?
Pete: The release runs from August the 17th right to September 16th, which is Malaysia Day. Each week we will release around three films on Mondays, Wednesdays as well as Fridays. Films will be made downloadable for free and viewable via YouTube.
Q: Last question. Do you think 15Malaysia promotes Malaysia’s current 1 Malaysia theme?
Pete: Well, if the idea of 1 Malaysia is one that strives for understanding, tolerance and unity, then yes 15Malaysia aims for that, too. But the idea of 1 Malaysia is not something new. It has existed for many years before and 15Malaysia is the avenue in which the underlying theme of cultural diversity can be explored and be better appreciated.
