Sepet
Sepet is a 2005 Malaysian Malay-language teen romantic comedy-drama film set in Ipoh, Malaysia. Directed by Yasmin Ahmad, it tells a tale of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. Sepet is a Malay word which, in this context, refers to the 'slit eyes' of the Chinese.
| Sepet Slit Eye | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Yasmin Ahmad |
| Written by | Yasmin Ahmad |
| Produced by | Rosnah Kassim Elyna Shukri |
| Starring | Ng Choo Seong Sharifah Amani Linus Chung Harith Iskander Ida Nerina Adibah Noor Tan Mei Ling Thor Kar Hoong |
| Cinematography | Low Soon Keong |
| Edited by | Affandi Jamaludin |
Release date | 24 February 2005 |
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Languages | English Malay Cantonese Hokkien (Min Nan) Mandarin |
Plot
A 19-year-old Ah Loong (who also called himself "Jason") is in charge of a stall selling unlicensed VCDs. Contrary to the stereotype of his social standing, Ah Loong is an incurable romantic with an unlikely hobby: He loves to read and write poetry. Quite content with being the Romeo of the slums, Ah Loong's life takes a sudden turn one day when a Malay schoolgirl, Orked, arrives at his stall while looking for films starring her favourite actor Takeshi Kaneshiro. Love blossoms between Orked and Ah Loong, although there are social and racial pressures that stand in their way.
In the end, Ah Loong is involved in a motor vehicle accident while Orked is going to England to pursue her studies. It is not clear if he lived or died until the sequel, Gubra which shows that Jason died. After the credits finish rolling however, Orked is shown wearing a wedding ring sleeping beside Jason, who also has a wedding ring. In Mukhsin, Jason and the adult Orked are shown to be living together. However, the adult Orked is not called by her name in this scene as the young Orked is.
Cast
- Choo Seong Ng as Jason aka Ah Loong
- Sharifah Amani as Orked
- Linus Chung as Keong
- Mei Ling Tan as Mah, Ah Loong's mother
- Ida Nerina as Mak, Orked's mother
- Harith Iskander as Abah, Orked's father
- Adibah Noor as Kak Yam
- Kar Hoong Thor as Pah, Ah Loong's father
- Zehan Marissa as Lin
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18th Tokyo International Film Festival | Best Asian Film Award | Won[1] | |
| Ninth Malaysian Video Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
| 27th Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France | Best Film | Won | ||
| 18th Malaysia Film Festival | Best Film | Won | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Yasmin Ahmad | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ida Nerina | Won | ||
| Adibah Noor | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Actor | Ng Choo Seong | Won | ||
| Most Promising Actress | Sharifah Amani | Won | ||
| Best Poster | Won | |||
| Best Director | Yasmin Ahmad | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Harith Iskander | Nominated | ||
| Best Editor | Affandi Jamaludin | Nominated | ||
| Global Chinese Golden Arts Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
| Anugerah Era | Best Film | Won |
Sequels
The sequel to Sepet, called Gubra, was filmed in Ipoh, Malaysia and released in 2006. The third movie in Yasmin Ahmad's Orked trilogy is a prequel to both Sepet and Gubra, titled Mukhsin.
Adaptations
Theatre company Liver & Lung debuted a musical adaptation of Sepet in September 2019. Shafeeq Shajahan directed the adaptation, with music and lyrics by Shajahan and Badrish.[2] The adaptation was a critical success, winning Best Direction at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2020.[3] Joshua Anthony Gui and Badrika Baluch played the roles of Jason and Orked in the adaptation, receiving positive reviews. Theatre critic website Critic Republic wrote that the musical had an "unexpected quality, where audiences all cried, laughed and smiled together."[4]
Songs from the musical were released on Spotify in July 2021, to celebrate Yasmin Ahmad's 12 year death anniversary.[5]
References
- "18th Tokyo Film Festival 2005 : 22-30/10/2005 (TIFF) - Awards".
- "Putting Sepet on stage".
- https://themalaysianreserve.com/2020/07/01/boh-cameronian-arts-awards-2020-goes-online/
- "Yearning for Yasmin, Sepet Stays Faithful". 3 December 2019.
- "'Sayangku': Theatre company set to release 'Sepet the Musical' soundtrack".