MICKEY Lai bravely tackled the subject of religion and family in her debut short film The Cloud Is Still There.
The lead actors for the film, Tan Cheong Bee and Ling Tan, who play the onscreen mother and daughter, recently grabbed the Best Performance award at the 4th SeaShorts Film Festival, an event that screens Southeast Asian short films.
The 19-minute short film was shown at the 25th Busan International Film Festival that took place in Busan, South Korea from Oct 21 to 30.
It will also likely be screened at the Norwich Film Festival (United Kingdom) and Vancouver Asian Film Festival (Canada) at the end of the year.
She is currently writing the script for her second short film, which will touch on the subject of menstruation, and the shooting is set to take place early next year. In five years, she hopes to direct her first feature film.
Born in Petaling Jaya and raised in Kuala Lumpur, the filmmaker, who turned 25 last month, is currently based in London. She graduated with a Masters in Film and TV Production from the Met Film School in London, recently.
Describe The Cloud is Still There.
“My short film is a tribute to my grandfather. He used to give money for me to buy books. I am who I am today because of all the books I bought with his money.
“I was directing a music video and he was interested to see my work. Sadly, my music video was only shown on television on the day he passed away at the age of 76.
“He did not get the chance to see my music video, so I decided to make a short film that depicts my relationship with my grandfather.”
Can you describe the essence of your short film?
“When I was 16, I converted to Christianity. When my grandfather passed away, I was only 21. I was young and naïve. I wanted my priest to give the last rites to my grandfather and convert him to Christianity. But my mother (a Taoist) was not keen on the idea.
“My grandfather was a Taoist priest who ran a temple in Lumut, Perak, and now my grandmother is running the temple. I shot my film there.
“My short film shows the conflict between a mother and daughter who come from two different faiths. The lesson I learnt from my grandfather is that I should appreciate my relationship with my mother, even though we are of different faiths.”
Has your mother seen your short film, and if so, what was her reaction?
“My mother has heard about my short film winning awards and going to international festivals. She is very keen to see the film. She has no idea that I have depicted our relationship in the film.
“For the time being, I am not comfortable to show my film to my mother. I am not ready for her reaction. I love my family very much. But I am not the kind of person who can show my love to my family in real life. I am not demonstrative. Instead, I used my film to show my love for my family.”
What motivated you to be a filmmaker?
“I learned to appreciate images and visuals from my father. He loves to draw and paint. He encouraged his four children to draw and paint, too.
“I believe my father secretly wanted to be a painter. But he had four children to feed. So, he became a contractor, instead. Even now, at age 56, my father is still drawing and painting.”
Who is one filmmaker whom you really admire?
“Anthony Chen, a Singaporean award-winning filmmaker who is now based in London. He has a vision to present his films as authentically as possible.
“He spends time with his actors to get them into their character. He is a very detailed filmmaker. I would like to follow in his footsteps.”
Is there any Malaysian filmmaker you admire?
“Tan Seng Kiat, who directed Shuttle Life. He was the script consultant for my short film. He was always questioning my motives about the dialogue in the film.
“His works make you think about our country in terms of the bigger picture, and I like that.”
Describe yourself to us.
“I like to sit in trains and cafes, and observe the people around me. I will imagine stories behind their behaviour and their mannerisms.
“I do not have enough confidence. I am always doubting myself. I want everything to be perfect, and sometimes being a perfectionist can be a weakness.”
