KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Malaysia’s first Dusun-language film Sinakagon is all set to be screened in 30 cinemas nationwide from June 13.
Sinakagon, which means progeny in Dusun, is the directorial debut of Timothy Stephen and the maiden production of Bamboo Sound Studio. Its all-Sabahan cast comprises Fiona Josepher, Ejin Dinting, Lisa Christy, Esthaer Zaino and Ron Langad.
Titled Bloodline for international audiences, the movie’s intriguing storyline blending elements of drama, mystery and thriller, has fared well at international independent film events.
Timothy received the Best First Time Director (Feature) award at the Milan Independent Awards, while his film was a finalist at the Prisma Rome Independent Film Awards. Sinakagon also made it to the Official Selection at the Barcelona Indie Filmmakers Fest, ranking among the top five out of 100 selected films.
Timothy said his movie brings the language and culture of the Dusun people of Sabah to the silver screen and hoped it would be well received by Malaysian movie enthusiasts.
He said the movie is inspired by the legend of Huminodun, which is the story of a girl who sacrifices herself to save the people in her village from a devastating famine brought on by drought. The folk tale is connected to the Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant, which is held during the annual Tadau Kaamatan festival.
Timothy admitted facing significant challenges in completing the film, particularly in terms of costs and casting.
“The main challenge was the cost of making the film. We received a grant of RM200,000 from Finas (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia) but the actual production costs were much higher,” he said on Bernama TV’s Apa Khabar Malaysia programme.
He said casting was also a challenge because most actors are inexperienced and were not fluent in Dusun.
“It was hard to find (suitable) actors… They can speak Dusun but some are not fluent (in the language). Some were acting for the first time, so we had to train them first,” said Timothy.
Besides directing Sinakagon, he was also the film’s director of photography and scriptwriter, and was responsible for producing and marketing the film.
Filming for Sinakagon began May 15, 2021, at various locations in Keningau, Tambunan and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Production lasted a year, though it was interrupted several times due to the movement control order.
— Bernama
