The animated short Walinong Sari won the Best Soundtrack and Honorable Mention at the New York International Short Film Festival yesterday, according to a report.
Walinong Sari, directed by Eugene Foo, features Nadia Aqilah as the princess of Gunung Tahan. Other notable actors in the film include Bront Palarae and Tony Eusoff.
Foo and the script’s author Honey Ahmad put together a group of animators to create the wayang kulit (shadow puppets)-inspired movie.
Meanwhile, Irena Taib, who are a part of the indie band The Impatient Sisters, wrote the soundtrack. Irena’s strategy for pushing limits included the usage of synthesizers and conventional Malaysian musical elements.
The main character of the Malaccan sultanate novel Walinong Sari is a warrior princess who is the successor to the Inderapura Kingdom in modern-day Pahang.
Walinong Sari is made to get married in an arranged marriage in the movie. She protested by leaving her land and crossing the Pahang River. She later saw Mambang Segara, a celestial prince, where she faces a choice to be the dutiful daughter or to follow her heart.
A recipient of the MDEC DC3+ grant, Walinong Sari is not widely available yet. It has been to several film festivals, including the Sea of Art Film Festival, the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the Oniros Film Awards New York, and the New York International Short Film Festival.
For updates, visit its Facebook page.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Irena developed the soundtrack with her sisters. She actually worked on it solo. We apologise for the error.
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