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VIRAL EXCLUSIVE
July 22, 2024
Snow in Midsummer: A Bold Exploration of Malaysia’s Tragic Past
It’s surprising as well as encouraging to learn that Malaysia’s censorship board cleared the sensitive uprising drama for the world to watch. Besides, its also the first local film about Kuala Lumpur’s tragic race riots of May 1969 to secure a release. By: K Dass.
US - Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun’s
historical drama, Snow in Midsummer, defied the odds by securing a local
release despite its sensitive subject matter. Set against the backdrop of the
1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, the film tells the story of a Chinese family
caught up in the violence that erupted on May 13, 1969. Hundreds lost their
lives during those tumultuous days.
The film then
fast-forwards to the present day, focusing on two survivors who meet at a mass
grave of the riot victims. Remarkably, Snow in Midsummer directly
addresses the riots and their aftermath without depicting violence on screen.
Producer Wong Kew Soon acknowledges the film’s boldness, stating, “The May 13
incident is one of the two most sensitive subject matters for Malaysia – the
other is communism.”
Initially,
the film’s investors believed it wouldn’t stand a chance for a local release.
However, a turning point came during the Singapore International Film Festival
when FINAS deputy chairman Noor Azam bin Shairi and his wife expressed
confidence in the film’s importance. They encouraged the filmmakers to submit
it to the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (LPF). The result? Snow in
Midsummer became the first film directly addressing the 1969 riots to pass
Malaysian censors.
Internationally
acclaimed, the film received a special mention at Venice’s Giornate Degli
Autori section and garnered nine nominations at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards.
It was also named the best film in the young cinema competition
(Chinese-language) at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Now, as it
heads to its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival, Snow
in Midsummer stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and
historical reflection.
