By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 14: ‘Tegkang’, a film depicting life in the Bario highlands of Sarawak, won the Best New Filmmaker Award at the First-Time Filmmaker Showcase in London on Sept 18.
Written and directed by Sarawakian filmmaker Josh Nawan, the film tells a story of life in a remote village of Bario, where a long-held secret begins to unravel when a guest by the name of Hanafi befriends a local Kelabit girl, Rinai.
According to Josh, the film reframes disability not as a burden but as a gift, seeking to inspire nostalgia and present a fresh perspective on disability while highlighting the rural experience of living in the Kelabit highlands.
‘Tegkang’, meaning ‘rainbow’ in the Kelabit language, also demonstrated Bario’s unique allure and rich cultural experiences, along with age-old rituals rarely witnessed by the outside world.
For Josh, winning the award holds great significance, especially for the Kelabit community, whose people are rarely represented in the arts.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share a story so deeply rooted in heritage and thankful that this film (Tegkang) will now reach even more audiences,” Josh said in a statement.
Lyn Nasihin, the film’s producer, hoped that ‘Tegkang’ would spotlight the variety of creative works coming out of Malaysia’s film industry.
The Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker Sessions is a monthly online showcase that supports new directors by featuring independent short and feature films from around the world. It provides filmmakers a platform to reach new audiences and industry professionals.
Winners would gain exposure, including the chances to present future projects at Pinewood Studios, one of the world’s top film studios. — DayakDaily
