Many reasons -

(1) It got increasingly harder to raise funds internationally after a filmmaker's first few films as s/he no longer can be regarded as "new". Most early New Wave films were funded by international public foundations whose mandate was to fund "new" voices. 1/8

https://twitter.com/aaljanz/status/1613600410572554240

In any decent public arts management, the New Wave wld justifiably hv received state support if only cos we were winning so much international accolades. But minority language films were not regarded as Malaysian enough then & the lack of state support proved detrimental.

2/8

Michelle Yeoh is perhaps the most famous but isn't the only high achieving Msian in global filmmaking.

Ever heard of Tsai Ming Liang?

He is a world renown arthouse director based out of Taiwan. An arthouse giant.

He is Msian.

Tsai & Yeoh hv 1 thing in common.

1/10 Both owe nothing to the arts policy of this country.

Our public institutions have not earned the right to call these artists their own. It makes my skin crawl that they try to.

Let me tell you of an entire generation of young Msian filmmakers that they hv lost.

2/10

[Thread on Legitimacy]

1. I studied Social Theory & taught it at the LSE. My specialisation was the legitimacy of power, or its opposite - illegitimacy. Lessons can be drawn from these studies for all who yield power, be it in politics, in business, or in life.

Let me explain. 2. The legitimacy of power is central to social order. This has been true since civilisation began. From the divine rights of kings to the secular mechanics of democracy, there are conditions that legitimises the exercise of power, and the existence of social order.

1. Lots of people suffer from depression. I used to suffer from it. Although it last descended on me decades ago, I still feel it in the back of my head, seeping out in the shadows of my work. It’s not an easy thing to understand, but I can try to tell you a little more... 2. The overriding mental condition of someone in a severe depressed state is one of utter futility. Nothing is worth it. Nothing has meaning. There is no point in anything. You may escape for a moment, but the dark mist is all around. Until it decides to lift, nothing matters.

1. Dear financial journalists. If you’ve been here a while and know the difference between crispy chicken rendang and its proper form, my apologies - please skip this thread. For those who sit in offices in Spore, HK, Beijing or London panic googling M’sia, please read on... 2. The events that led up to and since #GE14 have few parallels in history. A kleptocracy was peacefully voted out of power against all odds. Msians overcame electoral fraud, restricted media, abuse of power, murders, etc to get here. It isn’t possible without fortitude.

1. Much has been made about trusting Tun M, given his record in civil liberties and institutional degradation during his first 22 years as PM. This need for vigilance is understandable and logical. However, I am optimistic. Let me tell you why... 2. In 2015, I went with @jsadiq to see Tun talk at the FCC. He was as usual a compelling and composed speaker. But I noted a chink in his armour when he admitted that he has failed despite his long reign in power. At that moment, his voice broke. I had an idea.

In my years of approaching celebs for pro bono work, the most frustrating were from the Mandarin Pop scene. Many pulled out on shoot days due to cold feet. Those were days when non-MCA sanctioned projects were considered subversive, ie up till days ago. This sort of gutlessness used to frustrate me and I lost friendships because of it. So I look on at the current “celeb positional reset” with no small amount of bemusement. Yet it is easy to forget that ppl were genuinely scared, not just spineless.

1. Dear UMNO. U have come to look upon my colleagues and I as thorns. Yet, in the spirit of new Malaysia, allow me to discuss how amateurish you have been. Let’s use this video as an example: 2. In an age of media saturation, ppl are suspicious of advertising. So u should not come across like a shampoo ad. Yet note that @Khairykj and @NajibRazak wore liveried colour and logo. They look like salesmen. It undercuts trust. It’s a terrible start.