IT is an unusual “marriage” to see modest dressing and ballet dancing, but it is the contradiction that inspired first-time film director Syed Zulkifli Syed Masir to produce Hijabsta Ballet.
Loosely based on the hijab-wearing ballet dancer Stephanie Kurlow, 15, from Australia, the film to hit cinemas on Aug 3 is the result of a year’s research by the 55-year-old, who aims to gauge audiences’ responses to an unfamiliar story which taps everyday topics creatively.
Syed Zulkifli, who is also the vice-president of Film Directors’ Association of Malaysia said: “Dancing ballet and wearing the hijab are subjects that kind of contradict, yet there is a win-win solution to reconcile them.”
“I developed Hijabsta Ballet based on my market survey to determine what viewers wanted. There is a large market for tudung and I decided to ‘merge’ this with a contradictory profession — ballet dancing.”
Hijabista Ballet centres on a 17-year-old Malaysian Adele Shakiri, who is studying ballet and has dreams of becoming a renowned ballerina.
“She starts to don the hijab to her classes, but this does not go down well with her classmates and tutors,” said Syed Zulkifli, who is also the producer and co-writer of the film.
Adele has to contend with her mother Diana, who feels that she is making a mistake, even though Adele’s pious grandmother, Maimun, fully supports her.
“Worse, she faces verbal threats from extremists, especially a magazine editor.”
Newcomer in the entertainment scene Puteh Maimun Zarra, who also is a ballet dancer, plays Adele, while actress Betty Banafe plays Diana.
The film also stars Aida Khalida, Aman Graseka, Afeerah Rahman, Rachel Tabithanya, Sally Bruce, Gemma Sharpe, Keena Wahab, Danny Syaz and Azeman Aliff.
Syed Zulkifli, who has two decades’ experience making television commercials and documentaries, shot the film over 25 days last year in Perth, Australia, and in the Klang Valley.
He co-wrote it with Rebecca Innes, Khalil Saleh, Thorpe Ali and Zylan Mohd Noor for his company, Explosive Magic Sdn Bhd.
When Syed Zulkifli started working on the storyline, he consulted the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the Malaysian Islamic Strategic Research Institute (Iksim), and ballet academies for advice.
“Jakim and Iksim said we could not subordinate the requirements of faith to dancing, while the ballet instructors said Adele should be allowed to dance. At the end of the day, there is a solution — I’m not giving it away for now!”
Syed Zulkifli showed 60 minutes of the 106-minute film to 4,000 test viewers from 13 universities and colleges, and 85 per cent of them loved it.
“I hope it’ll be well received once it hits the cinemas. If the response is good we’ll screen it in the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.”
On the choice of Puteh as the main actress, Syed Zulkifli said he found her through an audition, describing her as “spot on” for the role of Adele.
The message that Syed Zulkifli is putting forth in Hijabsta Ballet is the need to stand our ground in the face of adversity, and find solutions to “impossible” situations.