The lack of maternal care in rural areas and the disappearing people called Chittys are among the films to debut at the 16th FreedomFilmFestival 2018.
THE death of Lawrence Jayaraj's mother-in-law, Kam Agong, after a Caesarean in 2002 incensed him to the point of not letting the tragedy be buried — 16 years on.
“It's about the lack of maternal care in the rural areas that shouldn't be the case at all,” said the 49-year-old car salesman in a interview for his FreedomFilmFestival (FFF) 2018 documentary, The Story Of Kam Agong.
The 30-minute documentary focuses on the family's struggle for justice not just for Kam Agong but for all mothers-to-be in Sarawak.
Kam Agong was from a village, Long Semado, in Lawas, up in Mount Murut in Limbang district. The cluster of padi farming villages is mainly accessible by flight.
“My mother-in-law had to travel 100km on a logging road to the nearest district hospital, and stay in the town for a month for her due date.
“There were complications during the birth of her eighth child, but the doctors couldn't handle it themselves. And instead of consulting a gynaecologist — of whom there were none — she was discharged and told to go home to Long Semado, where she died just 28 days later.”
Reliving the frustration of lack of medical care for pregnant mothers made Lawrence pause, as his wife Agnes, who was seated next to him, looked at him.
There was a court case and many other battles for justice in the ensuing years, like starting blogs. “We want to ensure mothers from poor families don't have to endure what Kam Agong endured. I hope this documentary will highlight such lack of care in rural areas,” he added.
In fact, he hopes the film will help push for a new Lawas hospital to be built and fully equipped to handle emergencies such as C-sections, despite its RM121 million construction approval in 2011 by the previous government.
Lawrence pitched the story to the FFF judges — filmmaker Tan Chui Mui, journalist Elroi Yee and human rights activist and filmmaker Arul Prakkash — early this year.
After approval, Lawrence went with a cameraman and a soundman to Lawas to film The Story Of Kam Agong over 10 days. The film is currently being edited, for its premiere at FFF 2018 at PJ Live Arts, Petaling Jaya starting Sept 19.
The 16th human rights documentary film festival's theme this year is Mend The Gap which aims to facilitate conversations between people from different groups to close the gaps between them. It draws inspiration from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which states that “no one should be left behind”.
Sabahan Junaid Ibrahim's seven-minute film called Chitty: Retracing The Forgotten fulfils the theme.
“It was actually my coursework assignment, suggested by my lecturer Dr Md Azalanshah Md Syed,” says the Universiti Malaya Media and Comnunication Studies student.
With 14 of his peers, Junaid went to Malacca to learn about the Chittys. “We each put in about RM50 to cover our expenses. I didn't know much about the Chittys when I started doing the research for the film,” says the 22-year-old Suluk native from Semporna.
“I was impressed with their culture. The Chittys are like the Peranakan people. They speak a mix of Malay with Tamil words. You know, they can berpantun so easily. There was one Aunty Meenachi who did it for us. They came to Melaka in the 14th century, but after all this time, I feel and they feel that they are not getting enough recognition. It used to be a village but now there's only one road, Jalan Gajah Berang, in the Chitty kampung that still has Chitty families. Maybe less than 20 families.
“At first, doing this film was just to fulfil my coursework but I realised that the Chittys need attention and help as much as other Malaysians.”
Chitty: Retracing The Forgotten will be screened on Oct 2 while The Story of Kam Agong is on Sept 29.
Other FFF films address such issues as the education of stateless children in Sabah (Aku Mau Sekolah by Putri Purnama Sagua), and the rights of the differently-abled to an independent and dignified life (In The Dark by Low Watan), among others.
The eight-day human rights documentary film festival will showcase 53 films and 15 thematic talks, workshops and masterclasses at PJ Live Arts in Petaling Jaya. Each screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker(s) or a main protagonist from the documentary.
After the showing PJ, FFF 2018 will travel to George Town, Muar, Johor Baru, Manjung, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Singapore between October and December.
FreedomFilmFest 2018
When: Sept 29 to Oct 6
Where: PJ Live Arts, 2A-3, Block K, Jaya One, Section 13, No.72A, Jalan Universiti, PJ
Admission via Pass. Purchased online, it’s RM10; At the venue — RM12 (available an hour before the event). Seniors aged 65 and above, and students can get the pass for RM6 each at the door.
Visit www.freedomfilm.my for details.