Jumaat, Ogos 06, 2004

Movie selected for Venice fest

petikan The Star 6 Ogos 2004

PETALING JAYA: It will be another glorious milestone for Malaysia's film industry, when the epic production of the mystical mountain princess, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) enters the world's oldest film fest, the Venice International Film Festival, next month.

Also known as the Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, the world-renown movie showcase, which started in 1934, will be held from Sept 1 to Sept 11.

The organisers reviewed more than 5,000 entries and selected only 200 for the final list. Among the big names that the festival is likely to draw are Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman and Denzel Washington.

“Our entry is a prestigious milestone for Malaysian cinema. This would be an excellent platform to show our artistic and technological edge in filmmaking at the international level,” said Datuk Shazalli Ramli, who co-produced the movie with the film's leading actress, Tiara Jacquelina.

“PGL has already made international headlines as the first Malaysian entry in a major film festival.

“In fact, the Italian media recently announced the movie as one of the festival's brightest prospects,” he said.

The RM20mil film has been shortlisted among the Great Spectacular Midnight Films that would be shown on Sept 5 at the Venice fest, which puts it in line to compete in the “First-time Director” competition.

PGL is Malaysian filmmaker Saw Teong Hin's directorial debut, giving him a chance to win a cash prize of ?100,000 if he takes the award.

The selection of PGL as an official entry in the upcoming 61st Venice International Film Festival has drawn the attention of other festival organisers, said Shazalli.

Puteri Gunung Ledang, the maiden production of Enfiniti, is a Malay-language period drama set in the late 15th century that chronicles the tragic romance between the princess and warrior Hang Tuah.

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