Walinong Sari: An Animated Retelling of a Beloved Pahang Legend

Ore Struck Media today did the first screening of the animated short, Walinong Sari, at Multipurpose Hall (MPH), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Sungai Long Campus on 6 July 2022. The short film supported by MDEC’s DC3+ fund took a little over 9 months to complete in its entirety.

"A large number of the concept artists, animators, and riggers were UTAR students. I harnessed all the young and new talent out there and really made this film a collaborative effort between working professionals and up-and-coming industry players," said Mr Eugene Foo, the director of Walinong Sari and UTAR Faculty of Creative Industries (FCI) Department of Multimedia Design and Animation Specialist I Eugene Foo Shyang Eu.

Prof Goi hoping more students will partake in projects to acquire the much-needed skills from industry experts

UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min said, “I am glad that the Faculty of Creative Industries (FCI) and Ore Struck Media Sdn Bhd collaborated to organise this amazing screening of Walinong Sari for our students. Collaboration between academia and industry is key to catalyse innovation and growth in technology. The combination of expertise from both parties can yield the development of new breakthroughs in many areas.”

He added, “I am proud that our students from the Faculty of Creative Industries particularly under the Digital Animation and Games Design programme participated in this project. I applaud the students for your effort and dedication in creating this wonderful animated short film. I hope more students will partake in projects like this to acquire the much-needed skills from industry experts and to further develop the animation industry to create animations that are better in quality and hyperrealistic.”

"We were so lucky to get really great people on the project, who really went above and beyond the job scope. It was our little pandemic project (90% of the work was done remotely online) and it kept all of us going through those long days of isolation, " explained Honey Ahmad, the scriptwriter Walinong Sari."

The script was reimagined and adapted from heritage consultant Ninot Aziz’s book, Lipur Lara Nusantara. The anak Pahang herself, Walinong Sari, was the opening tale in her collection of short stories and folklore. Ninot wrote, "it is so important that we, as writers, continue to retell, rewrite, and curate our folklore so that the best in our creative industries can bring them to another level." She hopes that her books will inspire a future generation of filmmakers, theatre enthusiasts, and educators.

The production stars popular Malaysian actors and singers such as Nadia Aqilah, Junji Delfino, Ghafir Akbar, Bront Palarae and Tony Eusoff. It even features Fatimah Abu Bakar as the voice of the narrator/penglipur lara. The bulk of the production crew is made up primarily of UTAR staff and students as well as a few other external freelancers and independent artists.

Ore Struck Media is a collective formed by creatives from multiple disciplines who want to tell great local stories. They explore independent projects and support up and coming directors, writers, and other people in the creative line who want to get their narratives out to a larger audience. They do this by filling in professional gaps and putting great people together. "We always wanted to work with Eugene Foo to see what his vision would be for a local 2D animation. It has been an absolute pleasure seeing Walinong Sari come to life and the unconventional way he has harnessed a ‘work from home’ studio set-up," said Adam Firsham Aqil, director of Ore Struck Media.

UTAR students and alumni who participated in the project came predominantly from FCI under the BA (Honours) Digital Animation course, and one alumnus from BA (Hons) Games Design.

Present at the Walinong Sari screening were UTAR Vice President of Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min, UTAR Acting Dean for Faculty of Creative Industries cum Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Dr Cynthia Lau Pui-Shan, Film Director for Walinong Sari and UTAR Specialist I from Department for Department of Multimedia Design and Animation (DMDA) Mr Eugene Foo Shyang Eu, UTAR Head of Department for Department of Multimedia Design and Animation (DMDA) Puan Wan Irma Sabrina binti Idris, Scriptwriter for Walinong Sari Ms Honey Ahmad, Folklorist & Heritage Consultant for Walinong Sari Ms Ninot Aziz, Music Composer for Walinong Sari Ms Irena Taib, Colourist for Walinong Sari Mr Setyo Wibowo, Line Producer for Walinong Sari Ms Vini Balan, Walinong Sari production team and guests from animation and art industry.

Full house during the screening

During the Q&A session

Prof Goi (back row, sixth from right) with guests, animations production students and

independent artists

The screening ended with a Q&A session and group photo session

 

The posters of Walinong Sari

About Walinong Sari

Walinong Sari, a fierce warrior princess is groomed to rule the kingdom of Inderapura. When her father accepted a proposal of marriage she did not agree to, Walinong Sari   set off on a journey down the Pahang River to say goodbye to the land she loved. But fate had something else in store for her in the shape of Raja Mambang Segara, a celestial prince. Walinong Sari now faces a choice, to be the dutiful daughter or to follow her heart.



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