Sunday, August 12, 2012

PASPORT EKSPRES


PASPORT EKSPRES is part of Astro My Hometown Short Films project in conjunction with the 55th Merdeka Day celebration. 14 young directors fr 14 states. 14 stories. Before you read facts, trivia & quotes from PASPORT EKSPRE, please watch the trailer.


6 years ago I wanted to make a feel good story about reunion. A group of friends reunite after 10 years to solve their high school murder mystery. They go on a train ride to rekindle high school memories but everyone has their own motives and secrets.

2 years ago I went for a recce at my hometown, Perlis with my friend Nik Amir. We did a series of videos called POSKAD, FOTO & PETA.


I started writing the script and still writing it. 3 months ago I received a call from Red Films asking me to do a short film about my hometown. It took me a month to draft the story. It's called PASPORT EKSPRES. Some ideas were taken from Poskad, Foto & Peta. 


Filem pendek berdurasi 18 minit ini mengisahkan Ali, seorang pembikin filem yang suka berimaginasi tapi dia perlukan inspirasi & hibernasi. Dalam perjalanan pulang ke kampung di Perlis dia bertemu dengan Umar Ghazi yang menaiki train yang sama untuk ke Bangkok melalui Hatyai. Sebelum Ali tiba di Arau, Umar Ghazi sedar yang dia kehilangan pasport dan tidak dapat melepasi sempadan Malaysia-Thai.

Umar Ghazi membuat keputusan untuk turun di stesen Arau bersama Ali. Di sana mereka bertemu bekas rakan sekolah Umar Ghazi iaitu Roslan Mahmud yang sekarang mengajar Bahasa Kebangsaan di sebuah sekolah di negeri Perlis. Pertemuan mereka bertiga menjadi satu 'pengembaraan masa' untuk Ali, Umar & Cikgu Roslan sambil mengingati  kembali memori ketika Ali membesar di Perlis.

Here's some trivia.

1. Iedil Putra sebagai Ali. Nama watak Ali is named after Redza Minhat's baby boy. Redza is The Narrator in Pasport Ekspres. 



2. Josiah Hogan sebagai Umar Ghazi. Nama watak Umar Ghazi is named after my cousin's baby boy. He's 3 months old.


3. Tuan Faisal sebagai Roslan Mahmud. Watak Cikgu Roslan Mahmud cikgu bahasa kebangsaan, berdasarkan daripada watak sebenar my high school teacher, Cikgu Roslan. Dia guru Bahasa Malaysia.


4. Shooting hampir dibatalan disebabkan aktor asal untuk watak Ghazi muka bengkak selepas cabut gigi 12 jam sebelum bertolak ke Perlis.

5. After 6 hours trying to get a replacement, god sent Josiah Hogan 3 hours before train ride to Perlis.

6. We did script reading and rehearsal dalam train. Nasib baik wardrobe for Josiah boleh muat.

7. Selain homage to my hometown Perlis, Pasport Ekspres pays tribute to Allahyarham Dato' Ahmad Jais, Tan Sri S.M Salim, Usman Awang & Layar Lara.

"Jangan lupa lagu Ahmad Jais! Hidup Bukan Untuk Derita.."
8. My father is a big fan of Ahmad Jais. Dulu kalau masuk kereta mesti pasang lagu2 60an 70an. Sekarang dia dengar Sinar FM.

9. Lokasi pengambaran selama 2 hari di Perlis: Padang Melangit, Wang Kelian, Tasik Timah Tasoh & Ladang Tebu Chuping (kawasan paling panas di Malaysia dengan suhu mencecah hampir 41°C).


10. "Jiwa aku lebih sesuai kat sini.. Lagipun orang kat sini masih cakap dalam bahasa kebangsaan" -Cikgu Roslan. Watak Cikgu Roslan ibarat kritik diri saya sendiri. Dulu suka sastera melayu seperti karya Usman Awang. Sekarang tweet pun in english.

 12. Scene Ali tgk wayang filem Layar Lara hari raya pertama memang daripada pengalaman sebenar. Lepas menonton kat Panggung Kapitol Kangar terus bercita2 nak jadi pengarah filem macam watak Malik lakonan Sidi Oraza. 


11. Watak Ali suka berimaginasi memang berdasarkan pengalaman sendiri. Dulu lepas tengok XX-Ray terus imagine UFO kat ladang tebu.


 13. Shooting dalam train terpaksa dibikin secara gerila (tanpa kebenaran) selepas permohonan penggambaran dalam train dibekukan.

14. Gang Projek Disko Baldi Iedil Putra, Tuan Faisal & Redza Minhat (the narrator's voice) ada dalam Pasport Ekspres. Im a big fan of PDB!

9.  Pasport Ekspres is a very personal short film. This is how I see the world. These 3 characters are based on my life experience.

ALI: Aku rasa aku banyak berangan daripada bikin filem. Aku pun tak sure dengan masa depan aku.
CIKGU ROSLAN: Jangan takut dengan masa depan.


My personal favourite scene. A homage to one of my favourite movies, Garden State.



PASPORT EKSPRES written & directed by Rewan Ishak for Astro My Hometown Channel 318 (from 31 August - 17 September 2012) to celebrate his hometown, Perlis this Merdeka Day.

PRODUCED BY RED FILMS.

IEDIL PUTRA as ALI
JOSIAH HOGAN as UMAR GHAZI
TUAN FAISAL as ROSLAN MAHMUD

DIRECTOR / WRITER: Rewan Ishak
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Lina Tan
PRODUCER: Idora Al-Habshi
D.O.P: Saifuddin Musa
EDITOR: Rewan Ishak
GRAPHICS / VISUAL FX / COLOURIST: Rewan Ishak
AUDIOMAN: Aween Adly
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Faliq Sharif
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Krip Zulkarnain
CONTI / MAKE UP: Mariana Shahira
PRODUCTION ASSISTAN: Jay Tan
2nd UNIT CAMERA: Rafiq Ghazali & Rohaizudden Abdul Hamid

Untuk sebarang perbincangan atau mention di twitter: #pasportekspres
Or you can follow me: @rewanishak

Selamat menonton,
Rewan Ishak

P/S: Selamat berpuasa. Yes I'm back to blogging :)


9 comments:

  1. Assalam dan selamat pagi...

    Orang yang mngenali ko tahu apa kebolehan ko...Selamat berjaya...Selamat berRamadhan dan Selamat Menyambut Aidilfitri...

    Mr CurahCahayaCeria a.k.a AJOY

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  2. tak sabar, tak sabar, tak sabarrrrrrrrrrr. *pengsan

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  3. dekat mana boleh tengok pasport express ni ek selain dekat astro ? :)

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  4. dekat mana boleh tengok pasport express selain dekat astro ek ? :)

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  5. watched it justnow..nice one,congrats!

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  6. Hi Rewan,

    Is there any other way to see this short film besides Youtube? It seems to be blocked in the US based on copyright grounds. Thanks very much in advance

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  7. after watching pasport ekspres multiple times, the trivia makes the film even more charming.

    all the best to you and your future endeavours!

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  8. sempoylah orang perelihhh...kami bangga denganmu...

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