10/03/2026
chi too, a Malaysian social filmmaker, reliable and trusted comrade and dear friend
Many have celebrated chi too as an artist and friend.
We also want to remember and honour chi too as someone who had contributed and enriched the practise of social filmmaking in Malaysia.
As a young filmmaker, chi too had a hand in many of FreedomFilmFest grant winners’ films including Invisible children (Hariati Azizan, 2006), Kopi O Khau (Andrew Sia, 2006), Hak Dinafikan (Abri Chupil, Shafie Dris, 2010), Tauke Mancis dan Minyak Tumpah (Sheridan Mahavera, Siti Nurbaiyah, 2010). Many of the film grant winners were first time filmmakers and chi too had supported them technically to use a tripod, shoot, record sound, edit, and whatever else the situation required.
“chi too helped us out during a particularly difficult part of the production of Tauke Mancis(film). I was very worried for my and co-director Siti Nurbaiyah's safety as we had to record visuals of a neighborhood that was an essential part of the story but some its residents did not want us to be there. chi too, who was our videographer, calmed me down. He then confidently but safely took over the production and got us the visuals we needed. It was more than a decade ago but i still remember how we glided into the neighbourhood in his car with him the wheel - one hand on the steering and the other holding up a camera one-handed to record the journey.“ - Sheridan, co-director, Tauke Mancis dan Minyak Tumpah
chi too was passionate about the protection of the environment, nature and the rights of the Indigenous People in Sarawak. In collaboration with Hilary Chiew, they produced What Rainforest?(2009), Delaying Justice (2009), and Penusah Tana(2010).
He supported films on difficult but critical issues such as the death penalty, Death In Dilemma (S-ploited, 2011) and on democracy in Malaysia, Selepas Tsunami, (Anna Har, Brenda Danker, 2009) and Melawan Arus, (Arul Prakkash, 2018)
In 2024, he together with director Feisal Azzizudin, re-visited a Indigenous Kenyah village in Sarawak that was relocated because of the construction of the Bakun Dam three decades ago. This film, Nge Pali Adat Lepo premiered at the FreedomFilmFest 2024.
Thank you chi too for being a part of so many of our journeys to tell unseen, unheard, untold social justice stories of Malaysia. We love you and will miss you dearly.
