AsianPersuasion
Monday, May 17, 2004
Dare To Document
The awards night began with the usual speeches from hosts and sponsors and some musical performances…so Yazid and I had some time to take our minds off the actual awards…we both brought our moms, so they sat on either side of us in the theatre…patiently awaiting “the moment of truth.” Sitting next to my mother had a great calming effect on my heartbeat. Actually, looking back on last night…the only thing I was nervous about was the possibility of having to deliver an acceptance speech, in the event that we won first place! Speaking into microphones and to large audiences terrifies me.
When it finally came time for the winners of our category to be announced, my sweaty little palm clenched tightly around my mom’s hand and I told myself that it would be okay, whatever the result. Suddenly, (during the nominee trailer) we saw one of the feature documentaries, which was supposed to be in the “Professional” category…thrown into our category!!! Yazid, my mom and I all looked at each other in horror and said, “oh no! I didn’t know they were in this category! Nobody will be able to beat Buka Api!” So, Yazid and I were 100% certain that we would not have the slightest chance of winning.
By the time the nominee’s trailer had ended…Yazid and I were sitting at the edge of our seats...with our eyes focused on THE envelop...as the MC ripped it open and boomed…
“the 2nd runner up goes to…Azram!”
Shit! I thought, now we only have a chance for second place.
“and the 1st runner up goes to…Sam Hui!”
Oh No! We thought all hope was lost by then of winning anything…because surely Buka Api would take first place….it is a very brave movie about transsexual sex workers in Malaysia, which made a huge impact on it’s audience during screening.
The room was at a standstill, all I could see or hear was the MC announcing, “And the champions….” I froze. It was totally a Hollywood moment…everything was in slow motion, there was dead silence in the theatre…I can still vividly remember seeing the MC opening the winners envelope…and announcing, “Lydia Lubon and Ahmad Yazid, Sex Education In Malaysia!” A rush of emotion ran through my entire body in that instance. For a few seconds, my own name didn’t register…because I was expecting Buka Api’s Producer’s name to be read aloud…not mine! I couldn’t believe my ears…holy shit…WE WON! I hugged my mom and Yazid and I proceeded onto stage to receive our prize.
So, our documentary won first place in the “Amateur” category at the Freedom Film Fest 2004!!! It was incredible. I actually experienced something I normally watch other filmmakers go though…I never thought that it would happen to me. This is my first film and the second for Yazid. All our hard work has paid off…but even if we didn’t win anything…I would still be incredibly proud of our film.
