Award-winning Malaysian independent filmmaker Tan Chui Mui will inject her award-winning talent into the anti-Lynas campaign by producing a series of parody educational videos titled "Survival Guide in Radioactive Village".

tan chui mei and shunji iwai Tan ( right in photo ) hails from Kampung Sungai Ular, Kuantan, a Malay fishing village 11km away from Gebeng, where the controversial Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) is located.

The Beijing-based filmmaker returned to Malaysia recently, and will produce the short films together with another local independent filmmaker, Liew Seng Tat, who directed the award-winning feature film 'Flower In The Pocket'.

japanese movie love letter Tan's initiative is also supported by acclaimed Japanese director Shunji Iwai ( above, on left ) who directed the box-office hit 'Love Letter'. They met while serving as jury at a film festival in 2009.

Iwai is currently filming 'Friends after 3.11', an anti-nuclear documentary based on the Japanese nuclear crisis triggered by the earthquake and tsunami of Mar 11 this year.

The potential hazards of radiation contamination from a rare earth plant, as well as an interview with Tan in Kampung Sungai Ular, will be featured in Iwai’s documentary.

NONE Sendai, the city affected by the nuclear meltdown, is where Iwai grew up.

The documentary will be released in Japan and on Iwai's official website on Oct 1.

In 2007, Tan was honoured with the Tiger Award in the 36th International Film Festival at Rotterdam with her debut feature film 'Love Conquers All', which has been screened at over 100 international film festivals.

She has also received awards in two prestigious global short film festivals, namely the Oberhausen Short Film Festival and Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.

'I have to do something'

In a short posting on her micro-blogging website entitled 'If Not Now, Then When?', Tan explained her decision to join the campaign as answering the call of duty.

“My country needs me... Since Independence, Malaysia has never experienced such a strong public uproar.

NONE "Now the rare earth plant in my hometown is going to start operating soon and will release large amounts of radioactive waste. Time is running out, I have to do something. Therefore I will not go back to Beijing before Sept 18," she said.

The federal government had approved for the construction of the RM700 million plant and granted the company a 12-year tax exemption.

The expose by the New York Times sparked off widespread opposition in the Kuantan area over the clandestine nature of the deal and lack of public consultation.

Two pressure groups were then formed by the local residents to spearhead the anti-Lynas campaign.

In an attempt to silence criticisms, the federal government brought in a panel from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which proceeded to give the Lynas plant the green light.

The federal government subsequently said, however, that it would withhold granting Lynas an operating licence until the company fulfils 11 conditions set by the IAEA.