To many Malaysians, Yasmin Ahmad was a celebrated filmmaker and the creator of many “feel-good” festive advertisements.

But to those closest to her, Yasmin was a visionary whose works helped Malaysians imagine a nation that embraces diversity and overcomes prejudice.

These were among the thoughts shared during a discussion after the screening of Yasmin’s 2008 drama "Muallaf" in Kuala Lumpur by the film’s actors and her family members on Monday night, in conjunction with the eighth anniversary of her passing.

“Ultimately, she had the courage and vision to present that idea and put it in people's head to say there is another Malaysia that is possible, one that is open-minded, tolerant and curious about the other,” Brian Yap told Malaysiakini.

“Muallaf” (The Convert) tells the tale of two devout Muslim teenage sisters and how their lives intersect with their History teacher Brian, a non-Muslim.

For Yap, who played Brian, Yasmin’s work had helped Malaysians view themselves in a different light.

"As a country, I think we now miss someone who first articulated a vision of Malaysia that is different from what most people thought their daily lives were like," he said.

Tony Savarimuthu (photo), who played the role of the headmaster, Anthony, said “Muallaf” had helped converge Malaysia’s disparate narratives in one story.

"Malaysia is a country that is still a work in progress. What we try to see in the movie is different aspects of Malaysia. You get a huge amount of diversity - religious diversity, racial diversity and more.

"(This is a) unique country with so many different points of view. ('Muallaf') how they all congregate to form one country. She just wants to observe life as a storyteller," Tony said.

Religion is an oft-repeated theme in many of Yasmin's movies, with "Muallaf" further engaging with the themes of friendship, forgiveness and fortitude.

Rohana, the younger of the two sisters in the movie, was considered to be weird by other movie characters due to her habit of quoting the Quran.

Sharifah Aleysha (photo, right), who played Rohana, explained how some of the lines in the movie have made a positive impact in her real life.

"It has followed my life for the last 10 years. Every time I have issues or am trying to figure something out... I find myself going back to 10 years ago and hearing myself saying that," she said.

Crafted characters based on real personalities

According to the panellists, Yasmin was said to have crafted the movie characters based on the real personalities of the actors.

"She insisted she saw something in me. She wanted me to represent this character she was developing, even though I was generally a self-conscious and shy person.

"It was an opportunity that very few people would have turned down," said Yap.

Yasmin's sister Orked Ahmad (photo) said it pleased her family that 40 people turned up to watch "Muallaf".

"Most of Yasmin's movies saw only a few people in the cinema. You could count the number of heads. The movies were not blockbusters, except for 'Sepet', but it only played at nine cinemas, and for about a week or 10 days," she said.

Yasmin's family owned the rights to only two of her movies - "Muallaf" and "Sepet". The screening for the 2005 hit-movie "Sepet" will take place in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 31.

To a question from the floor on how to encourage the younger generation to appreciate Yasmin's work, Yap suggested that there should be efforts to sell her books and promote her blog.

Orked said that her plans to keep Yasmin's legacy alive included releasing recordings and footages of the late filmmaker.

"I recently have tapes that I have taken of her singing and of her speaking. I want to make that into a documentary," she said.

Ten years have passed since the first screening of "Muallaf". However, its significance will continue and not fade into history.

"Despite it being 10 years or more, I believe it still connects with the people. Stories like these are timeless," Yap said.