Filmmakers behind 'Anwar, the Untold Story' share their experiences

About 15 to 20 years ago political cartoonist Zunar (Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque) had planned to make a movie on Anwar Ibrahim.

In 2012, he saw the movie ‘Rayya, Cahaya D Atas Cahaya’ which was written and directed by Indonesian filmmaker Viva Westi.

“It was a philosophical film and these types of films don’t do well in Malaysian cinemas. But I thought she would be perfect to direct a film on Anwar. The only problem was I had no way of contacting her,” said Zunar during an interview with Malaysiakini, together with Viva and leading man Farid Kamil.

In August 2021, Viva contacted Zunar out of the blue on social media, introduced herself and spoke about making a film on Anwar. She was familiar with Anwar’s story which was regularly featured in Indonesian media such as articles in Tempo magazine.

Suddenly, Zunar’s dream of making the movie was coming to fruition but they had difficulty finding a Malaysian actor to play Anwar.

“We can use Indonesian actors to play supporting characters but needed a Malaysian actor to play Anwar, especially when it came to the way he talks,” Zunar explained.

Unfortunately, the actors he approached turned down the offer with excuses such as not being interested or too afraid.

“So I had a friend, Farid Kamil, whom I have known for years. I contacted him via Zoom in August 2021 and asked him if he wanted to play Anwar. He said yes,” said Zunar.

Shooting for the movie ‘Anwar, the Untold Story’ began in September 2021 and the locations used were in Jakarta and Kalimantan, with sets representing Anwar’s home in Bukit Damansara, Permatang Pauh, the jail cell and even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's office building.

Suffice it to say the budget for this movie is by no means small, but Zunar was unable to disclose how much was spent and who the financiers were.

Zunar said they could not do it in Malaysia as they needed permission from Finas to do so and that would have involved a lot of hassle.

‘Anwar, the Untold Story’ will focus on his life between 1993 and 1998. Zunar said that the reason is that he wanted to focus on Anwar’s battle against corruption and how that eventually led to him being jailed for the first time. It was something relevant then and it is something that Anwar is still fighting now.

Playing the role of Anwar’s political nemesis Mahathir is actor Hasnul Rahmat, who was previously supposed to play the same character in a movie that failed to take off.

The filmmakers and Farid had met Anwar in person. Turns out there were other offers to make a film or documentary on Anwar, but he declined to be featured in any of them.

Zunar is quick to stress that ‘Anwar, the Untold Story’ is not a biopic but an important aspect of his political journey.

Directing Anwar’s story

Viva said that she was familiar with Anwar’s rise as a politician, based on media coverage in Indonesia and that most of what was written about him was generally positive.

“There are so many magazines that featured Anwar and some were top tier ones that not only write news pieces but also do a lot of research on their subject, such as Anwar.

“So we know Anwar, even though there are so many polemics here (Malaysia) about sodomy and so on, I think in Indonesia most people don't believe things like that.

“That's why Anwar's recent trip to Jakarta and when he visited Indonesia after he was released from prison, he was greeted with great respect. He was treated like a good friend,” said Viva.

As a director, Viva said she learnt to stand her grounds against concerns over the subject matters of her films, including a love story titled ‘May’ that was released in 2008, based on incidents surrounding racial riots largely targeting Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese minority that peaked on May 13, 1998.

With a shared history of political uprisings in the same year, Viva said she chose to end Anwar’s movie in 1998, prior to his first sodomy trial.

“Why 1998? Because for me, something that was very painful for Indonesians in 1998, maybe also for Anwar in that same year - that amount of extraordinary pain will usually result in something good,” said Viva, revealing she was then one of hundreds and thousands of students who brought down Indonesia's second president, Suharto, after decades in power.

She was initially unsure if she could travel to Kuala Lumpur and shoot the film. But when she contacted Zunar, who wanted to make the film, she managed to get the film crew she wanted.

“When we were on a video call with Anwar (in August or September 2021), my crew very confidently said 'we support you'. That was two years ago. That makes me feel that we know him and are not influenced by the news here.”

They did not have a particular target release date although Zunar is aiming for the movie to hit the cinemas during the Hari Raya festivities in April this year. But first, it has to go through the Censorship Board.

Viva said that she was not interested in making a propaganda film or something that would promote Anwar during Malaysia’s 15th general election.

“I made this film with the intention that people will get to know him as he really is,” explained Viva.

If it doesn’t get released in cinemas, she is fine with it being available on YouTube. But there are plans to make it available to the public via streaming services. Zunar also said that they plan to screen the movie at international festivals.

They are also prepared for the worst-case scenario, which is the movie being banned from cinemas.

Firm believer

The script, written by Viva, took nine months to write, with 80 percent of the information coming from Zunar. Viva’s husband Mohammed Nolizam is the producer while Zunar has taken on the role of executive producer.

The movie is about two hours in length and Viva admits that they could not fit everything that happened during that time. That is why they decided to tell the story from Anwar’s viewpoint and his relationship with his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is played by Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa.

Viva said she is a firm believer that every movie has its own “fate” and she had to convince Zunar, who was initially sceptical after failures to land the lead role, before they contacted Farid.

“When I met Farid for the first time I knew without a doubt that he was perfect for the role, although there were friends in KL who recommended other actors. I told them ‘no’, I want him,” said Viva whose past credits include directing the biopic of Indonesian hero, Jenderal Soedirman.

To keep things as authentic as possible, even the clothes and shoes the characters wore in the movie were all purchased in Malaysia. Viva explained that Malaysian and Indonesian tastes vary in terms of fashion.

Viva related a funny incident that took place while shooting near a river in Kalimantan which was to represent a trip to Sungai Rajang in Sarawak when Anwar was education minister.

She said the location was almost identical to Sungai Rajang, Sarawak, right down to the crocodile-infested waters.

At that time, although Anwar successfully got enough support to become prime minister, he had not been sworn in.

With the lack of cell reception, the cast and crew had no idea what was going on back in Malaysia, as they took a final group photograph on the last day on set.

“Coincidentally, the exact moment Anwar was being sworn in, I fell off the ladder and landed on the floating platform. I was injured and bleeding. My face was hurt and there was blood,’ Viva recalled.

“Then a friend managed to get through and said that Anwar has been sworn in as prime minister and he wants to distribute my film. The pain went away. Anwar went up and I fell down,” she laughs.

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