Amir Muhammad (born 5 December 1972) is a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n writer and independent filmmaker.

Life and career

He was born on 5 December 1972 in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

to civil servant Muhammad Abdullah and housewife Asiah Kechik. He was educated at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

with a degree in Law, though he never did his

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

but rather worked in his sponsoring company's legal company for nine months. He had also written for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...

, where he had worked there as a part timer under several editors. He had a dedicated column there from 1995 until it was stopped in 1999 during the general elections as the column was considered to be "unhelpful to the government in its bid to win the elections." Amir took up filmmaking on the encouragement of film director

U-Wei Haji Saari U-Wei Haji Saari is a Malaysian film director. He first gained international attention with '' The Arsonist'' (more known by its Malay name ''Kaki Bakar''), the first Malaysian film to enter the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. Career Director H ...

after interviewing the latter during his part-time job as the latter's film ''Perempuan, Isteri Dan...?'' was released in 1993. In 2000, he wrote and directed Malaysia's first DV feature. Some of his works have also been featured in a number of international film festivals including the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

and the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. Two of his films, Apa Khabar Orang Kampung and ''

The Last Communist ''The Last Communist'' ( ms, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir) is a 2006 Malaysian film described by director Amir Muhammad as a "semi-musical documentary". It is inspired by the leader of the disbanded Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng and the Malay ...

'' have been banned in Malaysia. A full retrospective of his work was screened at the 2008 Pesaro Film Festival, Italy. He is a partner at

Da Huang Pictures Da Huang Pictures is a Malaysian film production company. It was established in 2004 and its members are Tan Chui Mui, James Lee, Liew Seng Tat and Amir Muhammad. Its films have been screened in many prestigious international film festivals an ...

. He also publishes books under his companies Matahari Books (started in 2007) and Buku FIXI (since 2011), taking a break from film-making during this time period.

Filmography

Films

* ''Lips to Lips'' (2000) * '' The Big Durian'' (2003) - Special citation, Dragons and Tigers Award in 2004

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

; Special mention, New Asian Currents in 2003

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan ( ). It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and ...

* ''The Year of Living Vicariously'' (2005) * ''Tokyo Magic Hour'' (2005) * ''

(Lelaki komunis terakhir)'' (2006) * Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (''Village People Radio Show'') (2007) * ''

Susuk Susuk or charm needles, are needles made of gold or other precious metals, which are inserted into the soft tissues of the body to act as talismans in several communities of Southeast Asia. Susuk has various supposed purposes, ranging from th ...

'' (2008) * ''

Malaysian Gods ''Malaysian Gods'' is a 2009 Malaysian political documentary film directed by Amir Muhammad and produced by Da Huang Pictures. Although not fully banned (unlike the director's last two documentaries), the Malaysian Film Censorship Board disallo ...

'' (2009) * ''Kisah Pelayaran Ke Terengganu'' (2016)

Short films

* ''6horts #1: Lost'' (2002) - Won, Critics prize for Best Asian Digital Film in 2002

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) ( Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform fo ...

(SIFF) * ''6horts #2: Friday'' (2002) * ''6horts #3: Mona'' (2002) * ''6horts #4: Checkpoint'' (2002) * ''6horts #5: Kamunting'' (2002) - Won, Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Digital Short in 2003 SIFF * ''6horts #6: Pangyau'' (2002) *''

The Amber Sexalogy ''The Amber Sexalogy'' is a 2006 Malaysian compilation of six short films by Azharr Rudin. It premiered at the 2006 Singapore International Film Festival. It was distributed in Malaysia on DVD. Content Five out of the six shorts chronicle the ...

'' (2006)

Books

* ''

Yasmin Ahmad Yasmin binti Ahmad (7 January 1958 – 25 July 2009) was a Malaysian film director, writer and scriptwriter. She was the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Her television commercials and films are well known in Malaysia ...

's Films'' ( Matahari Books, 2009) * ''Rojak'' (ZI Publications, 2010) * ''120 Malay Movies'' ( Matahari Books, 2010) * ''

Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things is a series of Malaysian non-fiction books compiled by Amir Muhammad (director) and published by Matahari Books. Each books takes over 100 humorous, unusual or just interesting quotes from actual Malays ...

'' series (Matahari Books)

References

External links

*
Writing by Amir (blog)
* Malaysian film directors Malaysian film producers Alumni of the University of East Anglia 1972 births Living people People from Kuala Lumpur Malaysian writers Asian film producers Malay-language film directors English-language film directors Tamil-language film directors Malaysian experimental filmmakers Malaysian documentary film directors Malaysian documentary film producers 20th-century Malaysian people 21st-century Malaysian people {{Malaysia-bio-stub