Multiculturalism in Malaysian cinema a case study of Yasmin Ahmad's Films

The paper explores the national films of Malaysia, with afocus on Sepet and TalenTime, directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Both films won numerous awards in the Malaysian Film Festival, as well as international awards. However, Sepet aroused arguments among members of the censorship board and government due to the unconventional approach taken to deal with racial interaction and multiculturalism in Malaysia. Sepet and TalenTime were both like a breath offresh air for Malaysian cinema, which is known for its emphasis primarily on entertainment. Sepet was filmed using a very different filmic style from those to which Malaysians are accustomed, but it was the issues that Yasmin addressed that drew enormous attention and acclaim across the country, and the film was an instant hit. This paper gives an exposition of some of the mainfeatures of these films, emphasizing the interest of these films in exploring the richness possible in multi-racial encounter.