What is Sabah film style? – By Hassan Muthalib

Tony Francis Gitom believes that language is an essential substance in his telemovies to show Sabahan identity. He said, “If we talk about Sabah content, we include our essence, our language, our culture, our life hood”. For him, the use of Sabah local language in his works is an essential part of presenting authentic local Sabah character and situations. For Tony, the use of Sabah local language is a method to represent and uphold his own culture. The use of local language as an important tool in storytelling is also agreeable to other Sabahan filmmakers such as Alfred Ujin and Marc Abas. They too agree that Sabahan local language can make their films distinct from other films, and especially from the mainstream films from Malaya.

Feature Film Productions of Sabah

AVAKAS (Marc Abas, 2020)
An elderly man doesn’t share the same belief as everyone else of the existence of a modern-day head-hunter called Pangait. He believes that a head-hunter is a warrior, one who doesn’t take pleasure in beheading humans. It is a reason he has kept secret. He is that warrior himself, as evidenced by the battle scar on his neck and collection of skulls in his room. And he goes by the name Avakas.

SILENCE OF THE 177 (Marc Abas, 2023)
The story is set in the aftermath of WW2 which had a devastating effect on Sabah. Three boys, Akak, Tobob and Iko, seek vengeance for the 177 members of the Kinabalu Guerrillas that died at the hands of the Japanese occupiers on 21st Jan 1944 in Petagas, Sabah.

THE RISE OF LION (Michelle Xin, 2022)
The story is set in the aftermath of WW2 which had a devastating effect on Sabah. Three boys, Akak, Tobob and Iko, seek vengeance for the 177 members of the Kinabalu Guerrillas that died at the hands of the Japanese occupiers on 21st Jan 1944 in Petagas, Sabah.

HUMINODUN (Aaron Cown, 2017)
When Ponompuan’s brother Ponompulan turns the people against their creators, Kinoingan and Sumundu scourge the land. Ponompuan endeavours to save them. She brings the people back to the worship of their gods and saves them from the famine, bringing the bounty of produce that Sabah currently enjoys. But this comes at a terrible personal cost to her.

NAMATAI: FROM KINABALU WITH LOVE (Martin Malalin, 2023)
During the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, a local village girl saves an English officer who was being hunted by the Japanese soldiers. He returns to England when the war finally ends but later, he manages to come back to Sabah to find the village girl who had saved his life.

KK KNOCKOUT (Yuri Faizis Mejal, 2023)
Putra is a gentle hairstylist who always seem to be a loser. He loves Laila but is scared of expressing his feelings. Assaulted by some thugs, he is cured by a silat kuntao grandmaster. Putra now begins his journey in the martial arts, all the while hoping to get the woman of his dreams. Putra is now an exceptional fighter. The news reaches the cunning leader of Kota Kinabalu Gangsters. Putra is forced into a game of deadly underground fights with Laila as the collateral bet.

MARIA (Ryot Ujin, 2023)
Maria’s childhood turns dark when she loses her parents in a hit-and-run accident caused by a rich young couple. The trauma of the incident results in Maria holding a grudge against the rich. Up to her teenage years, everything is beautiful with her lover Randy but their love is problematic due to differences in social status. Maria’s old grudge resurfaces when Randy instead marries a beautiful young woman from a rich family.

TRIBESMAN: THE LAST RED HUNTER (Mohd Rashid Abu Bakar, 2023)
When Azhar mysteriously emerges in a foreign land, he is captured by the natives and imprisoned for being a bringer of calamity to them. One night, he is set free by a native girl. Confused and exhausted, he runs until he passes out. A mute native youth saves him and he integrates into his tribe. But he must find his way back to his reality and his own time. A story initially inspired by the mighty Murut warrior, Antanom, but the legendary local story raised more questions than answers.

CRAZE BELOW THE WIND (Katak Chua, 2022)
When his troublemaker sister gets in trouble, Ah Long is tasked with smuggling and safely delivering a mysterious luggage in order to save her. To do this, he has to travel with the luggage from Tawau all the way to Kota Kinabalu. But while doing so, he accidentally cuffs the luggage to Aisha`s wrist. Now the two of them must work together if they want to survive, especially with both the criminals and the police coming after them.

SINAKAGON (Timothy Stephens, 2023)
A story of a girl who offers herself to be sacrificed in order to save her people from natural disasters. The film portrays the rich culture of the Kadazandusun-Murut community. According to legend, Huminodun was the daughter of shaman Kinoingan and Suminundu, renowned for her kindness and wisdom. When famine strikes, Kinoingan learns that the only way to save his people is to sacrifice his daughter. Despite the heart-wrenching decision, she agrees.

MAD MAMAI (Marc Abas, 2024)
A drunkard father has long been separated from his son. Over time, the son is adopted by a millionaire who is also the leader of a gang. The son is due to receive an inheritance from his mother. The millionaire sends his gang to kill the son. The real father discovers the plot and tries to save his son.

Feature Film Directors of Sabah (2017-2024)