25° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL

The Elephant and the Sea

The Elephant and the Sea
by Woo Ming Jin
Country: Malaysia, Netherlands
Year: 2007
Duration: 95'


The life of two people who live in a small village on the coast of Malaysia, which was hit by a strange epidemic after a big flood. Yu Ding earns a living by causing minor traffic accidents and then having the unlucky tourists pay for his breakdown service. The fisherman Ah Ngau returns home after many days at sea and discovers that his wife has died. But since the village is under quarantine he moves to the nearby city and meets a prostitute who reawakens his sexual drive.

“I wrote this film as a personal reflection of the county I knew growing up. In 1999, an epidemic struck my hometown of Ipoh, and wiped out the pig farming industry. It also killed over a hundred people. [...] It’s a small film with universal themes that are familiar to us. The people in the film, just like many in real life, are stuck at a juncture in their lives, not smart enough to know the answers to solve their predicaments, yet the inherent inertia that is life will spur them on. Good or bad, life will go on.”

Biography

film director

Ming Jin Woo

(Ipoh, Malaysia, 1976) received a scholarship from San Diego State University to study film and television production in 1999. While studying, he made several short films and music videos that have screened in international festivals. He has directed television shows, commercials, and worked on other independent films, including being the director of photography for Amir Muhammad’s The Big Durian (2004). His debut feature film Monday Morning Glory (2006), premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, was invited to several festivals including Berlin and Locarno.

FILMOGRAFIA

Mina in Perfection (cm, 2002), Love for Dogs (cm, 2003), It’s Possible Your Heart Cannot Be Broken (cm, 2006), Salon (cm, 2005), Lampu merah mati (Monday Morning Glory, 2006), The Elephant and the Sea (2007).

Cast

& Credits

regia, sceneggiatura, scenografia/director, screenplay, set design Woo Ming Jin
fotografia/director of photography Chan Hai Liang
montaggio/film editor Kok Kai Foong
musica/music Ronnie Khoo
interpreti e personaggi/cast and characters Berg Lee (Yun Ding), Chung Kok Keong (Ah Ngau), Ng Meng Hui (Su Ling), Cheong Wai Loon (Long Chai), Tan Chui Mui (il pescivendolo/fish shopkeeper), Beatle Yap (l’uomo triste/sad man)
produttore/producer Tomoko Ueda, Woo Ming Jin
produzione, distribuzione, vendita all’estero/production, distribution, world sales Greenlight Pictures, Maverick Media
coproduzione/coproduction Hubert Bals Fund

TFF

prizes

TORINO 25

Jury Special Prize

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