Received an email from filmmaker Tony Pietra few days ago regarding a new local BM-language TV series called Dark City (no relation to THAT other movie), which he was involved in making with other indie filmmakers like Khai Bahar, Virginia Kennedy and Johan John.
Viewership's been low due to the lack of marketing and promotion. In order to ensure the survival of this show, I'll help increase some awareness of this series.
Friends of mine have always accused local indie filmmakers for being much too self-indulgent and inaccessible, making inaccessible arthouse films aimed more for festivals and awards than actual viewing. Stereotyping? Or truth?
For this series, many of these filmmakers will be trying to reach out for a wider audience. I'm not sure whether it'll be good or not, but I don't think it'll hurt to give them all a chance.
NICHE FILMS present DARK CITY, a local 13-episode series playing on Astro RIA every Wednesday at 10:30pm (followed by repeats throughout the week).
In the tradition of omnibus shows like ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS andTHE TWILIGHT ZONE, DARK CITY brings you various tales of the macabre with a distinctly Malaysian flavor ... ranging from supernatural horror to psychological thrillers, and black comedies to noir-ish suspense.
With a roster of local cutting-edge directors such as Khai Bahar, Keith Chong, Johan John, Virginia Kennedy, N'aa Murad, Tony Pietra,and Rob Nevis, DARK CITY aims to break new ground in Malaysian TVdramas. So if you're looking for a full 30 minutes of homegrown thrills and chills , give DARK CITY a chance ... you might be in for a surprise!
In the next episode of DARK CITY (Wednesday/June 27, 10:30pm, Astro RIA):
DEATH ROW: A taut prison thriller set in an alternate Southeast Asian country ... and beyond the grave. Directed by Cyberjaya-award winning filmmaker Tony Pietra (and live-action director on the AIM-award winning Pete Teo music video LOST IN AMERICA) and written by Allan Koay, with a score by AIM-award winning electro-rock artist Rabbit.
The week after:
CELLPHONE: A tale of showbiz murder with our favorite daily gadget as the centerpiece. Written and directed by the Anugerah Skrin Award-winning Khairil M. Bahar (CIPLAK).
If you still need some convincing to watch this week's episode by Tony, check out the AIM-award winning Pete Teo music video LOST IN AMERICA he co-directed.
Pete Teo's LOST IN AMERICA music video
Good stuff huh?
The Dark City TV series may or may not have anything to do with the local anthology book by Xeus. On this entry written back in April, she was having some negotiations with the production company in which she would be credited for (I think) inspiring the series, but she wouldn't be getting any money for the rights (production company claimed to be working on a very tight budget). However, she was also asked to write three episodes for them as well (RM1100 for each).
Xeus turned them down the first time, I'm not sure how renegotiation went. There hadn't been any mention (nor endorsing) about the TV series in Xeus' subsequent blog entries (which hadn't been updated for a month). Otherwise, I would've been rather interested to see what the other local literary bloggers like Sharon, Ted, Tunku Halim, or Kenny Mah have to say about the show.
My offer's simple (this isn't directed only to the aforementioned literary bloggers). Review this Wednesday's episode, inform me (or link to me) and I'll post another entry linking to all reviews of the show (yes, be it praises or merciless ripping). See how things will go.
So, May Zhee, you wanna do this?
If I have the time, I probably try to catch DEATH ROW this Wednesday and see whether this is a show worth following.
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