A 60-minute documentary about the Dusun Tatana ethnicity will boost tourism, preserve heritage and also prove the capabilities of local producers in Sabah.
Persatuan Tatana Sabah president Tan Sri Wences Angang said he is hoping the production “Inherent Tribe Tatana” directed by Sabahan Chester Pang will win awards at international film festivals.
The film is about the Dusun Tatana people from Kuala Penyu, which is about 110 kilometres from here.
It documents the ethnic origins based on traditional literature and oral stories, to the challenges they face today in preserving their culture and customs for the future generation.
“It is a good production and has potential. If the film wins (awards), it will benefit Sabah in terms of tourism as the Dusun Tatana people will get more exposure and be known by those who watch it.
“For the younger generation of the Tatana people, they will also be more satisfied and proud (of their identity).
“The documentary also proves that local production companies are capable of producing quality documentaries,” said Wences, who is also the former Sabah Cultural Board chairman.
He was speaking to reporters after the technical preview of the documentary at a cinema here yesterday. Present were Pang and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) general manager Viviantie Sarjuni.
As the documentary is partially funded by the National Film Development Corp (FINAS), Pang added that the team has to take part in prestigious international film festivals such as in Busan, Tokyo, Vancouver, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Jakarta, Shen Zhen, United Kingdom as well as Taiwan.
“For this documentary, we only spent about RM280,000 (from various sponsors), which is one third of our estimated budget.
“It involved 25 crew and about 80 Kuala Penyu people as the actors and actresses.
“We are planning to air it for public viewing next year either through local television networks, online platforms or even with Netflix,” he said, adding that he hopes to get a bigger budget to produce higher quality documentaries in future.
Meanwhile, Viviantie said that Scenic has always been supporting creative talents by providing training and commercialising them into the relevant industries.
As for Pang, she added that the centre would also provide financial support in terms of international festival participation fees and logistics.
-by Olivia Miwil NST May 12, 2022
