In Memory of Yasmin Ahmad, the Story Teller

The Story Teller

That's the name she gave herself for her blogs right here on Blogger, Yasmin - The Story Teller and Yasmin - The Story Teller Part 2. Indeed, what a master story teller she was.

Just one month after the passing of the world's beloved and irreplaceable King of Pop, our country lost one bright star who had been captivating not just us but advertisement and film lovers around the world with her mastery of telling stories of human relations and emotions. We lost the beautiful person Yasmin Ahmad.

I first knew about Yasmin before she became a film-maker. One of Malaysian women magazines did a feature on the important figures in the world of advertising in our country. That was when I first saw her picture. With her long straight hair and her warm unmistakable smile. She was already a highly respected prominent advertising figure in the world at the time, working for Leo Burnett. In the article, her creative partner talked about the respect they had for each other and how they were perfect working together as a team.

Famous for her award-winning Petronas advertisement series, I was excited when I heard that she was venturing into movie-making. She didn't disappoint me. I had long been disillusioned by the industry in Malaysia at the time and she was a welcome breath of fresh air. If it wasn't for her, other indie film-makers here would have had an even harder time trying to break through. It's the bureaucracy. Heck, even Yasmin herself wasn't spared of the attack from those so-called Malaysian cultural 'preservers'.



Last night, TV3 paid a tribute to her by screening her award-winning story of an innocent first love Mukhsin. You watch this and you'll long for that kind of sweet first romance before your life started turning topsy-turvy, a journey we call adulthood.

Sweet romance at its best*smile*

....and he asked her to promise not to cut her beautiful hair...*sigh*

Somehow, it reminds me of the time when my last ex (a movie lover) told me how the ending to Yasmin's movie Sepet left him dumb-founded because the character Jason was pictured dead and yet there was his voice answering the telephone when the then teenager Orked called.

I explained to him my interpretation of the scene. I said that Yasmin's film is about the message it wants to convey. The message in Sepet is 'love that transcends all barriers'. Races, religions, cultures. Even death. Therefore, the way I saw her message was "Our love transcends all and even when I'm dead, my soul will find yours".

I remember my ex's face lighting up as if the last piece of a puzzle he couldn't find had been put into place.

Indeed Kak Yasmin. Your soul found ours with your work and may your legacy live on.