Bruneian director wants to hit big screen

IF A picture is worth a thousand words, then surely, a video must be worth a million more? Whether it's shooting videos or editing footage to tell a powerful tale, Reza Mustappa has a vision in his head to work towards. He is known locally as the director who shot the video for local group, MicBandits, but by day Reza works as a systems engineer in SiPadu. He has a quiet and thoughtful presence about him, however, when he talks about his work, his love for it is evident as he speaks about it with passion. One of his recent videos, a short film entitled Negaraku Brunei Darussalam, which can be found on Youtube, was an edit of footage shot during the recent National Day celebrations, is an example of his innate talent of storytelling through the medium.

He takes the viewer on a visual journey, using Kampong Ayer and its ambient sounds as an introduction, which is followed by moving scenes of the participants and the atmosphere at Taman Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien. One could interpret it as if Brunei emerged from the humble beginnings of Kampong Ayer, to become the proud nation of patriotic citizens today.

"It is very subjective, as I see the beginning as a little bit dark, while we're walking through Kampong Ayer. I really don't know what I'm going to capture on film until the day itself, but once I go into editing and look at the footage, I can start to see what I have and try to edit it in a certain way," he says.

"Seeing people from all walks of life, lining up in a common goal shows a kind of patriotism, but at the same time, it's almost like they're trying to find some kind of fulfillment, finding true meaning in what it means to be Bruneian."

The video itself has had very enthusiastic responses from Youtube. "It makes me miss Brunei," said one viewer who is currently based in London. Another viewer said that he thinks that Reza has the potential to become the first Bruneian to direct a major feature film.

"I would like a future career in the filmmaking industry, just to simply be able to do what I love." Though he has had some directing experience under his belt, Reza doesn't think he is worthy of the title director just yet, "I still see myself as an amateur filmmaker. Being a director is a big job, as you have to manage many aspects of the film."

His interest in filmmaking had humble beginnings. When he was younger, Reza and his cousins decided to use the family DV camera to make kung-fu fight scenes and stop motion videos. As a child, he wanted to become a director, similar to the likes of Steven Spielberg. Though he took a course in Multimedia at university to study modules in filmmaking, most of what he knows is self-taught and knowledge gleaned from peers who have similar interests.

"There is a small community of filmmakers in Brunei, people who are interested in many different genres. We learn and help each other, it's how we get better at what we do."

After work and on his days off, one is likely to find Reza behind the lens, capturing his vision. He is currently in the process of filming and editing another video for local band, Hebii Metaru. Besides filming and editing, he also dabbles a bit in music, as he scores his own films as well.

He has set lofty goals for himself in the future. "I aspire to be able to make a feature film. Perhaps in 10 to 20 years, if I can get the funding or if I have the money. Considering the finance that goes into making a movie, it's a huge goal to achieve."

"Countries like Singapore support local filmmakers by funding and producing films with local content to promote the country, and it's sent to film festivals around the world. It would be good if we could do the same for our country in the future."

Reza hopes that one of the local filmmakers will go out and set the standard for the country.

"People are moved by films. They are absorbed in the story for a moment in time. That is the power of cinema, when you are able to tell a story and people can take something from it. It would be great if one person here could make something amazing and inspire the rest to do the same."

The Brunei Times