During the last few months of my pregnancy, my final project was working on the documentary 'Rising Sun Over Malaya' in collaboration with Novista, the same producers that produced the Highland Towers documentary.
It was a very eye opening and heart wrenching experience. I met people who actually survived working on the death railway, read and watched countless interviews with people who lived through this horrific time in our history. There were several days where I would drive home after work in tears thinking about all the stories of the survivors and how they have spent the rest of their lives trying to move on from the memories.
When we were shooting the re-enactment scenes, I remember watching the shoots and thinking to myself 'we're not making this up! all of this horrible stuff actually happened! this is not some story Lara (the producer) made up for fun. We really are re-enacting what the survivors told us. My God! '
Due to medical reasons I had to leave the project a few weeks before final completion so I am excited to see the final cut this Sunday 15 February 2012 when it premieres on Astro Channel 555 - History Channel 10 pm.
The synopsis of the documentary is as follows
The Second World War in Malaya from 1941-1945 was a time of darkness and despair - where innocent lives were lost and blood ran freely. The Japanese rule with an iron hand, slaughtering tens of thousands of Chinese citizens. They force young women to work as sex slaves, or ‘comfort women’ and trick others into working on the notorious ‘Death Railway’. The people of Malaya struggle for survival. When the Japanese surrender in 1945, Malaya plunges into a period of turmoil that brings it to the brink of civil war. But amidst the fire and ruins, sparks of resilience and courage grew. The painful war experience gave a great impetus to a new awakening. “Rising Sun Over Malaya” tells this little known story through the eyes of the people of Malaysia who had a personal observation of the occupation.
Repeat showings - 16 February -10am : 18 February - 6am
19 February - 9pm : 20 February -8pm : 21 February - 8am
This is a must watch documentary!
It was a very eye opening and heart wrenching experience. I met people who actually survived working on the death railway, read and watched countless interviews with people who lived through this horrific time in our history. There were several days where I would drive home after work in tears thinking about all the stories of the survivors and how they have spent the rest of their lives trying to move on from the memories.
When we were shooting the re-enactment scenes, I remember watching the shoots and thinking to myself 'we're not making this up! all of this horrible stuff actually happened! this is not some story Lara (the producer) made up for fun. We really are re-enacting what the survivors told us. My God! '
Due to medical reasons I had to leave the project a few weeks before final completion so I am excited to see the final cut this Sunday 15 February 2012 when it premieres on Astro Channel 555 - History Channel 10 pm.
The synopsis of the documentary is as follows
The Second World War in Malaya from 1941-1945 was a time of darkness and despair - where innocent lives were lost and blood ran freely. The Japanese rule with an iron hand, slaughtering tens of thousands of Chinese citizens. They force young women to work as sex slaves, or ‘comfort women’ and trick others into working on the notorious ‘Death Railway’. The people of Malaya struggle for survival. When the Japanese surrender in 1945, Malaya plunges into a period of turmoil that brings it to the brink of civil war. But amidst the fire and ruins, sparks of resilience and courage grew. The painful war experience gave a great impetus to a new awakening. “Rising Sun Over Malaya” tells this little known story through the eyes of the people of Malaysia who had a personal observation of the occupation.
Repeat showings - 16 February -10am : 18 February - 6am
19 February - 9pm : 20 February -8pm : 21 February - 8am
This is a must watch documentary!
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