KUCHING: “A Journey Home” short film produced by SukaSuka, a local digital production team, elucidates the experience of a teacher who could not return home to join his family for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The story, according to its director, Azizi Khalil, was based on his real experience when his mother, who is also a teacher, was posted to SK Udin at Bayong about 23km from Sarikei in the late 1990s.
“I was five years old when we lived in Sarikei. My mother used to bring me to the school and visited a few longhouses to meet her students.
“Teaching in a remote area comes with many challenges. Of course, transportation has always been an issue.
“My mother had to drive her old Toyota car for about 40 minutes to the school, and we had to cross an old narrow wooden bridge through which one car can pass at a time,” Azizi told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Growing up for five years in Bayong, Azizi said his family always received Gawai invitations from the longhouses.
“My mother would bring us to visit longhouses and celebrate Gawai. It was fun and we got to share our ‘rezeki’ (good fortune) and catch up on lost times,” said the 28-year-old director.
Written by Nur Amalina Yap, the short film conveys the love of unity and sense of belonging regardless of race and/or belief.
It is a story about Cikgu Muhamad from Peninsular Malaysia who can’t celebrate Hari Raya at his hometown. However, he receives a great gift from his two naughty (but kind-hearted) pupils, Jacob and Azizi. They surprise him with a Hari Raya-themed decoration at Jacob’s longhouse.
Short film “A Journey Home” Video courtesy of SukaSuka, a local digital production team.
