13 May – Many people out there would probably not know who exactly Chris Chong is, but he's definitely someone to watch for. His debut feature film "Karaoke" will represent Malaysia at the Director's Fortnight of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, held from 14 – 24 May 2009. The Directors' Fortnight is a platform where newcomers can shine and highlight new talents in the world of cinema. "Karaoke" has been proudly nominated for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera), an award for the best first feature film presented in any one of the Cannes' selections. This would be the first Malaysian feature film in 14 years to be screened at Cannes after U-Wei's "Kaki Bakar," which made appearance there in 1995. The Sabah-born filmmaker has received worldwide acclaim for his documentary "Kolam" (2007) and short film "Block B" (2008). His short film took home the Best International Short Film prize at Argentina's 23rd Mar Del Plata International Film Festival in 2008. When asked how he feels about being selected for Cannes, Chris Chong tells Cinema Online during an exclusive interview at Alexis Bistro, The Gardens Mid Valley on 12 May 2009: "It's really mind blowing! I'm really excited and happy with the good news, but I never get the chance to celebrate it."
Just like how Sabah produces a lot of talented bedroom singers, it is no surprise that it was the karaoke sessions Chris had with his friend back in Kota Kinabalu that inspired him to create "Karaoke". He said: "One day, I saw those karaoke videos and how different the videos were to my own personal life. How romantic it is and how un-romantic my life is. It took me almost three years to develop the script together with Shanon Shah, who also provides the music for the film." He also assured that plans on releasing "Karaoke" in Malaysia is underway as he is setting up appointments with distributors in hopes of achieving nationwide cinema release. The 75-minute film tells the story about Betik (Zahiril Adzim) who tries to build a future back together with his mother after the death of his father years ago. During the way, he takes on a shoots karaoke videos. While at night, he helps his mother at the family's karaoke bar where local people gather and sing. According to Chris, "It is a truly Malaysian film focusing on balik kampong. And this is the kind of movie where the audience can come and sing along to because we provide the lyrics!"