5 Sep – Celebrated director Mamat Khalid has never looked back after being bestowed with the Best Director award at the recent 21st Malaysian Film Festival. Since then, the Perak-born director, famous for his witty banter, has been working hard on finalising his latest movie, "Estet". This time, he decided to show off a raw edit of the movie to members of the media, close friends and film students, before the movie is released for cinemas. Even though the comedy, (currently undergoing editing for special effects) is not yet set for general viewing, Mamat was optimistic to share the raw version to brainstorm on improving the film before he makes the final cut.
Held at his Naga VXS studio office, the recent preview can be described as a commendable effort by a local filmmaker to improve the presentation of a film before its general release. After the 97 minute feature, viewers expressed to the good director that the movie was very funny and endearing but it was a little rushed and the story took a backseat. Mamat took it all in good stride and said he would make adjustments. "Estet" focuses on multiracial, multicultural living among the Malay and Indian community in a rural estate. It lines up Malaysia's favourite heroes Farid Kamil and Rosham Nor, newcomers Jasmine Michael and Sashi Tharan, prolific singer David Arumugam, Shoffi Jikan and many others. The film is likely for release next year.