10 Mar – After the relative success of an earlier Tamil telemovie, M Subash has gone on to remake the film in Malay as a full-length cinema release for everyone to enjoy. Cinema Online managed to catch up with director-scriptwriter M Subash at this production house on 6 March 2008 to talk about the film. Subash, who also stars in the movie, said: "This is a heart-warming story about Badrul, a disabled guy who is abused by his stepmother. It is quite a touching story and it is based on a real-life event that took place in my village long ago." The good director explained that he had experienced difficulties in making the film as many industry bigwigs gave him the cold shoulder when he approached them about financing and producing the film. This is because the film was seen to be unfavourable in commercial terms due to its drama genre and the lack of a young attractive cast in the story. However, he has managed to make the film a reality when he found a supportive production house that would help him.
It was understood that the movie was shot in only six days under a shoestring budget of around RM 300,000 from self-financing. Only later did the effort receive funds from FINAS. The film has yet to secure a release date but plans are underway for the movie to be in cinemas by the middle of the year. To find out more about "Pensil", stay tuned to Cinema Online for we will be publishing an interview with the director soon. "Pensil" is slated for release in the middle of the year. It features Maimun Talib, Jalil Hamid and Ruminah Sidek among others.