25 Sep – Filmmaker Dain Said was bestowed Best Director via his film "Interchange" at the 29th Malaysian Film Festival (FFM 29) that took place on Saturday, 23 September at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC). "I'm very happy of course, because I never thought that I would receive this award," he said upon accepting the award for the film. Even though the fantasy thriller received a humble sum of RM497,135 in box office collections, the director stressed that it is not the only measure to a film's success. "Collection doesn't define the success of a film. Everyone has different taste and opinions. For example, "Redha" is a great film, but its box office collection is also not very strong. But that's just how it works," he explained while meeting press backstage at the event.
The director mentioned that many people nowadays like to watch heavily laced action films like "Transformers" or other superhero-themed movies, but there are also other films that cater to a different kind of audience. "Of course, I would love it if the film can get a good box office return, but I made this film for art and to also tell story. So for me, that's not the only measure," he continued. "Interchange" is one of the films that bagged the most awards at FFM 29, including Best Supporting Actor via Shaheizy Sam, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Arrangement, tying with "Redha", which also won four awards.
"There are so many people I want to thank, people who helped me throughout this journey and gave me the opportunity to work with them. I'm very grateful," said Dain Said. The filmmaker revealed that his next work will be an adaptation of an Indonesian novel titled "Robohnya Surau Kami" (English title, "The Decline and Fall of Our Local Mosque") by Ali Akbar Navis, which would most likely commence production either by the end of this year or early next year at Sumatra, Indonesia. Following that, the director will be working on a sci-fi film titled "Vektor", that is expected to go into production late 2018.