6 Mar – Having produced two horror feature films, Kuman Pictures returns with another low-budget horror project, "Roh", helmed by Emir Ezwan. According to Kuman Pictures founder and executive producer Amir Muhammad, he gave the director complete trust and freedom in bringing the latter's creativity into the movie. "Emir is a director that I really respect and to me his short film "RM10" was a genuine art. It's Kuman Pictures' intention to give opportunities to new directors. "Aside from that, we also don't meddle in the creative process because we want to give room to the director to play around with his idea, as long as it doesn't go overbudget," said Amir at the press conference of the movie that was held at TGV 1 Utama, Petaling Jaya, yesterday. Emir, who was also present at the event, said that "Roh" isn't the same as other horror movies that utilise a lot of jump scares and ghosts, but it's more towards myths and beliefs. "Since this is my first feature film, I had to do a lot of research like reading books and watching horror movies. Through "Roh", I hope to create a story that will make the audiences think. "I was inspired by the 1964 Japanese classic, "Onibaba", a horror film but it doesn't contain a lot of ghosts in it. Initially, I wanted to produce "Roh" in black and white but I'm worried that it will not be received well. "We also included a horror scene that's not over the top. Alhamdulillah, the Film Censorship Board (LPF) approved it with no cuts and it is classified as PG13," he explained. Prior to making his feature directorial debut, Emir worked as a visual effects supervisor in the movies "Crossroads: One Two Jaga" (2018) and "Motif" (2019). He also helmed the 2016 short film, "RM10", which was selected to compete at the Fribourg International Film Festival. With a low budget of RM360,000, the filming of "Roh" was done in 15 days in Dengkil's forest last year. The movie features only six cast members: Farah Ahmad, Mhia Farhana, Harith Haziq, Namron and his wife Junainah M. Lojong, as well as Putri Syahadah Nurqaseh. Prior to its local release, "Roh" made its world premiere last year at the Singapore International Film Festival and was also screened at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival. "Roh" is set to haunt the big screen nationwide this 19 March.