蘇穎欣 Show Ying Xin

關係的建立，一場離散的影展

文／蘇穎欣（國立交通大學文化研究國際中心）

真正有意識地接觸馬來西亞電影，是在所謂的「新浪潮」時期。高中畢業前，在學院唸書的姐姐帶回了幾部陳翠梅的短片。幾個角色漫無目的地遊走和閒聊，說一些聽起來充滿睿智卻又無所謂的對白，或是突然唱起陳昇的歌。那些搖晃的鏡頭和陰暗沉默的調性，詩意地填補了我在馬來西亞南方百無聊賴的生活縫隙。上大學後，和許多人一樣躲在圖書館和宿舍囫圇吞棗地看各國電影，自然也關注馬來西亞獨立導演的作品，也同樣迷上大家都喜歡的雅思敏阿末。那亦是馬來西亞經歷重大社會變革的年代，許多人對這片土地開始泛起不同想像。

馬來西亞電影通常不直接談論政治和社會課題（當然也有例外，如Amir Muhammad的作品就極富政治性），而通過處理日常生活的玩味或困境，刻畫出一個多元複雜的馬來西亞圖像。「焦慮的年代」馬來西亞影展，即希望通過八部在類型、內容、技巧上相當不同的電影，呈現當代馬來西亞導演透過電影藝術創作表達的深刻思考。影展雖以國家為單元，卻不意在強化國家論述和國族敘事，「馬來西亞」或「馬來西亞電影」在此可被視為一個問題化的概念。一方面它是把這些電影放到同個平台討論的界面，另一方面它也凸顯了一個單一集體身份的不可能。事實上，這些影片本身早已挑起政治性話題，例如蔡明亮的《黑眼圈》最初因「醜化大馬」被馬來西亞政府禁映；達因賽益的《巫醫》涉及敏感的社會真實事件，而被禁了12年，去年才獲准上映；山傑古瑪的《惡道》在該年的大馬電影節因不符「國語電影」定義的問題，而掀起藝文界控訴主辦方不公。

台灣這幾年對東南亞的興趣倍增，除卻政治和經濟因素的考量，東南亞對台灣意味著什麼？經常有感，在台灣推動東南亞課題的討論，首先不得不回答「跟我們有什麼關係？」的問題。於是，不少人用心解釋全台灣有數十萬東南亞移工，和台灣人是命運共同體，必須予以關注。的確，「東南亞」就在台灣，卻經常被視而不見。例如在台灣的優秀馬華文學作家半世紀以來成果頗豐，但卻依然需要回答「馬華文學和台灣的關係」之類的問題。我不免疑惑，為何看好萊塢電影、閱讀歐美小說或學習日語，往往不需要回答上述問題，也無需刻意尋找連結。

內在化的殖民性往往阻隔亞洲或第三世界之間的真正連結，「進步國家」的現代性追求總是遮蔽了我們的雙眼，以至於東南亞被視為沒有思想的客體或他者。在此脈絡下，政治的、經濟的，甚至是知識的「南進」，都被合理化成必要的「關係建立」。

在此，我們希望通過這次影展，看見一個面貌豐富的多元馬來西亞，關係的建立還仰賴各位觀眾的主動探尋。希望你會喜歡這些影片！

Building relations, a diasporic film festival

/ Show Ying Xin (International Center for Cultural Studies, National Chiao Tung University)

My first conscious encounter with Malaysian films was during the so-called “Malaysian New Wave” period. Before I graduated from high school, my sister brought back some short films by Tan Chui Mui. The characters wander aimlessly on the streets, chat about things that sound wise but also pointless, or abruptly hum a Bobby Chen’s song. Those shaky shots and the dark, silent tonality had poetically filled up interstices of my boring life in the southern part of Malaysia. Entering university, like many others, I would hide in the library or dormitory watching movies from all around the world, and had also paid attention to the indie filmmaking industry in Malaysia. Without a doubt, Yasmin Ahmad touches the heart of many, including mine. That period was also a time of great social change in Malaysia, for many began to project new imagination onto this land.

Generally, Malaysian films tend not to discuss political and social issues in a direct way (of course there are exceptions, for instance, Amir Muhammad’s films are highly political); rather, by exploring the ruminations or dilemmas in everyday life, they portray a multi-faceted, complex picture of Malaysia. “Age of Anxiety” film festival showcases 8 Malaysian films which are fairly different in terms of content, genre, and style, presenting the deep reflections of contemporary Malaysian filmmakers through cinematic articulations. Although the festival is framed under the apparel of “country”, it is not intended to strengthen national narrative or national discourse. At here, “Malaysia” or “Malaysian cinema” can be further problematized. On the one hand, it is an interface allowing all these films to be put on the same platform; on the other, it manifests the impossibility of constructing a homogenous collective identity. In fact, the selected films have inadvertently brought about political discussion. Tsai Ming Liang’s I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone was initially banned in Malaysia for its “negative portrayals” of Kuala Lumpur. Dain Said’s Dukun was banned for 12 years for its adaptation from a highly sensitive murder case, and the ban was eventually lifted only last year. Shanjhey Kumar Perumal’s acclaimed Jagat was categorized as “non-national language film” at the Malaysian Film Festival Awards, thus sparking intense debates about the politics of language in cinema.

Taiwan’s engagement with and interests in Southeast Asia has grown significantly in recent years. However, apart from political and economic factors, what does Southeast Asia mean to Taiwan? I often have a feeling that whenever one promotes the discussion on Southeast Asian issues in Taiwan, one is compelled to answer a question: How does the issue relate to us? Hence, many concerned citizens take the trouble to explain that there are more than six hundred thousand Southeast Asian migrant workers in Taiwan who share a common destiny with Taiwanese people, so it’s necessary to pay attention to them. Indeed, “Southeast Asia” is IN Taiwan but the fact has often been ignored. For example, for over half a century, not a few outstanding Chinese Malaysian writers based in Taiwan have contributed to the literary scene with their great achievements, but oftentimes the question about “relation” is still being thrown at them. I can’t help but wonder why we don’t require such answers when watching Hollywood movies, reading European or American novels, or learning Japanese.

Internalized coloniality has blocked the genuine connection between societies in Asia or the Third World. The pursuit of modernity in the form of “developed nation” has, more often than not, blinded us. In such circumstances, Southeast Asia is objectified as the non-knowledge Other, and any “Southbound” movements, be they political, economic, or even intellectual, are legitimized as the medium to “build relations”.

We hope that this film festival could bring to the audience a rich image of multicultural Malaysia. Yet, the building of relations also has to rely upon the active engagement and involvement of the audience. We hope that you like these films as much as we do!