Nadira Ilana

Nadira Ilana is a Malaysian filmmaker, independent film programmer and writer of mixed indigenous Dusun heritage from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. In 2016 she established her film production company, Telan Bulan Films with the aim of producing and uplifting contemporary indigenous and minority stories. She is an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Campus, BIFAN NAFF Fantastic Film School, Singapore International Film Festival's SEA Film Lab and the Luang Prabang Film Festival Talent Lab.

Background[]

Nadira Ilana is a Malaysian filmmaker and independent film programmer from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. She holds a BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts) in Film & TV from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. In between, she attended Montclair State University in New Jersey, U.S.A. on a student exchange program for two semesters. During then, she interned at a couple of notable film and documentary production houses in Manhattan, New York before returning to Australia to complete her degree. As a student, she volunteered for art galleries in Brisbane such as the Institute of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery where she developed a love for the visual arts and curation.

Upon returning to Malaysia, Nadira began working in Kuala Lumpur and split her time in between, directing films set in Sabah. Her documentary, The Silent Riot (2012) on the 1986 Sabah riots took the Best Human Rights Award at Freedom Film Fest 2013. In 2016, she produced the community-storytelling project, Big Stories Bongkud-Namaus (2016). This was an Australia co-production and film residency in Kampung Bongkud, Ranau which took a year as the project had been affected by the Sabah Earthquake. Her most recent short film Were the Sun and the Moon to Meet screened at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in Tokyo and won Best Short Film (Open Category) at Mini Film Festival 2021.

Nadira has programmed film screenings at Tamparuli Living Arts Centre, Urbanscapes and Art for Grabs in Kuala Lumpur, supported by FINAS. She was the Lead Programmer for Tayangan BMW Shorties, the BMW Shorties' first Southeast Asian genre film festival which took place at REXKL in conjunction with Urbanscapes 2019.

In 2016 Nadira established Telan Bulan Films, which has produced award-winning and acclaimed short films and commercial content that has shown on national TV and international film festivals.

Career[]

Nadira moved to Kuala Lumpur after completing her studies and for a stint, worked for Apparat which produced films such as 'Bunohan' directed by Dain Said. In 2011, Nadira was part of the HerStory Malaysia short film series, which paired women writers with women directors to tell true stories surrounding the themes of 'sex, love and intimacy'. Nadira wrote the prose for 'Creatures', an animated short film directed by Bernice Chauly with animation by Fairuz Sulaiman.

In 2012, her documentary, 'The Silent Riot' was the first East Malaysian film to receive the Justin Louis Grant from Pusat Komas. The political historical documentary on the 1986 Sabah riots, subsequently took the Best Human Rights Award at Freedom Film Fest 2013 and has since been viewed approximately 600,000 times online.^[1]

Her short film, 'Lastik' produced in 2013, was a playful allegory for North Borneo's independence and was the Sabah entry for Astro and Red Communications' 'My Hometown Series'. The film depicted Sabah's founding fathers, the late Tun Fuad Stephens and Tun Mustapha bin Dato Harun as children who are embroiled in a turf war with two other British children who have also taken their tin cans and rubber bands.

Nadira balanced working as an Assistant Director in Kuala Lumpur with directing stories set in Sabah. As an Assistant Director she has worked on numerous advertisements and short films including We Jun Cho's 'Fix' and 'Salvaj'. She has also Assistant Directed for feature films including KL:24 Zombies directed by James Lee, Shamaine Othman and Gavin Yap. In KL:24 Zombies, she plays a reporter announcing the zombie pandemic.

In 2016, Nadira was part of the Big Stories, Small Towns project. She conducted a year-long film residency in Kampung Bongkud and sister-village Kampung Namaus. The collaboration with the community resulted in 14 short documentaries and 3 photo series that premiered in the village itself in Ranau, Sabah that was attended by approximately 1000 people.^[2]

Launch of Big Stories Bongkud-Namaus (2016). Guests hold up a woodcut print by Pangrok Sulap produced in collaboration with the community.

In 2017 her short documentary titled, 'Anak Pokok/Saplings', which was produced in collaboration with Tropical Rainforest and Research Conservation Centre won first runner up at the SXSW Community screening for Films for the Forest judged by Richard Linklater and Raveena Tandon.

Her most recent short film 'Were the Sun and the Moon to Meet' or 'Tadau om Vuhan Kopisoomo' in the Kadazan language was first selected for Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia and was in competition for the International Shorts Category. The film went on to win Best Short Film at Mini Film Festival in Sarawak.

Film Screenings[]

In 2015, Nadira began programming film screenings through Working Title Film Drinks as a way to highlight Malaysian short films. She has collaborated with FINAS to do 'Filem-Filem Underground' to screen short films and conduct film discussions as part of Art For Grabs in Kuala Lumpur. She programmed 'Across the Sea', one of the earliest known showcases of East Malaysian short films as part of Urbanscapes 2016. Nadira was the Lead Programmer behind the BMW Shorties' first Southeast Asian film festival, 'Tayangan BMW Shorties' which was a 9-day event with masterclasses and workshops held at REXKL in conjunction with Urbanscapes 2019.

Community Building[]

Nadira is also an active organizer of film communities such as Working Title Film Drinks (2013-2016), a monthly gathering of professional filmmakers and enthusiast in Kuala Lumpur, which is now an active online group dedicated to Malaysia's independent film scene. In 2019 she was the youngest individual on the FINAS Panel of Advisors representing Sabah and Young Filmmakers.

The Sabahan filmmaker was a judge for Projek Dialog's Pesta Filem Kita, Petron Vision in 2017 as well as the Malaysian short film competition, BMW Shorties from 2016 to 2019.

Filmography[]

• Dream Cradle (2011)
• Lastik (2012)
• The Silent Riot (2013)
• Old Souls (2016)
• Big Stories Bongkud-Namaus - 14 micro documentaries (2016)
• Anak Pokok/Saplings (2018)
• Tadau om Vuhan Kopisoomo / Were the Sun and the Moon to Meet (2020)
• Mansau Ansau (2021)
• Menuai Kisah', a 4-part Kaamatan video series for Maxis (2021)

References[]

External links[]

• Nadira Ilana at IMDb
• 'Dusun indie filmmaker advocates for more cultural representation of East Malaysians in the national narrative' Interview on New Straits Times [1]

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