KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — Following the success of Abang Adik, director Jin Ong and producer Angelica Lee Sinje are teaming up with Malaysian filmmaker Kethsvin Chee for his upcoming drama Dead Tide.
This marks Chee’s second feature film after 2020’s Hello! Tapir, which was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Golden Horse Awards.
Set in a fishing village in Kuala Selangor, Dead Tide will be directed by Chee, with Ong and Lee serving as producers.
Though still in early development, the film has already been shortlisted in the Work-In-Progress (WIP) category at the 23rd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF23), part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival’s Industry Project Market, taking place from March 17 to 19.
Malay Mail caught up with the three filmmakers to learn more about Dead Tide and what’s in store.
Kuala Selangor homecoming
Dead Tide follows Zhong, a convicted murderer recently released from prison after accidentally killing a young man from a neighbouring village.
Wracked with guilt and mourning his father’s death, Zhong returns home, where his fate becomes entwined with a woman living with mental illness confined in one of the village’s stilt houses.
Chee revealed that the story was inspired by real people from his hometown in Kuala Selangor — his cousin and a neighbour.
“I actually knew them very well, and the idea came to me a few years ago after the girl’s death.
“When my mum told me about her passing, I was sad, and I kept thinking about her smiling face even though the world didn’t treat her right. I hope to capture that beautiful smile of hers in my story.
“That alone made me want to kickstart this project. Plus, I’m even more excited because this is a story about my hometown,” Chee told Malay Mail.
‘Dead Tide’ follows a convicted murderer and a woman living with mental illness in a Kuala Selangor fishing village. — Picture courtesy of the ‘Dead Tide’ team
Driven by passion for underdog stories
Despite his excitement, Chee acknowledged the weight of the film’s themes, particularly its portrayal of mental illness and abuse.
Lee, who joined the project after collaborating with Chee on her documentary Dear Child, How Are You?, shares this concern.
According to Lee, it was Dead Tide’s compelling narrative that first drew her in. She later invited Ong to join, believing his industry expertise would be crucial to the project.
“I think we love stories that give a voice to characters ignored by society.
“We want to explore the challenges these people face and hope that, through the film, we can raise awareness and perhaps even inspire action,” Lee said.
Ong, who won Most Promising Director at last year’s 33rd Malaysia Film Festival, was instantly drawn to Dead Tide’s sombre themes.
“I think it’s important to explore the dark side of humanity, especially when it makes society reflect on how they treat those who are different.
“This kind of storytelling is my favourite, which is why it was easy to say yes to this project,” Ong said.
Kethsvin Chee drew inspiration for ‘Dead Tide’ from his cousin and a former neighbour. — Picture courtesy of the ‘Dead Tide’ team
Overcoming challenges in research and filming
Chee and Lee are currently developing the script, but they’re facing difficulties in researching mental illness, particularly schizophrenia.
They’ve struggled to gain access to care homes and hospitals in Malaysia to ensure an accurate portrayal.
“We wanted to observe, conduct surveys, or visit these centres, but no matter how hard we tried, we didn’t get the opportunity,” Lee said.
She acknowledged that some facilities might deny access due to patient safety concerns but stressed the importance of research in accurately representing real-life struggles.
“It’s sad. I think the public needs to be more open about discussing mental illness.
“Malaysians are still quite closed off — people are afraid to talk about heavy topics. But if we don’t, how do we help these people?
“I don’t know if the public doesn’t trust our filmmakers, but I hope we can work together and be more open in the future,” Lee said.
Aside from research hurdles, Chee also faces logistical challenges in filming.
Having just completed a pilot video for their HAF23 submission, he shared that shooting in Kuala Selangor’s muddy coastal areas will be tricky.
“One interesting challenge is the tide — there are only three days in a month when we get really high tides.
“So we have to plan everything in advance, and that’s quite tricky as a director,” Chee said.
Jin Ong and Angelica Lee were drawn to the compelling story of ‘Dead Tide’ before joining the project. — Picture courtesy of the ‘Dead Tide’ team
Funding and HAF23’s role
While Chee and Lee focus on the script, Ong is tasked with securing funding, and HAF23 plays a crucial role.
HAF23’s IDP initiative connects early-stage projects with producers, investors, and production companies.
Selected filmmakers, including the Dead Tide team, will conduct private meetings with industry players to pitch their projects.
This year, HAF23 has also introduced six new awards, bringing the total prize pool to over US$250,000 (RM1.1 million) across 24 categories.
Beyond funding, Ong sees HAF23 as an opportunity to gain feedback from international filmmaking experts.
The team has also applied for the Digital Content Fund (DKD) from the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS).
If all goes well at HAF23, filming for Dead Tide could begin as early as next year.
Notably, Dead Tide is the only Malaysian project selected for this year’s forum.
