SARAWAK LAKSA
Sarawak Laksa is a personal love letter to my hometown, Kuching, and a homage to our favourite food, Sarawak Laksa. Exploring the well-known taste of the cuisine and its seemingly unknown recipe closely guarded by its gatekeepers.
"Sarawak Laksa" full film by University of Kent // MSFF 2021
Student Project • Short Documentary Film
Kuching, Sarawak — Oct 2020 - Jun 2021
Solo production of a short documentary on a local delicacy, Sarawak Laksa, shot on Canon EOS M.
Involved in social media marketing campaign's content creation and supervision.
Entry to the first Malaysian Student Film Festival.
Live-streamed worldwide on 19 June 2021, with up to 150 audiences tuning in from across 6 countries.
Reaching up to 10K views in less 9 months since upload on YouTube.
6 Awards from Malaysian Student Film Festival including:
Best Overall Soundtrack,
Best Editing,
Best Directing (2nd),
Best Cinematography (2nd),
Best Malaysian Culture Film,
Audience Choice Award.
Judges' Comments
"It really was so heartwarming and made the Penang boy feel like Sarawak was their home for 3 minutes."
- Vincent De Leon, MSFF Film Scoring & Music Composition Judge
"There’s a lot of heart and soul in Sarawak Laksa and it’s a great little documentary for such a niche topic. Not only does it tell a story that connects the viewer to the dish it’s named after, but ultimately to the people that have made it what it is today. My personal favourite, well done."
- Harry Nott, MSFF Screenplay & Production Judge
Synopsis A taste of Sarawak through the lens of a camera and the eyes of the locals. Sarawak Laksa is the pride of Sarawak gastronomy as the highly secretive recipe is said to encompass at least 20 types of spices and many years of experience for the right proportion. Home replication is almost impossible so people resort to participate in the deeply-rooted coffee shop culture for a taste of home. To the vendors, the bowl cradles their labour of love but to the coffee shop patrons, it is the familiar spoonful of comfort that they look for.
I love Sarawak Laksa. I really do.
Laksa isn’t dubbed as my favourite food just because it tastes great. It also signifies the epitome of Sarawak’s multiculturalism, a harmonious melting pot of cultures and flavours. Every spoonful of broth reminds me of my deeply-rooted pride and identity as a Sarawakian; every mouthful of vermicelli and beansprouts conjure up flashbacks of Sunday morning breakfasts with my family. When I was away in Canterbury, the instant packages of Laksa were treasured as little packets of nostalgia. Whenever I yearned for Laksa, I knew I was homesick and I would be cooking up the flavours of home to relive the warmness of Kuching. That’s when I realised that Laksa isn’t just a delicacy, it is a familiar capsule of home and home is where the heart is.
Sarawak Laksa is THAT powerful dish for me, what is yours?
Credits
Cast:
The Sarawak Laksa Vendor : Mdm Choo
The Sarawak Laksa Connoisseur : Joshua Chan
The Sarawak Laksa Poet : Chloe Ling
The Sarawak Laksa Couple : Kaylex Lo & Mycan Lee
The Kopitiam : Chin Family (Ho Joo Coffee Shop)
Crew:
Writer-Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor : Jessalyn Chua
Supervisor : Aleena Isa, Shona Illingworth
Media & Marketing : Cheyenne Law
Graphic Design : Cassidy Shim
Performers:
‘Sarawak’ by Noh Salleh - Kent MSoc cover
Vocals : Aishah Soraya
Piano : Zachary Yip
Sound Mixing : Jessalyn Chua
‘小城故事’ by Teresa Teng - cover
Vocals : Lee Yi
Instruments : 黄富荣 FY Music
Sound Mixing : 黄富荣 FY Music, Jessalyn Chua
Special Thanks to :
Ho Joo Coffee Shop
The Filmmakers Company
Chua Kok Kwang
Amy Lim
Jacqueline Lau
Tracy Ho
Mohamed Shazwan
Thanks to :
Everyday Laksa
Choon Hui Laksa
Alfred Laksa
Fat Cat Laksa
Tricycle Laksa
Min Huat Laksa
Laksa Kafe Jamu Selera