[Local Entertainment] Chong Keat Aun-directed music video “Echoes of the New Year” echoes diverse local cultural heritage to usher in Chinese New Year
Kuala Lumpur, January 2023 - Chong Keat Aun, an award-winning
Malaysian filmmaker, has released "Echoes of the New Year,"
his fifth directed Chinese New Year folk music video, which is produced by SunStrong
Entertainment and co-produced by Janji Pictures, Southern Islet
Pictures, and The Classic Accents.
While highlighting the folk arts of the Hakka, Cantonese, Hainanese,
Teochew, Hokkien, and Peranakan communities, the music video, shot in
Sekinchan, Selangor, also incorporates diverse cultural elements such as sape
to cak lempong, dragon and lion dance, Chinese opera, 24 festive drums, Chinese
zithers, and more.
Chong, a Golden Horse Award winner, is also known for his work in the
preservation of traditional local arts and culture, having spent 18 years
documenting local oral traditions of various Chinese dialects and sharing these
stories with the larger community through various mediums.
At the premiere ceremony at Pavilion Bukit Jalil,
Communications and Digital Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching expressed her
admiration for the music video and invited Chong to film in her Kulai
constituency, while Selangor State Legislative Assembly Speaker and Sekinchan
assemblyman Ng Suee Lim praised Chong for showcasing Sekinchan's beauty. Ng
promised to promote the music video throughout the holiday season and use it to
promote Sekinchan tourism this year.
Pavilion Bukit Jalil marketing director Kung Suan Ai, painter Yap
Hong Ngee, writer Ow Fuling, radio announcer Chan Fong, actresses Pearlly Chua
and Pauline Tan, voice talent Dennis Gan, filmmaker Yeo Joon Han, and music
producer WEE were also in attendance. Cultural performances by the Sung
Fong Meng Cantonese Opera, Penang Teochew Puppet & Opera House, and Souls
Impact Percussion were also provided for guests.
The music video begins with a classic poem that conveys a sense of
renewal and hope, as everyone can now look forward to celebrating the holiday
season after enduring two years of hardship as a result of the pandemic. Props
in the music video, such as the kuku kambing (traditional crowbar), millstone,
bakul siah (auspicious basket), porcelain plates, and paper windmill, are
genuine artefacts belonging to the elderly in various communities.
"Collaborating with a creative as phenomenal as Chong for the
second time, we are able to create works that showcase local folk arts, which
allows us to ensure they thrive and live on," SunStrong Entertainment
founder and music video executive producer Jment Lim says. That way, the next
generation will be aware that, in addition to the popular Chinese New Year
songs heard today, there is folk music that has been a part of our communities
for centuries."
"Regardless of the state of the economy, we at SunStrong
Entertainment kept our promise to support this production in an effort to
preserve traditional arts and culture, as well as for the
younger generations to have a connection with our past, so that our
cultural heritage has a brighter future," he added.
Sung Fong Meng Cantonese Opera, Penang Teochew Puppet & Opera
House, Hainanese Opera actress Mah Ah Mooi, singer Winnie Ho, Kun Seng Keng
Dragon & Lion Dance Selangor, Souls Impact Percussion, Klang Pin Hwa High
School Drum Team, and Rithaudin Nusantara Dance perform in the music
video, which was composed by Alu8khan Chen and Chris M. Yong.
Watch “Echoes of the New Year” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRoCkJmXKO8
If you like the coverage by our website, please “like” our page: http://www.facebook.com/wljackcom
Drop us an email at jackwriter90@gmail.com if you want us to cover your events.
That’s all from our side! Stay tuned to wljack.com for more upcoming news!
Published by WLJack.
