NEWS

The Edinburgh Pitch

Bellissima's submission for the Scottish Documentary Institute's Edinburgh Pitch 2009:

The Kingdom of The Sky

He has four wives and is not a Muslim, but something more, much more. He was last sighted in April 2009 in a northern state of peninsular Malaysia riding pillion on a cheap motocycle with a Thai number plate after buying food at a road-side stall. He is the founder of a religious cult decreed heretical and dangerous by the Malaysian authorities making him one of Malaysia’s most wanted men. This is a 52 minute documentary about Ayah Pin, who claims to be god and the Sky Kingdom commune he established in Malaysia which is now in hiding in Southern Thailand.

Shortisted

Bellissima's documentary, Down To Earth, about Dato' Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was shorlisted for Finas' Ke Persada Dunia documentary competition. Unlike traditional Malaysian documentaries, Down To Earth is blunt and uncompromising yet has the full co-operation of Malaysia's first astronaut who understands that to be truthful, you have to ask the tough questions. In the end, Dato' Sheikh Muszapahr shines through as the hero that he is. But who used him? Who has forgotten him? Read the proposal here.

The spin-off from Down To Earth is Hero Lost, which will be submitted for competition with caldercottproduction's and Japan's Broadcasting Corporation NHK's The Asian Pitch 2009.

In Competition

Bellissima's The Path of The Hidden Imam for the Freedom Film Festival 2009 is a 30 minute documentary about the aspirations of the outlawed Shi'ite community of Malaysia in the wake of the nomination of the new Malaysian Prime Minister, YB Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak.

In Collaboration

Bellissima's Nusrat Isa has been given the honor of assisting a prestigious local Malaysian company, Cinequip with their production of the historical Malay epic movie EMPAYAR - Dendam Taming Sari. With 80% of the movie filled with CGI, Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations MOSTI has allocated a grant of 1 million Ringgit for its production with a further 1.5 million Ringgit from Finas.