The news from Patani is like a movie: smoke, bombs, a near civil war. Yet just over our northern border, the people are Muslim, Bahasa-speaking, baju-wearing Malays, just like us. With this in mind, documentary-maker Zan Azlee set off to find the real Patani, trying to separate the kedai kopi from the Humvees, the gunfights from the nasi kerabu. It’s hard to make new friends and man a camera while looking over your shoulder for suicide bombers. But he was determined to ask the question: how do people live their lives in a warzone?
With his resulting film banned for political reasons, this is Azlee’s first chance to share what he found.
About the Author
ZAN AZLEE is a writer, broadcaster, and journalist. He holds an MA in Broadcast Journalism from Staffordshire University, UK, and lectures in journal- ism and film making at several Malay- sian universities. His media company, Fat Bidin Media, is based in Kuala Lumpur.
Zan has authored seven books to date and his independent documentaries have screened at film festivals in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok, Berlin, New York and California, and won awards at the Festival Filem Malaysia, Anugerah seri Angkasa and Malaysian Video Awards.
Contents
01 Reporting under fire
02 I’m Malay too
03 Blue rice to tom yum
04 Will you marry me?
05 Mosques and motorcycles
06 The different shades of evil
07 We don’t need your education
08 We still don’t need your education
09 Aye for peace journalism
10 Mari berbahasa Melayu (Let’s speak Malay)
11 Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia (Malays will never vanish from the earth)
12 The revolution will not be televised
Acknowledgements
Glossary
