Filmmaker Adrian Teh reflects on his impactful career of telling Malaysian stories

The success of Paskal went beyond box office numbers. Teh found himself receiving tangible appreciation from audiences in unexpected ways. “When Paskal was being screened in cinemas, strangers would secretly pay for my meals and write me notes saying they liked the movie and to keep up the good work. Not just once or twice, but so many times. I felt appreciated in a very big way,” he shares.

Perhaps the most significant impact of Paskal was its influence on real-world recruitment. Teh proudly recounts, “The Chief of Navy at the time texted me a couple of months after the film had screened. He thanked me, saying that because of Paskal, annual intake of new recruits for the Navy spiked up 40 per cent.” For Teh, this was a powerful demonstration of cinema’s ability to shape society and instill a sense of patriotism.

After the success of his action films, Teh is once again challenging himself with a departure from the genre. His upcoming film Reversi (2024), marks a significant shift in his filmography. “Reversi is a time-travelling love story,” Teh says. The script, which he wrote nearly a decade ago, was revived after watching Nik Amir Mustapha’s Imaginur (2023), which Teh found refreshing and inspiring.

Adapting Reversi from its original Mandarin script to suit Malaysian audiences presented its own set of challenges. Teh collaborated with renowned scriptwriter Bujoq (Nazifdin Nasrudin) to refine the story. “When a story involves time travelling, you must have a sense of logic to it. To create the world that time travel exists in that is foolproof was tough,” Teh says. He immersed himself in time travel narratives, studying films like The Time Traveler’s Wife (2022) and In Time (2011) to develop his own unique rules for time travel in Reversi.

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Despite its sci-fi elements, Teh emphasises that at its core, Reversi’s focus is on love. “It’s a love story about love that exists not just between a husband and wife, but a transcendent familial love,” he explains, highlighting the emotional depth he aims to bring to the screen.

While Teh doesn’t adhere to recurring themes in his films, he does maintain certain principles in his work. “In almost every film that I’ve made, you can never find a weak female character because I respect women too much to see them objectified or portrayed as clingy, dependent stereotypes. I don’t believe in that,” he states firmly.

Another constant in Teh’s films is the use of multiracial casts. “It’s a way to stamp this work as a Malaysian film—regardless of the title, theme, story or language spoken,” he says. This approach reflects Teh’s commitment to representing the diverse reality of Malaysian society in his work.

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In recent years, Teh has found a new source of satisfaction in bringing true stories to the screen. His film Gold (2024) is an example of this direction, as it tells the story of Cheah Liek Hou’s journey to winning the gold medal in the 2020 Paralympic Games in badminton. “Recently, I’ve discovered an extra level of satisfaction and pride in telling true stories because when you do so, you’re sharing true Malaysian stories,” he says. For Teh, these projects represent more than just filmmaking; they’re an opportunity to inspire his fellow Malaysians and contribute to the national narrative.

Teh’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Early in his career, he faced difficulties in securing entertainment tax rebates for non-Malay language films. “At the time, the rebate was not granted to non-Malay films, because for a film to be classified as local, it required at least 70 per cent of spoken dialogue to be in Malay,” Teh recalls. He advocated for a review of regulations, which led to the establishment of the Chinese Film Association of Malaysia. “Our first contribution was filing a petition. It took a year, but they changed the local film criteria. Today, spoken language doesn’t matter, as long as the film has Malay subtitles,” Teh says.

To aspiring filmmakers, Teh’s advice is to embrace humility. “When you’re just getting started in your career, leave your ego at the door. Listen to the guidance others offer, because no matter how good you think you are, no one will listen to you until you have proven yourself. At that stage, the people who are willing to talk to you and offer advice are usually right. Once you have proven yourself, be bold, but until then, be patient.”

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