Sarjit Kellerman left her home country of Malaysia more than 30 years ago, but Tuesday night, she got a taste of the issues her native country faces.
At 7:30 p.m. Kellerman sat among an audience of more than 20 in the in Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Auditorium, taking in 15Malaysia, a collection of 15 short films.
Scenes of corruption, racism, prostitution, pedophilia and bribery flashed in the dark room.
The short films feature Malaysian celebrities and politicians, revealing the truth of Malaysian society.
After the film, the producer Pete Teo stepped forward to answer questions.
“As for my inspiration, I would say it came from being pissed off,” Teo said to the crowd.
He said the three-month production was launched on the Internet for free download, and after just 60 days, it reached 15 million views.
Some films were humorous, like “Meter,” which featured a taxi driver who became worked up over Malaysian football, language and politics. Others, such as “Lollipop” and “Dut Kecil,” featured more serious issues like pedophilia, kidnapping and prostitution.
A behind-the-scenes look into one film, “Chocolate,” gave an inside look into one of the directors who had been “Malaysia’s most important filmmaker for 30 years,” Teo said.
Before the film began, Leydiana Martin, a 20-year-old UF civil engineering sophomore, said she had only a slight idea about what the film compilation could be about.
“I know it’s about social unrest,” Martin said. She noted the stars were all Malaysian actors, but otherwise she did not know what to expect.
Kellerman left in awe.
“I was touched, in a way, sad,” Kellerman, 62, said. “I feel liberated here in America, especially with the freedom. Malaysia is my home, but I couldn’t live there.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/28/2015 under the headline “Collection of 15 short films brings Malaysia to the States"]
