RE LEKUAH
RE LEKUAH
RE LEKUAH
RE LEKUAH
RE LEKUAH
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
This campaign is closed
RE LEKUAH
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
The first Kelabit-language music video
Every story is born of a place and of a people. To keep a story alive means to acknowledge the life of the place and people. The Kelabit people have a tradition of telling stories through song, the storyteller sitting for nights on the floor of the raised longhouse, singing an epic.
The last two generations have lived through rapid transitions: from practising headhunting, ceremonial tattooing and animal sacrifices, to embracing Christianity in the 1930s; from having zero electricity to 24-hour solar-powered energy. Parallel to this was the introduction of formal schooling, money and deforestation. Whilst the storytelling traditions could not carry speed with the vast changes, one thing remained constant for the Kelabit: hard work.
Re Lekuah is an old song rich with figurative meanings, many of which are lost and open to speculation. Literally though, the song gives insight to the hard work that young women had to do in the village, and perhaps a desire and longing for something more. Placed in an urban, contemporary setting, life isn’t much different.
Customarily, an elder would transmit the oral tradition to her children and grandchildren, but Alena’s grandmother didn’t live long enough to pass on her stories. Alena learnt this song from Tepu’ Do’o Ayu, asking her blessing to rearrange and to share the song outside the community - whatever it takes to make people listen, is the reply.
Re Lekuah, the music video, presents dualities: drawing parallels and contrasts across time (old versus young; past versus present) and space (rural versus urban).
Alena’s journey and this music video will also be featured in Ngerang (working title), a documentary by Ashley Duong. The documentary explores the lived experiences of urban and rural Kelabit youth growing up at a time of dramatic cultural transition. A special screener of this documentary is available as one of our Indiegogo perks. Ngerang is supported by the Canadian Council for the Arts, On Est 10, and the High Commission of Canada to Malaysia.
Ashley Duong (Director/producer)
Ashley Duong is a Montreal-based film director and multimedia storyteller working to amplify marginalized stories. She began working with the Kelabit community of Sarawak, Malaysia, in 2013 while working on her directorial debut, A Time to Swim (2017). This documentary is touring festivals internationally and recently won the Special Jury Prize for best feature documentary at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017. Ashley also directed Land and Legends (2017), an interactive website about the connection between the landscapes and myths of the Kelabit. In the past she has worked on the teams of projects such as Uvanga, a modern Inuit drama, and The Fruit Hunters, a documentary about how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat. Currently, she creates short films for CBC Arts and is working on a new film in Vietnam.
http://atimetoswim.com/filmmaker
Alena Murang (Artist/producer)
Alena Murang is at the forefront of bringing the music of indigenous Borneo to audiences outside of the village, playing the sape' and singing songs from the Kenyah and Kelabit people, which are closely linked to the natural environment. Her rendition of Pemung Jae was listed alongside the likes of Calypso Rose, Manu Chao, Toumani Diabate and M.I.A. on Rhythm Passport’s “Ticket to 2016”. She has shared the music in USA, UK, France, Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan.
Thomas Szacka-Marier (Cinematographer)
Thomas Szacka-Marier is a filmmaker and cinematographer from Montreal, Canada, who has a deep passion for documentary. After his Bachelor’s in Film Production at Concordia University, he moved to Senegal where he collaborated with local filmmakers on several film projects. He then completed the “DocNomads” program, a Masters Course in documentary film directing taught in Lisbon, Budapest and Brussels.
His film Follow the Tide was selected in many festivals, was broadcasted on TV5 Monde and won two Jury prizes at the Festival International Pêcheurs du Monde in France. He recently directed FONKi World, a web-documentary in seven episodes about a Montreal street-artist of Cambodian origins. Thomas now produces and directs short video segments for VICE Québec.
https://vimeo.com/thomassm/about
Raziman Sarbini (Dancer)
Hailing from small town Limbang on Malaysian Borneo, Raziman Sarbini is one of Malaysia’s pride in emerging contemporary dancers. He completed his studies at ASWARA on the Dean’s List and was awarded the Best Dance Graduate 2015. As a dancer, he has toured several countries including Japan, India and London. A recipient of a scholarship from Yayasan Sarawak Tunku Abdul Rahman, Raziman is currently pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
We've received partial funding from the High Commission of Canada to Malaysia (which was used mostly to offset travel, accomodation, and production incidentals in Kuala Lumpur), equipment from On Est 10, deferred fees from most of our team, and donations from many of our friends in the creative industry to cover locations, production assistants, extras etc. Now just need $6500 to complete this music video.
- Picture edit - 34.6%
- Production Crew (Cinematographer and production managers) - 17.7%
- Online edit (colour correction, titles, exports)- 13.5%
- Music track (DJ mix and remastered) - 9.5%
- Accounting and bank fees- 7.7%
- Festival submissions and distribution materials - 6%
- Contingency - 6%
- Indiegogo automatic fee - 5%
If we exceed our fundraising goal, extra funds will go to the currently unpaid director/producer and artist/producer.
If you'd like to claim a perk, please include your email address, so we can confirm order details.
Alena has very generously donated art prints as one of the perks. Please visit: www.alenamurang.com/art to choose a print.
No contribution is too small, and if you can’t donate but still want to help, or want go beyond a donation, here's how:
1. SHARE THIS PAGE with friends, family and colleagues. Use the Indiegogo share buttons above.
2. WRITE A BLOG OR AN ARTICLE about the campaign, the music video and the documentary. We can send you a press kit and photos, and will make ourselves available for interviews.
3. KEEP IN TOUCH Follow us on social media