MIA Sara Shauki may be very much her father's daughter, but the 24-year-old actress is gradually stepping out of Datuk Afdlin Shauki's shadow.
Her latest movie, the fourth in her 20-year acting career, is something that she has always wanted — a horror comedy which doubles as a coming-of-age story that brings together four friends and their terrifying experiences.
The film is 'Geng Kubur', which premieres on April 25, and also stars new actors Firdaus Sufiyan, Lion Chong and Sasidaran Subramaniam ('War On Terror').
It is directed by multi-talented Gavin Yap, who famously sparred with Afdlin in the action-comedy 'Sumolah' 17 years ago.
FIRST COLLABORATION
In a recent interview, Mia Sara said that it was her first team-up with Yap as well as the main actors.
"It's the first movie for Firdaus and Lion, but for the four of us, it is our first collaboration with Gavin. We all loved the experience working with him as he is cool," said Mia Sara, adding that they greatly enjoyed their time on the film set.
"Even though there was no scene in any real graveyard, talk of horrifying hauntings in the dialogue was chilling enough. Also, what is different here is, most of the story takes place during the daytime instead of the usual night time in many horror movies."
Mia Sara plays the heroine Melati who likes to hang out in the nearby cemetery with her best friends Firhan, Fang Liang and Prem played by Firdaus, Chong and Sasidaran respectively.
"While Melati is the voice of reason, the main character in the gang is Firhan who loves making films about graves. He imagines the life and death of various people buried in the cemetery near his house, and makes home videos in which he narrates their fictitious life stories," she said.
COLOURFUL STORIES
Mia Sara added that each character had his or her own past traumas, and colourful back stories.
"For instance, Firhan is traumatised by the tragic deaths of his loved ones in an accident. Each of us has flaws and insecurities, and has to face his or her deepest and darkest fears that resulted from past behaviour.
"Melati, Firhan, Fang and Prem have to learn to overcome such hurdles and become stronger and wiser people."
MOTIVATING
Mia Sara described her experience working with her co-stars and the director as "enjoyable and motivating".
"I can identify with Melati, as during my childhood I enjoyed socialising with the boys. Melati is not a tomboy, she retains her feminity, but she is brave and strong, too," she said.
Mia Sara is a horror film fan and 'Geng Kubur' is her first horror film.
"As a kid I loved listening to ghost stories. They do scare me, but at the same time I am entertained by them."
UK GRADUATE
Mia Sara, who has appeared in 10 dramas and films, is an acting graduate from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the United Kingdom. She graduated two years ago, and has also starred in theatre.
"During my school days in Sekolah Seri Cempaka, Nilai, Negri Sembilan, I was active in dramas. It was from here that I became interested in pursuing an acting career," she said, adding that Afdlin supported her 100 per cent as long as she furthered her studies in diploma or degree level.
Mia Sara's first big screen appearances were in her father's 'Papadom' film series in 2009. In these films she played the younger version of the heroine Mia Sara, who was also named after her.
STAND BY ME
Yap said that Geng Kubur's real focus was not on hauntings but the life journey of four childhood friends.
"Each character has their own backstory that haunts him or her. The main inspiration behind this film is coming-of-age stories such as 'Stand By Me', as well as classic horror stories involving ensemble casts such as the 'Nightmare On Elm Street' series," he said.
HULU LANGAT
Filming took place in September 2022 in Hulu Langat, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.
"There are scary spirits and bloody scenes, both of which are needed in horror films. Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) is also used, but all of this is on camera," said Yap, whose two-hour film is rated PG13.
He said that most importantly, the film produced by Iron Hill Media carried universal themes of friendship, family, respect, honesty and self-acceptance.
DENDAM PONTIANAK
Geng Kubur is Yap's third horror film after 'KL24 Zombies' in 2017 and 'Dendam Pontianak' in 2019. He is currently directing the YouTube series 'Lawak Kampus School Daze' on the LKSchoolDaze channel.
Firdaus, 27, said that he was honoured to star in his first horror comedy.
"I've been acting since 2020, and I've followed my mother's footsteps. I admit I came rather late into showbiz, but I have been doing quite a lot of voiceover work for TV advertisements over the last five years," he said.
