KUCHING, 13 Jan : The movie ‘Avakas’ was already a sensation unto itself when it had its premiere on TVS in April 2021.
It became the pride of Malaysia in 2020 when it was selected for several international film festivals.
According to a post on FINAS’ Facebook, it earned the ‘Honorable Mention’ at the London Rocks International Film Festival (LARIFF) in November 2020 before it was picked as an Official Selection at the San Francisco Another Hole in The Head Film Festival in December 2020 in the United States of America.
Prior to that, it was also an Official Selection at the New Indie Film Festival of London (NIFF) 2020 and the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) 2020.
The fictional “indigenous” film in the Kadazandusun language about the old ‘pengait’ or headhunting practice in Borneo was directed by a Sabahan, Marc Abas.
It is a tale about an elderly man, Avakas, that does not believe, like the other folks, in the existence of a modern-day headhunter called ‘pengait’.
Instead he believes that a headhunter is a warrior that does not consider the cutting of heads as something that he should be proud of.
There is a secret reason for why he thinks like that, because he himself is such a warrior, as shown by the battle scars on his neck and the skull collection he keeps in his room.
The main protaganist in ‘Avakas’ is played by Larry Lajinoh with a cast that comprises Marco Nicho, Joveana Jim, Che Chi, Geinod Lozitin, Peter Tobob, Julian Mickey Niun, Alvinson Julian Mickey, Bobby Christ and Abas himself.
For those of us who might not have the chance to watch it before, do not pass the chance to see it on 15 January 2022 (this Saturday) at 9.00 pm on TVS, Channel 122 Astro and MyTV. – TVS
