Friends of AFA members may bring a friend for free by choosing the “General + Friends of AFA” option that covers one pair of tickets.
4K RESTORATION
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Mat Sentol
Runtime: 99 mins
Country: Singapore
Language: Malay with English subtitles
Rating: PG13
Courtesy of Cathay-Keris Films
Full Synopsis
Samad and his pregnant wife Dara work hard to save enough for the arrival of their first child. Unbeknownst to the couple, their friend Osman secretly lusts after Dara, burgles their home and steals their savings. Osman spends the money on gambling and drinks leaving his pregnant wife Kula in the lurch.
Tragedy befalls the two women as Osman makes his advances towards Dara. With supernatural forces at work, Samad struggles to comprehend the changes in his wife’s behaviour and is oblivious to the women’s desire for vengeance.
Dara-Kula was Mat Sentol’s foray into the horror genre, a move away from his oeuvre of comedy works such as Mat Bond (1967) and Tiga Botak (1965). The film would mark his last collaboration with Cathay-Keris Films before the studio ceased its movie production operations in 1972.
Restoration notes
The prints exhibited severe spotting, discoloration, broken perforations, and burn marks possibly from improper handling during its projection. Numerous large deposits of mould, adhesive residue, and imprinted dirt were also found throughout its image, which required manual reparation and cleaning by hand.
To digitally restore the film, approximately 400 hours were spent on restoration work to remove scratches, stabilize, deflicker, and colour correct the scans. Additional audio processing involving noise, clicks, and hum removal were carried out to ensure a better auditory experience for the dialogue, music, and foley tracks.
The film was scanned in 4K and restored in 2K resolution by IMAGICA Entertainment Media Services Inc. in 2021 and completed in 2022.
Oldham Theatre’s opening hours
The full Retrospective: Mat Sentol programme can be found here. Tickets will go on sale Friday, 29 March 2022.
Friends of AFA members may select the “Friends of AFA” option and enter your membership number if you wish to redeem your remaining complimentary tickets.
For further assistance, please contact us at ticketing@asianfilmarchive.org