Film director Dr Hatta Azad Khan, film historian Hassan Muthalib, and Asian Film Archive’s archivist Chew Tee Pao come together to discuss the legacy of comedian Mat Sentol and the significance of his artistry in Malay Cinema. Accompanying the Retrospective: Mat Sentol, this online discussion will also offer insights into the preservation and restoration of the featured titles within the retrospective’s programme. This discussion is moderated by Khoo Sim Eng (Head of Film Studies Minor) from the Singapore University of Social Sciences. The panel discussion will stream live online via AFA’s Facebook and Youtube channels on Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 7pm (GMT+8).

Dr. Hatta Azad Khan
Film Director
Malaysia

Dr. Hatta Azad Khan was the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts at the University of Malaysia of Sarawak (1993 -1997). He has served as the Director of the Malaysian Arts Academy (1998-2000), the Director-General of the Malaysian National Theatre (2000-2005), Dean of the Faculty of Artistic and Creative Technology at the Universiti Teknologi MARA (2005-2011) and served as Rector of the Malaysian Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (2012-2017). He is an acclaimed academician and an award-winning writer and director for stage, film, and television. His most recent work was Mahathir – the Journey, that he wrote and directed in 2020. Dr Hatta received the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2008 and the National Academic Award from the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia. He now devotes his time to filmmaking and teaching film and is an advisor to the Film Directors Association of Malaysia.

Hassan Muthalib
Film Historian
Malaysia

Hassan Muthalib is a self-taught artist, designer, animator, writer, and director. He is recognised as a pioneer of Asian animation and has directed public service advertisements, short films, and Malaysia’s first feature animation, Silat Legenda. He received an honorary Masters in Creative Technology from Universiti Teknologi MARA in 2008. Hassan’s writings have been published internationally in publications by Cornell, Indiana University Press and Cahiers du Cinema. He has also authored three books on Malaysian cinema and animation. Hassan has been on many international film festival juries, curated animation programmes and lectured at local and international universities. He is currently a film critic.

Chew Tee Pao
Archivist
Asian Film Archive
Singapore

Chew Tee Pao has been with the Asian Film Archive (AFA) since 2009. As Archivist, Tee Pao plans AFA’s preservation strategies and oversees the development of film collections, as well as curating various film programmes to showcase these collections. He also selects and oversees AFA’s film restorations. His publications on film preservation include an article on NANG magazine and a co-written chapter on “Independent Digital Filmmaking and its Impact on Film Archiving in Singapore” for the book Singapore Cinema: New Perspectives (2017).

Moderator

Khoo Sim Eng
Head of Film Studies Minor
Singapore University of Social Sciences
Singapore

Khoo Sim Eng heads the Film Studies Minor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She currently teaches courses on Singapore film history, the local film industry, and the state of streaming.