“It’s still pure magic to me” Munah Bagharib on remembering P. Ramlee and her love of horror films

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An acting chameleon who isn’t afraid to inhabit wacky roles (check out our new promo vid where she plays 3 iconic Asian film characters), Munah Bagharib shares with us her love of P. Ramlee, horror films, and her optimism on the growing interest in Asian films in Singapore.

Is cinema, Asian or otherwise, part of your life? If yes, how so?

Definitely, I love watching anything and everything because you always learn something new. And you immerse yourself in a new world every single time you watch something. My favourite genre is horror and psychological thriller. 

What are some of your favorite or more memorable Asian films you have seen and why?

Definitely anything horror, hehe. But I grew up watching a lot of P. Ramlee with my late aunt. Films like Tiga Abdul, Seniman Bujang Lapok and Ibu Mertuaku were some significant ones I used to watch because my aunt would have them in TV all the time. 🙂 I actually rewatched a lot of his films recently and it’s still pure magic to me.

As an actress and a cultural worker in Singapore, what are your thoughts or how has your experience been in getting local audience to appreciate local or Asian works?

It’s very promising for sure. Because I think there is a high level of interest for local and Asian works. The only thing is that we don’t know how or where we can access this. But I definitely see a growing interest and pride in Asian works.

What are some of the films from the AFA May-July issue you may be most interested in?

So my top picks are a lot of the horror films. Films like Sumpah Orang Minyak, Raffles Hotel and Toyol are some that struck me. But there are so many others to choose from, it’s quite exciting to finally be able to immerse in these Asian works.

Catch Asian horror films from 7 June – 21 July at the new Oldham Theatre! Get tickets now at https://stateofmotion.sg/2019/film-screening/!

#StateofMotion2019 #ExploreAsianCinema