A life shunned
08th October 2008
SHARMILA BILLOT speaks to Poh Si Teng about her winning short film on transsexuals.
FOR a young filmmaker, Poh Si Teng is bold and courageous when it comes to tackling controversial issues.
Poh’s short film, Pecah Lobang, was one of the winning entries at the Freedom Film Festival (FFF) 2008.
Pecah Lobang, which means “busted”, is about transsexual sex workers in Malaysia. It is also a term commonly used by transsexuals.
“They are just normal people who had no choice but to become sex workers in order to earn a living,” said Poh Si.
“Life is hard for them as they can’t secure proper jobs. To add to their misery, their families and society shun them.
“They are not freaks but people with feelings just like you and me. Some of them possess exceptional talent in regards to beauty and make-up, and are creative.”
Making the film was no walk in the park as Poh Si had to gain their trust.
“It was a challenge getting the transsexual community to talk to me. They were all afraid and didn’t want to be put in a bad light as they were in enough trouble as it is.
“I had to gain their trust and I had to get some official comments but these people were giving us the runaround. I managed to get a religious scholar, a physician who conducted sex change surgeries, a sociologist, three attorneys and an outreach worker who explained the problems faced by transsexuals.”
Poh Si had about six weeks to complete the half-an-hour documentary but it took her about one-and-a-half weeks to find someone who was bold enough to be featured in the film.
The documentary was shot in the famous red-light area in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. It centres on Natasha who talks about the lives of transsexuals who end up becoming sex workers.
The short film highlights the failed job hunts, family rejection and society’s ill-treatment and also the cause of the ban on sex change operations in the early 1980s.
“It’s really sad as these transsexuals can’t get jobs and they live in constant fear of the police and religious authorities. Life is definitely not easy for them,” added Poh Si.
In the documentary, Natasha says: “I don’t know why we are constantly being punished. We are not murderers or rapists. We have not committed any other crime either. But we are the constant target of the police.”
Her film also talks about cross-dressing which is a crime under the Syariah law.
Born and raised in Penang, Poh Si studied journalism at the San Francisco State University. She worked for the Miami Herald and the Associated Press news service, where she tried out her skills as a video journalist.
Source:NST Online