The German Embassy in Brunei Darussalam hosted a special film screening entitled Worm and the Widow at the One Cineplex on Friday, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brunei and Germany.
German Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Gerda Winkler, in her welcoming remarks, said, “The film’s screening is the last leg of celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Germany- Brunei diplomatic relations after the visit of members of the ASEAN Friendship Group of the German Parliament in March and two seminars on implementing agreements to UNCLOS two weeks ago.”
She also shared that the parliamentarians also visited the Tutong district and the Alai Gayoh Anak Pulau homestay on Bukit Udal, where they were welcomed by the Dusun community members.
The film Worm and the Widow, directed by local independent filmmaker Abdul Zainidi, earned him an invitation to the Berlin Film Festival or the Berlinale, where he participated in the Berlinale Talents Segment.
He was the first-ever Bruneian filmmaker to be invited to the Berlin Film Festival.
In the film, he worked with hearing impaired persons.
The film has also been screened in Korea, Japan and the United States.
The event also provided an opportunity for the audience to ask questions from the filmmaker where he shared his vision to bring the Tutong dialect to the forefront, adding that he wanted to give a voice to the hearing impaired.
He said that he had to learn sign language to communicate with the cast and grew as a person, highlighting a sense of community in the movie.
Having received his film education in Busan, Abdul Zainidi was inspired by the work of Southeast Asian filmmakers.
Acting Director of Community Development Department Siti Zaharah Haji Abdul Razak, Acting Assistant Director of Family, Women and Children Division Syifa Syaheerah binti Abu Hanifah and Chairperson of the National Association for the Hearing-Impaired Pengiran Haji Norhalim bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahman were present at the movie screening. – Fadhil Yunus
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