Requesting support for feature documentary on Stateless Filipinos in Sabah

Greetings and salutations. I hope this email finds you in the best of health. My name is Vila Somiah, I am an independent filmmaker currently based in Ohio and I am writing to you for in hopes of some assistance.

You see, I am a Sabahan and as a child, I watched undocumented Filipinos/nas through the window of my fathers car flooding the streets of Kota Kinabalu. I may not have been then but much later on in adulthood, I grew very interested in the the lives of this people, especially since it became increasingly sensitive as a subject. For almost two years now, my production partners and I have been working on the film, entitled Di Ambang: Stateless in Sabah.

This is a film that focuses on two stateless families of Philippines descent and tackles the issue of stateless migrants in Sabah. Production was especially hard for us when we were interrogated by the special branch on more than one occasion and faced resistance from members of the public because, lets face it, no one wants trouble. But persistence got us through it all I suppose.

Throughout production, we followed our subjects through their daily lives, studying the socio-political implications on the life of migrants in Sabah. Production was on going even when the latest Sulu attacks in May occurred. Although many thought it was planned, the team and I had no idea how the skirmish in Lahad datu could impact our film so greatly. In fact, Di Ambang incorporates the skirmish into the plot.

But now, the film needs exposure and donations for the final push and this is how I hope you can help me sir. To me (including many, many people out there), you are an Icon. People listen to you and they value your opinions, and through you, the film can most definitely reach a larger audience. All I request of you is that you check out our kickstarter page and website (the links are bellow), and if you can believe in the value of this project then please, help us promote it in one of your many channels. In fact, just a few days ago, Ms. Marina Mahathir (and soon Dato’ Ambiga) have expressed support and made pledges which you can view online. As of now we have hit 22% of our target.

I am striving for a much needed change in Malaysia En. Raja Petra, and the help I am asking of you only requires a few minutes of your time. My partners and I (who are all legit I assure you) have worked so very hard on this film and we want to bring Di Ambang to the Malaysian and international audience but we can only do it with your help. So please help us in any way you can and share our sites with as many people you know. We would appreciate it so much.

Berbanyak-banyak terima kasih,

Vila Somiah

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1118390113/di-ambang-stateless-in-sabah?ref=recently_launched

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/diambangfilm