Heartwarming dose of nostalgia

Heartwarming Heartwarming Dose of Nostalgia Dose of Nostalgia

IG: @filemkopi Youtube: Filem Kopi

Kopi transports audiences back to the heyday of 1970’s Brunei through the life of Irfan Ahmed, a Bruneian Indian national who sets out on a journey of selfdiscovery and coming into his own all the while navigating the waters of love and heartbreak. The visuals of the film are heavily influenced by the classic movies from that time period – heavy patinas and effects were used to recreate the grain and mismatched sound track and subtitles they were especially known for. Iskandar Karim, producer and co-director for the film, said the stylistic direction was intentional to try and recreate things as close as possible, as well as opting for the film to be a Malay-language work.

The role of Irfan is played by his son, stand up comedian Khai Anwar, who also co-wrote the Kopi script and executive produced the film. “When I wrote (this), I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else playing my dad,” he admits about taking on the role himself. With the ability to draw on his personal experiences and what he calls versions of his father with friends or different groups of people, the character of Irfan takes on a unique role as part homage, part fantasy. “I tried to capture that young guy he would become with his old mechanic friends… It was definitely a little emotional to play (the character of) my dad, but I am naturally dramatic”, Anwar joked at the film’s premiere at Times Cineplex. From funny man on stage to dramatic actor, he is certainly breaking into unknown territory with this coming-of-age period piece.

The movie is a heartwarming study on the human experience and life in the Sultanate at that time. New faces abound in the cast - TV personality, Fatin Feisal, debuts in her first feature film as the main character of Mina, while Nasrul Nassar and Selina Khoo play the supporting roles as ‘Harun’ and ‘Sharon’ respectively. Shafiee Mostar plays the role of Pak Ahmad and his involvement, as a veteran actor in Brunei’s film and TV industry, gives this independent movie an extra boost of star power. He was also close friends with the late Md Sabir Ahmed bin Bashir, whose story was a major source of inspiration for Kopi.

“We knew from the start that we wanted (him) to play the role of Pak Ahmad,” Khai observed about the casting decision. “He knew my father and so during the shoot days, there would be times where he would make suggestions or observations to me about things my father would do or how he would say certain things.” Watching him work, it’s easy to see why Shafiee is considered a legend in Brunei, agrees Iskandar Karim adding that jumping into the driver’s seat for original director Zulfan Farhi halfway into the shoot felt ‘alien’ and that he was fortunate to be working with production teams that have plenty of experience behind them. Farhi had to step down from his directorial duties during the shoot due to other work commitments, according to representatives for the film.

Watch ‘Kopi’ at The Times Cineplex at Times Square in Berakas, and KB Sentral in Kuala Belait. The film will also be available to watch on the Progresif Media Platform.