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Felik Wong Talks ‘A Day In Library’ And Future Projects
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Felik Wong Talks ‘A Day In Library’ And Future Projects

by Deric EctMay 22, 2015

Clockwise from top right: The Daily Seni’s Deric Ect, Indrani Kopal, Thiyagaraja and Felik Wong.

“I think its a guy thing but I dont mind watching Netflix the whole day,” mentions Felik Wong while having a chat with us in Cannes.

The Paris-based photographer of Cantonese descent is a huge fan of TV and film, rattling off title after title with Thiyagaraja when we gathered the emerging Malaysian filmmakers at the Malaysian booth.

Felik is the screenwriter of A Day In Library, an erroneously-titled piece in the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

A Day In Library was originally titled The Librarian, before a last-minute change by director Eden Wan.

Despite the poor choice of titling, the film stands proud as the most accomplished piece in the Malaysian section of the Short Film Corner. It’s the only piece that isn’t a student submission.

Felik claims that he wrote the script in 6 hours, while filming was over in less than 72 hours. Perhaps this is how he can afford to spend the entire day watching Netflix.

A Day In Library deals with themes of abuse and obedience in the workplace, setting them against a gorgeous backdrop of an old Chinese library.

“It was filmed at the library of one of the oldest temples in Kuala Lumpur,” Felik shares with us.

“It’s near the Chinese Assembly Hall, around Dataran Merdeka.”

He goes to great lengths in describing the building so that others would know of this hidden treasure in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

Felik has a strong fascination with Nazi crimes. A Day In Library even ends with a particularly apt and powerful quote by Adolf Eichmann.

A Day In Library centers around a librarian who struggles with his conscience.

Eichmann was a Nazi officer in charge of the logistics of mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps during the Holocaust. Similarities exist between Eichmann and the protagonist in Felik’s story: Eichmann was a clerk too shortly before becoming one of the organisers of the Holocaust.

“The devil exists in ordinary people,” muses Felik as he considers his favourite subject matter.

His next project will be a short that will be done in time for the BMW Shorties Award, but his main priority at the moment is a feature-length script that tells the story of Ho Feng-Shan.

Feng-Shan was a Chinese diplomat in Vienna during World War II, where he tried to save more than a thousand Jews by issuing them visas to Shanghai so they could escape Europe.

The 10-minute film is the only Malaysian submission that isn’t a student piece.

“Although some people know of the story, it’s almost never mentioned,” stated Felik.

The BMW Shorties project however will be focused on an elderly Kelantanese-Chinese couple who are affected by the floods. After the wife goes missing, a Malay social worker comes to their house to help the husband but stumbles into some discoveries.

Felik will be spending the rest of the year on these projects on top of working as a photographer in Paris.

“I guess in essence,” Felik finishes, “I’m really just interested in showing humanity on the screen.”

About The Author
Profile photo of Deric Ect
Deric Ect
Deric is contributor and former managing editor of The Daily Seni.
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