Photo courtesy of the National Geographic Channel
Khairun Lamb and Justin Ong (Photo courtesy of the National Geographic Channel)
The documentary chronicles Joel’s journey to Malaysia, as he fights his way to gain recognition in the art that he has devoted 14 years of his life to. Using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to study Silat's arsenal of techniques, this documentary also explores what makes the martial art so deadly.
MSN Entertainment caught up with the guys behind the documentary, director Justin Ong and producer/cameraman Khairun Lamb.
Can you briefly tell us what Fight Masters – Silat is about?
Justin: It’s actually a story about Silat but in this story, we feature a character, an American Silat student who is a Navy officer. He has been learning Silat for 15 years under his guru, Cikgu Sam. He has always had this desire to take the next step but his guru said no, until now. His guru finally allows Joel to travel to Malaysia, the birth place of the art (to get) tested. Joel’s always trained in the US but had never received recognition from the real guys, the true warriors. That’s what he wanted to do: come to Malaysia, go through the tests and be tested like never before. The documentary also talks a lot about the history and cultural aspects of Silat.
Khairun: Also, to take Joel out of his comfort zone, bring him over here, go through all the training and for him to experience it. Also, for foreigners to tell the story backed by the locals, so there is a good balance there.
Justin: We believe that with a character like Joel, he brings a different perspective of things, you know. We have the local gurus explaining why they do certain things, for them it's all very normal, but for foreigners, it’s like "Whoa, this is like nothing I have done before!"
Khairun: This documentary, to us, is going to be an eye-opener as it’s going to educate people on what Silat is actually about. It’s not just a flowery dance. If it gets to (that) point, it (can) become really, really deadly.
