'Pekak' film director Mohd Khairul Azri Md Noor today apologised to any disabled people who felt slighted by his film, which recently bagged awards at a Russian film festival.

A disabled people rights group said the film, which tells the story of a deaf man who sells drugs to raise funds for a cochlea implant operation, portrayed a disabled person in an immoral and undignified manner.

"I sincerely apologise. I had no intention to hurt anyone, especially the disabled community. Please don't think that I hate the disabled.

"'Pekak' is not to encourage drug use. Instead, it shows what is truly happening but which society is afraid to confront," he said.
 

Yesterday, an NGO advocating for disabled people rights said the protagonist Uda (Zahiril Adzim) was a negative portrayal of disabled people.

The NGO Hear Me, which represents parents of children with hearing disabilities, said the film is inappropriate to be screened, because it shows immoral activities like violence, theft, free mingling between sexes, drug abuse and cigarette smoking by minors.

It added there were also factual errors in the film.

Mohd Khairul said the team conducted extensive research on the cochlea implant procedures at a hospital before 'Pekak' was produced, so it could be as accurate as possible.

He also urged regulators to judge the film fairly, in the face of pressure to stop screening.

"'Pekak' is not the only film that features negative elements. They also exist in horror films or gangster films.

"(If these elements are to be removed then regulators should) only allow films which only depict good things, like someone reading the Quran, going to a surau and praying. And keep it that way," he said.

Banned in Brunei

The film has also been banned in Brunei, for its allegedly overt immoral scenes.

Top film critic Hasan Mutalib, however, defended the film as a cautionary tale.

Screenwriter Al Jafree Md Yusop added that it was unreasonable to expect films to only depict two-dimensional characters.

"In movies, there is no black and white, or a line that states clearly this is a hero or a villain.

"Every person has his or her dark side, which may not be seen on the surface, but could be the focus in a work of art," Al Jafree said.

'Pekak' may be Mohd Khairul's first foray into feature film directing, but the controversy has not left him cowed.

"I must see this as something motivating. I must not lose heart if I am to remain in this industry.

"The phrase 'giving up' does not exist in my vocabulary. Especially since 'Pekak' is also competing in two more international film festivals in Asia and Europe," he said.

He is also working a a new project in the horror genre, he disclosed.

'Pekak' which opened in Malaysian cinemas on Sept 1, also stars Amirul Affendi, Sharifah Amani, Sharifah Sakinah and Joe Flizzow.

The film won Best Script and Best Actor (Zahiril Adzim) at the International Motivational Film Festival at Rostov-on-Don, Russia.