THE PILLAR OF STRENGTH

“We highly recommend you go out of your way to watch it.”

When human beings value the life of nature, where they respect and learn from it, then it can strengthen the loving relationship between nature and human.

This charming and artistic animation from director Aie Ibrahim takes on an intriguing story with plenty of soul.

With the numbers of short animations out there it can be a struggle to stand out with something totally unique and creative. But director Aie Ibrahim’ short Pillar of Strength takes on more than just creativity. The style of animation is unlike anything we’ve seen before at APEX. Every scene is full of depth, colour and intricate details demonstrating an experienced team behind the film.

First of all, the setting of the film is not somewhere you’d expect to set a short animation in. Exploring a story from the Iban tribe in the Borneo archipelago is bold and a challenge in itself as there are many factors to pull off for it to be believable. However the unique animation style from Ibrahim and the team really does set this film apart and give it a sense of presence that it hard to visualise.

The animation is a mixture of traditional animation and hyper realism, giving it a sense of detail and depth within each scene. Being set in the jungle also allowed the team to play with a palette of colours that really jumps off the screen and look breathtaking. This is certainly a film for the big screen to properly appreciate the level of detail involved.

The story which was written by Ibrahim as well is very thought provoking and engaging. Not much dialogue is needed and is instead delivered with actions and emotions from the main characters, making this a great watch for any audience. There is great care and attention to detail with the history of the Iban Tribe and their culture, something that has clearly been heavily researched. It makes for a unique viewing experience as it will surely educate viewers.

The score from Andrew Bong is very fitting and suits the style of the animation seamlessly. There is a distinct tribal theme in the instruments used and helps to set the tone and world the film is set in. Outstanding work to Bong and David Chua Boon Ghee for producing it.

Overall this film will get great response from a range of audiences due to it’s unique approach to an unexplored topic. The creative animation style and thought provoking story makes for a great film and we highly recommend you go out of your way to watch it…

— APEX Film Awards