
Directing
Amir Muhammad
Born 1972-12-05 · Kuala Lumpur
Amir Muhammad is a Malaysian writer and independent filmmaker
Acting credits
7.0On the night of 18 October 1987, a soldier ran amok with an M16 in the area of Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Due to the thorny circumstances of the time and place, his amok triggered a citywide panic and rumours of racial riots. Why did he do it? Why were Malaysians so jittery at the time? And what happened next? "The Big Durian" speaks to 23 Malaysians (some real, some fictional) to find out.
The Big Durian
2003
6.6A travel documentary essay, interspersed with specially composed songs, about the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya.
The Last Communist
2006
NRLocal filmmaker Woo Ming Jin and his crew traversed across Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to find 'Seruan Merdeka' (1947) - the first film made in Malaya post-WWII, and also the first film in the history of Malaysian cinema to feature a biracial cast of Malays and Chinese. While tracking the film's whereabouts, Woo met many locals along the way, whom he interviewed in an effort to find out more about the country's history.
Return to Nostalgia
2015
Behind the camera
3.9Susuk is a 2008 Malaysian horror film which was released on August 7, 2008 in Malaysia. The film is directed by Amir Muhammad and Naeim Ghalili. The story concerns about Soraya, who uses the forbidden practice of susuk in order to be famous.
Susuk
2008
NRShahnon Ahmad's novel Terdedah (1965) has not been reprinted in decades. This rambunctious satire is about a young widow with two lovers. Why hasn't the book been seen for so long? Did it "dedah" (reveal or expose) too much? Amir Muhammad asks seven artists how they would design a cover of Terdedah if it were reprinted today. Through Zoom, they discuss how the novel can be presented visually. In an unfortunate twist, one of the artists disappeared after agreeing. So this artist is replaced by ChatGPT. The six human artists are Anderson Ee, Fahmi Mustaffa, Hannah, Mark Lee See Teck, Syuq Tone and Yante Ismail.
Terdedah: 7 Artists in Search of a Cover
2025
7.0Lips to Lips is an urban comedy featuring four intertwined stories about desire, all set during one day in Kuala Lumpur. A suicidal young man mourns the death of his stepmother who had come into fatal contact with an apple. A bubbly radio DJ catches her fiancé in an unexpected sexual encounter on the eve of their wedding night. A dapper restaurant owner falls for his doppelganger. A bookshop clerk resorts to black magic to get the attention of a girl with a fetish for cookbooks. Lips to Lips is Malaysian filmmaker Amir Muhammad’s directorial debut. It is Malaysia’s first independent digital feature film that marked the beginning of the Malaysian independent film movement. It paved the way for the Malaysian New Wave’s unique brand of DV (digital video) cinema, whose leading figures have developed a niche of dedicated film audiences.
Lips to Lips
2000
7.0Lips to Lips is an urban comedy featuring four intertwined stories about desire, all set during one day in Kuala Lumpur. A suicidal young man mourns the death of his stepmother who had come into fatal contact with an apple. A bubbly radio DJ catches her fiancé in an unexpected sexual encounter on the eve of their wedding night. A dapper restaurant owner falls for his doppelganger. A bookshop clerk resorts to black magic to get the attention of a girl with a fetish for cookbooks. Lips to Lips is Malaysian filmmaker Amir Muhammad’s directorial debut. It is Malaysia’s first independent digital feature film that marked the beginning of the Malaysian independent film movement. It paved the way for the Malaysian New Wave’s unique brand of DV (digital video) cinema, whose leading figures have developed a niche of dedicated film audiences.
Lips to Lips
2000
4.6Ping has come from Penang in the north to Kuala Lumpur to work with her aunt. There she meets John, a young man who keeps trying to approach her. Ping feels increasingly attracted to John, and although she has a boyfriend in Penang she is drawn more and more into his world. Ping loses herself in her love and does all she can to keep John.
Love Conquers All
2009
A portrait of village life in South Thailand, home of retired Malay-Muslim members of the communist party of neighboring Malaysia. Recollections of the decades-long guerrilla war are interspersed with a Thai radio soap opera.
Village People Radio Show
2007
Politicains watch a film by Amir Muhammad.
18MP
2006
Politicains watch a film by Amir Muhammad.
18MP
2006
7.0On the night of 18 October 1987, a soldier ran amok with an M16 in the area of Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Due to the thorny circumstances of the time and place, his amok triggered a citywide panic and rumours of racial riots. Why did he do it? Why were Malaysians so jittery at the time? And what happened next? "The Big Durian" speaks to 23 Malaysians (some real, some fictional) to find out.
The Big Durian
2003
7.0On the night of 18 October 1987, a soldier ran amok with an M16 in the area of Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Due to the thorny circumstances of the time and place, his amok triggered a citywide panic and rumours of racial riots. Why did he do it? Why were Malaysians so jittery at the time? And what happened next? "The Big Durian" speaks to 23 Malaysians (some real, some fictional) to find out.
The Big Durian
2003
6.6A travel documentary essay, interspersed with specially composed songs, about the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya.
The Last Communist
2006
6.6A travel documentary essay, interspersed with specially composed songs, about the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya.
The Last Communist
2006
6.5This split-screen documentary by a Malaysian director chronicles the shooting of the Indonesian film Gie (2005) in the middle of 2004, which is also when the country is undergoing its first direct presidential elections. Opinions from the cast, crew and extras of the film are sought on politics, filmmaking and the national myths of the past and present.
The Year of Living Vicariously
2005
NRDocumentary about political turmoil in Malaysia.
Malaysian Gods
2009
NRDocumentary about political turmoil in Malaysia.
Malaysian Gods
2009
NRFifteen short films with socio-economic subject matter by 15 directors of Malaysia's "New Wave" and "No Wave." 15Malaysia is a short film project. It consists of 15 short films made by 15 Malaysian filmmakers. These films not only deal with socio-political issues in Malaysia, they also feature some of the best-known faces in the country, including actors, musicians and top political leaders. You may think of them as funky little films made by 15 Malaysian voices for the people of Malaysia.
15MALAYSIA
2009
5.2Short about a prison.
6horts #5: Kamunting
2002
5.2Short about a prison.
6horts #5: Kamunting
2002
The laid-back, scenic and conservative Terengganu was the only one out of the 13 states of Malaysia that director Amir Muhammad had never been to. So he decided to go there for the first time in December 2015 and do a kind-of-travelogue about it. He quotes from "Voyage to Kelantan" (1838), a book by Munshi Abdullah (often referred to as the father of Malay journalism) which had some very scathing observations about the state and the men who live in it. These quotes are interspersed with conversations with some Terengganu men of today. Co-directed by Badrul Hisham Ismail who is a Terengganu native.
Voyage to Terengganu
2016
8.0Short film about a difficult journey.
6horts #4: Checkpoint
2002
8.0Short film about a difficult journey.
6horts #4: Checkpoint
2002
5.5Short film about a murderess.
6horts #3: Mona
2002
5.5Short film about a murderess.
6horts #3: Mona
2002
8.0In a mosque, shoes are stolen.
6horts #2: Friday
2002