The Malaysian art scene is really picking up speed nowadays. We are so lucky to have so many talented artists who excel in different areas. And it is also great that we Malaysians are becoming more aware and supportive of the local art scene. One amazing achievement comes from Malaysian producers Teng Poh Si and Cheyenne Tan. Their MTV short film ‘St. Louis Superman’ is up for an Oscar nomination!
St. Louis Superman is a documentary short film that focuses on the journey of Bruce Franks Jr. who is an activist and battle rapper. He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. In fact, this was quite the achievement because the house is known to be overwhelmingly white and Republican.
He first started off as a battle rapper known in his community. However, he decided to become an activist and enter the politics world after a tragic incident. The incident is the shooting of Michael Brown Jr. by a white police officer in 2014.
Bruce Franks Jr. is also no stranger to bullets. He was once shot in the knee by a stray bullet.
Moreover, the tragic shooting inspired him to stand up for his community and fight against police brutality and racism. Unfortunately, he faced many setbacks and things started to take a toll on his mental health. Eventually he resigned in 2019 due to mental health concerns.
Moving on, St. Louis Superman is the result of Malaysian producers Teng Poh Si and Cheyenne Tan! Furthermore, the short film is also the work of directors Smriti Mundhara and Sami Khan.
In addition, the 25 minute long documentary is up against four other short films for the Oscar. They are ‘In The Absence’, ‘Learning To Skateboard in A Warzone (If You’re A Girl)’, ‘Life Overtakes Me’, and ‘Walk Run Cha-Cha’.
Tune in this 9th February to catch the 92nd Academy Awards!
