The Waves Will Carry Us
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European premiereTheatrical Screenings
Kinomuzeum
Kinoteka 2
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
Ah Yao, a migration agent living in Taipei, returns to his native Malaysia for his father’s funeral. Upon arrival, he discovers that in the final years of his life, his father converted to Islam, meaning that the Taoist funeral will not take place and the body will instead be taken to a Muslim cemetery. Ah Yao and his siblings in Malaysia, his sister, who runs a restaurant, and his brother, a political activist, set out to reclaim their father’s body. The incident becomes a catalyst for reflecting on the family’s migratory history and on how Malaysians of Chinese descent relate to questions of nationality and belonging.
Inspired by Teng Kuan Kiat’s short story collection “The Stories of My Wonderwall”, “The Waves Will Carry Us” offers a profound look at the multiple migrations undertaken in pursuit of a better life and material security. Lau Kek-Huat situates the narrative in the present day, tracing the journey from the early 20th-century migration of Chinese people from southern China to the everyday lives of their descendants - Malaysian citizens who, because of their Chinese heritage, face discrimination from the government and often choose to leave the country themselves.
text:
Maja Korbecka
Lau Kek-Huat
Born in 1979 in Sitiawan, north-western Malaysia, Lau Kek-Huat initially planned to work in a factory after finishing high school due to his family’s difficult financial situation. Thanks to a student loan, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Management and Business from the National University of Singapore. He later worked as a Chinese language teacher at a primary school. At the age of 27, he moved to Taipei to study Film Art at the National Taiwan University of Arts. In his short films, he often portrays migrant workers from Southeast Asia who come to Taiwan seeking employment. His feature-length documentary debut, Absent Without Leave, tells his own family story, focusing on the mysterious figure of his grandfather, a member of the Malayan Communist Party killed during the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) against British colonial rule. The success of “Absent Without Leave” and “Boluomi” has established Lau Kek-Huat as one of the leading representatives of the Chinese diaspora working permanently within Taiwan’s film industry, alongside Midi Z.
2008 Shu / Rat
2012 Yu luo shei jia / When It Rains (short)
2012 Hua kai de yewan / Whisper of Flowers (short)
2013 Dongwu zhi xin / A Stray (short)
2014 Yiqi qu kan hai / A Scene of the Sea
2015 Niya de men / Nia's Door (short)
2015 Lixiang zhuangtai / Dream Place Born in 60 Seconds
2016 Bu ji bu li / Absent Without Leave
2017 Yu / Feathered Dream (short)
2017 Xiaomao Bakeli / Barkley The Cat
2018 Shi nian Taiwan: Kunmin / Ten Years Taiwan (segment „The Sleep”)
2019 Hai you yi xie shu / The Tree Remembers (short)
2019 Boluomi
2019 Ai zai senlin bianjing / Cul de Sac Forest (short)
2020 Zhongshan gui / Dr. Sun
2021 Ye fan qie / Taste of Wild Tomato
2022 Yi bian xingxing, yi bian hailang / Between the Stars and Waves
2022 Kalun / KAREN
2024 You dao zhi dao / From Island to Island
2025 Rensheng hai hai / Waves Will Carry Us
Festival guests
Lau Kek-Huat
