Introducing: Justin Ong

When Justin Ong returned to KL six years ago, he brought home with him degrees from Marquette University, Milwaukee and the New York Film Academy; hands-on experience from the wilds of LA (he worked on the set of Hollywood Squares) and a burning hunger to tell Asian stories from an Asian perspective.

Eschewing the surer career path of doing commercials or romantic comedies for TV, Justin opted to champion the cause of his favourite celluloid subgenre: the humble documentary. Apparently, a lot of people noticed. Last November Justin’s idea for an in-depth look at ancient Balinese irrigation systems was chosen by Asian Pitch, a continental competition jointly sponsored by NHK Japan, KBS South Korea and Mediacorp Singapore.

From that, Subak: The Three Causes of Happiness was born. Detailing the relationship of the island’s rice croppers and the traditional Subak irrigation system proved to be a reaffirming project for the young director, who has always rued the lack of Asian voices telling authentic Asian stories. With Subak now complete and having gone through a rousing series of screenings in France this past April, Justin’s working on another documentary on the enchanted isle, Bali: Sacred and Secret, the crew for which has been on the ground collecting footage since last November. He’s looking forward to crafting a uniquely Malaysian story next, and welcomes pitches and ideas from those with a story to unearth. Fill up his inbox at justin@gsproductions.com.my.

Text & Photo Azwan Mahzan