Tribute to Yasmin Ahmad (July 1, 1958 – July 25, 2009)
Malaysia's favourite storyteller
We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great storyteller. P1 is touched and honoured that Yasmin chose to be a part of our 15Malaysia project. We echo the sentiment of many who concur that there will never be another filmmaker quite like her.
The critically-acclaimed multi-award winning film director, scriptwriter and writer, as well as the executive creative director of Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur was a prominent figure in Malaysia’s creative scene. The 51-year old Muar-born Yasmin was gifted with the talent to touch the millions of Malaysian hearts with her television commercials and films that are well-known for their humour, love and honesty that crosses cultural barriers.
Yasmin first joined the advertising industry as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather. In 1993, she moved to Leo Burnett as joint creative director with Ali Mohammed and eventually rising to be executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur.
Her first feature length film, Rabun (2002) won her many international awards and praises from the critics and public alike. Her interracial love story Sepet (2004) was accorded the Best Film Award and the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Malaysian Film Festival 2005, amongst many others awards.
Though many have never met Yasmin personally, most have been touched by her television commercials for Petronas during Malaysia’s festive seasons. The heart-warming commercials were a testament of her ability to reach across ethnic and cultural boundaries.
Yasmin’s departure on 25th July 2009 would undoubtedly leave a void in Malaysia’s creative industry. The talented and inspiring creative director would be dearly missed by fellow Malaysians, young and old.
P1 pays tribute to Yasmin Ahmad in Goodbye Yasmin. You'll be missed.
Join the Tribute to Yasmin's group in www.ruumz.com where you can watch her inspiring works, interviews, and more. Start participating in discussions and chats in this group too.