In 10 countries with its Borneo Dayak indigenous actors and rainforest background!

Dayaks tribe is an umbrella term for the many indigenous groups in the Malaysian biggest state of Sarawak and the neighbouring Indonesian province of Kalimantan, have been largely excluded from mainstream representations of their nations. With an estimation population of 4 million people (Sarawak & Kalimantan), Dayak has never had a film industry since Malaysia independence in 1957. Thanks to a recent wave of popular music and film, though, the former headhunters from the island of Borneo are bringing their waning culture and languages to the outside world. Including this zombie horror.

A Zombie Film About Iban warriors

A low-budget independent horror film, “Belaban Hidup-Infeksi Zombi” (“Fight for Life: Zombie Infection”) by director Ray Lee, has bagged multiple awards at international film festivals with its unusual plot featuring Iban warriors, also known as Sea Dayaks of the State of Sarawak — fighting flesh-eating zombies.

Mostly shot in the Borneo jungle using traditional Iban costumes, and with an international cast featuring Slovakian actress Katrina Grey and Indonesian singer Tegar Septian, “Belaban Hidup” is the world’s first zombie-invasion film with a Dayak setting. It is also the first feature film produced by a Dayak film producer: Lee’s wife, Misha Minut, who comes from the Sarawak sleepy town of Limbang.

Originally produced in 2016 as a short film, “Belaban Hidup” was released as a full-length feature film earlier this year after a long battle to secure funding. Lee says that shooting the film was also a challenge. “We had to travel 20 km deep into the jungle, transferring all the equipment into a four-wheel drive, and driving into the forest at the mercy of unpredictable weather and wild animals.”

But the hard-earned authenticity of its indigenous setting is also what helped this racy B-movie stand out in the crowded zombie-invasion genre. Action scenes in an empty mall, paired with the use of a police task force and gritty, old-school photography, make “Belaban Hidup” look like a Southeast Asian version of the American zombie cult film “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) by George A. Romero.

The Film’s Plot

In “Belaban Hidup,” a mysterious organisation moves from Madagascar to Borneo to set up a bogus clinic and offer free medical treatment to the natives in order to continue experimenting on humans. But when a group of young captives manages to escape, so do the zombies, unleashing the infection upon the nearby rainforest. Taken by surprise, the resident Iban fight back, complete with ethnic garb, feathered warrior headdresses and indigenous swords and blowpipes — a striking visual tribute to the producer’s Iban ancestry.   

Paired with the film’s well-choreographed jungle photography, its unusual tribal characters and setting make “Belaban Hidup” unforgettable. After winning the Horror and Science Fiction category at the 2021 Singapore World Film Carnival on March 18, and Best Film and Best Horror at the St. Petersburg’s International Symbolic Art Film Festival on March 27, Lee’s debut film went viral on Malaysian social media, receiving praise from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin even before screening at local cinemas.

Film Festival Selections

“Belaban Hidup” went on to win Best Horror Film at the Sweden Film Awards, and Best Feature Film at the Canadian Diversity Film Festival in April, and will premiere in Los Angeles in May at the next edition of the Asian World Film Festival.

Only two other Malaysian films have used Iban settings since Malaysian independence from the U.K. in 1957 and the subsequent absorption of the former British colony of Sarawak in 1963. “Chinta Gadis Rimba” (“Love of a Forest Maiden,” 1958) produced in Singapore by L. Krishnan, told a story of forbidden love between an Iban girl and her Malay lover, while “Bejalai” (“To go on a journey,” 1989) by Stephen Teo, described the ritual journey that Iban boys take to transition into adulthood and was the first Malaysian movie in the Iban language.

The best-known international film with an Iban setting is the British-American historical drama “The Sleeping Dictionary” (2003) set in the 1930s and starring Jessica Alba as the Anglo-Iban girl Selima and Hugh Dancy as her English lover. However, none of these films were produced or directed by Dayaks. “We deserve our own film industry,” says Minut, who hopes that her debut will inspire other Dayak filmmakers.

Ray Lee

Ray Lee believes film can unite people, film can bring the world together. He is not producing movies for money, he is making money to produce movies just to fulfil his childhood dreams.

Ray Lee, (44 years old) is an Associate Professor from Yunan Art University in China and holder of Bachelor Degree in Creative Industry Management in Northern University of Malaysia. He is a film director, producer and music entrepreneur based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.