Kamil Haque Actors Workshop AIFFA 2013

AIFFA 2013: A unique combination of an actor’s workshop, seminars, interactive panels, meet and greets and a film festival

The first ever ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards 2013 (AIFFA 2013) will be held in Kuching, Sarawak on March 28 to 30, 2013. Seen from the exterior, the event is a festival dedicated to recognising the best that ASEAN films have to offer. But, it is so much more than just a simple festival.

The festival aims to leverage on the attendance of participants with an extensive background in filmmaking and have them share with the audience the intricacy of making films. In particular, delegates, guests and audience members can look forward to the second and third day of AIFFA 2013. Whilst there is an ongoing Karnival Rakyat at Kuching Waterfront and screenings of all nominated feature films at the Old Courthouse on the 29th and 30th of March. There will also be a series of exhibitions, seminars, meet and greets with celebrities and interactive panels at the Pullman Hotel, Kuching.

One of the highlights will be an acting workshop, led by Kamil Haque, an actor, acting instructor, director and producer based in Los Angeles and Singapore. He will be sharing his skills with aspiring actors through his acting workshop.

Kamil is the youngest and first Asian to teach acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. The institute was founded by Lee Strasberg who is considered the “father of method acting in America,” according to author Mel Gussow. Mr. Strasberg is recognised for having “revolutionised the art of acting by having a profound influence on performance in American theater and movies”. Notable alumni that the Institute has trained include Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Christoph Waltz, Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Harris, Paul Newman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

“Acting is the most difficult of all the arts because unlike a painter or a musician who has an external means like a paintbrush or violin to express himself, actors have to use their own bodies, their minds, their five senses, their hearts, their own voices to create stories,” says Kamil.

A lot of actors according to Kamil start out in the industry extremely motivated by the films they watch, the icons that they idolise and the yearning to become one of them.

“As a beginning actor you go in guns blazing trying everything, doing everything, thinking you can play any role, and out-act anyone, anywhere, anytime and some of the work is instinctive maybe tempered by genius, but you are perhaps unaware that for the most part your work as an amateur is substandard.

“The longer you remain an actor; you begin to discover the history, the craft and work. You then realise that even with more experience and training, you may not reach the heights of the person or event that inspired you. That awareness of where you are with the work versus where you wish to be creates what I call the “Creative Gap”. This “Gap” has no fixed time limit and that often disheartens a lot of actors and many of course end up quitting”, adds Kamil.

As such, Kamil intends on developing an actor’s mind first and focus deeper on practices that will enable the actor to delve into their respective characters, and provide the mental and physical fortitude that can help you overcome that “Gap”.

“When I work with my students and clients, I always try and make what they learn applicable in real life. I like working on developing individuals as individuals in a typical small workshop setting. Skills like developing your talent and technique, having perpetual intellectual and cultural stimulation and educating and training your soul should not be underplayed. Genius is inspiring but it is hard and smart work that gets results.”

“For example, one of the most basic exercises is the “Breakfast Drink’ exercise – I work with people to be more aware of their body and five senses to sharpen their sensitivity and self-awareness so they recreate imaginary realities of a simple daily activities leading to more complex exercises. If you cannot recreate a simple exercise like that truthfully with specificity, then how do you even dare to hope playing major characters like Romeo or Juliet,” he states.

Kamil who also acts as the Singapore Liaison Director, believes that AIFFA 2013 is a promising start to a bigger set of things to come due partly to the spirit of collaboration within its people and most importantly its sincere intentions.

To participate or attend the seminars, workshops and interactive panels on March 29th and 30th at the Pullman Hotel in Kuching including the acting workshop please contact: 082-414661 or 03-21663661 Or Log on to: www.facebook.com/Aiffa2013

For more information about the event, please visit AIFFA 2013 official website: www.aseanfilmfest.com