The rainforest-inspired Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai launched the first of its monthly film nights on October 12 with award-winning feature 'Not My Mother’s Baking'. Staring father-and-son acting duo Zack and Benjamin Zainal, the film uses comedy to expose the ignorance and cultural insensitivities that are often swept under the carpet in Singapore.

SINGAPORE FILM starring mother-daughter duo Chef Siti Mastura Alwi and Chef Sarah Ariffin, Not My Mother's Baking stole the hearts of the jury at the Religion Today Film Festival in Trento, Italy. The film won the inter-religious special jury ❞𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻❜𝘀 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.❞ Produced by Studio59 Concepts, the film was also nominated for the special jury ❞𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱❞.

Chef Siti Mastura, when contacted by Berita Harian said: "I am very proud that this film won with commendation and we are like representing the voices of Singaporean women in making positive life choices and fulfilling dreams."

Local film "Not My Mother's Baking" won the "Religion Through Women's Eyes Award" at the 24th Religion Today Film Festival in Italy.

Director Remi M Sali happily told Lianhe Zaobao, “The movie deals with interracial and interfaith issues in Singapore in a light-hearted manner, which makes it palatable and relatable for a general audience." He added, “We can have a laugh at ourselves which is a great starting point for dialogue and understanding.”

Local film Not My Mother’s Baking continues to make waves overseas with its win at Italy’s 24th Religion Today Film Festival’s Religions Through Women’s Eyes Award, and with its nomination for the special jury New Gazes Award. The festival is dedicated to promoting a culture of peace and dialogue between faiths through cinema.

Bold in its challenge of religious, cultural and racial sensitivities in Singapore, Not My Mother’s Baking also holds the accolade for being the first Singaporean film to feature a Malay lead speaking English for most of the film.

Local film "Not My Mother's Baking" won the "Religion Through Women's Eyes Award" at the 24th Religion Today Film Festival in Italy.

Director Remi M Sali revealed that "Not My Mother’s Baking" is the first Singapore feature film to be officially selected and competing in the festival. This year, there are 83 films from 36 countries competing for multiple awards. The films are selected from more than 1400 entries received.

The local film "Not My Mother's Baking" was nominated for two awards at the 24th Religion Today Film Festival in Italy - a special jury "𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱" and an inter-religious special jury "𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻❜𝘀 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱".

The movie Konpaku is based on the real life experience of film director, Remi M. Sali. In the movie we see a powerful scene in which the Ustaz tries to dispel the entity from the victim while his two friends watched on. In real life, Remi and his brother were the ones holding down the relative. This is his confession.

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No, it's not a race-swapped version of a Pontianak film. In Konpaku, Midori as an entity is something new, and yet to be identified. She is not bound by any preconceived rules attached to familiar Malay ghosts, like the Pontianak, Penanggal or even Hantu Kum Kum. Just like what my relative Hirzi experienced, I want the audience to learn the entity's characteristics as the movie unfolds.

Konpaku is inspired by an actual exorcism that the Director, Remi M Sali, participated in together with his 3 siblings. The experience changed their lives forever, where they teamed up to make the movie.

From the team behind local film Not My Mother's Baking (2020), which made its world premiere at last year’s Singapore International Film Festival - SGIFF, comes their 2019 indie film Konpaku. The 2020 comedy was praised as an unapologetic effort in normalising interreligious and intercultural relationships. In many ways, Konpaku goes further in its challenge of similarly sensitive themes and topics as a Malay-centric local film. While it is a sharp tonal contrast to Not My Mother's Baking, director Remi M Sali’s eye for fascinating stories found amidst intercultural and interreligious dialogue remains ever apparent even while tackling the horror genre.

参与亲戚的驱魔仪式颠覆了本地导演Remi M. Sali（雷米·M·沙里）的世界，他因此创作了电影《魂魄》（Konpaku）！

雷米接受《联合早报》访问时透露，2011年他36岁时，一名小他10岁的亲戚出现“行为脱序”的情况，亲友们为这名男亲戚驱魔，他也参与了。他说：“我对宗教不热忱，参与这样的事，我走出自己的舒适圈，过程中不害怕。因这名亲戚与母亲关系不佳，我一度感觉他只是在‘演戏’罢了。”顿了顿又说，去之前，他强烈认为这个亲戚应该去看精神科医生，“但驱魔过程让我意识到他不仅是精神的问题。他的马来语不好，但离奇的是，他竟然说得一口流利的印度尼西亚语。”据雷米透露，亲友们怀疑他被印度尼西亚的灵魂附身。

Thank you 華視新聞 #培你聊電影 朱培滋 for recommending Not My Mother’s Baking 《媽哩媽哩烘》in your Mother's Day special.

這部電影將馬來文化與華人文化的融合，做了一套完整的故事說明，來自不同文化需要結合其實是非常不容易的事情，透過電影，可以深刻了解馬來文化特色，除了他們篤信回教阿拉，且婦女必須終身帶著頭套帽以外，原來要娶個回教女還有者麼多美腳，感謝製作團隊將新加坡文化樣貌精簡呈現，整體感是好看的說。

不論你認不認同這是俊男美女，不同文化有不同的審美角度，不要把這部電影當成娛樂商業片，沒想到皈依回教有這麼多的繁文縟節，而成男割禮還是第一次在電影上看到，不能吃豬肉的女孩愛上賣豬肉的男孩，這也實在太妙了。

有关《不》的其中一篇影评写道：饰演男女主角两家人的配角，都是实力派演员，与台湾迥然不同的演技，让全场观众看得笑声连连！台湾有不少穆斯林教徒，相信对于片中关于猪肉的禁忌十分熟悉，而这也引爆了片中一连串爱情酸甘甜的战争，母亲节档期全家就带着妈妈一起进戏院看。

另一篇则写道：《不》比预期中的还要好看许多，看似平凡且单调的题材，却融入极大的资讯量，透过轻松幽默的口吻，说着这段巨大文化隔阂下的爱情故事，全片长达112分钟，节奏轻快且完全不拖泥带水，导演喜爱将两个极端值的元素给放在一块儿，呈现一场又一场的“矛盾大对决”，蹦出一次次精彩的火花，让人看了大呼过瘾且心满意足。

对于好口碑，雷米沙里说：“很正面的影评。我希望观众也能接受这部电影。”

Thank you 電影情報讚 Movie Information Like, #应镇国 ＆ 雀雀看電影 for the introduction of Not My Mother’s Baking 《媽哩媽哩烘》

- 看電影學馬來文化 kakak與abang別亂叫
- 牛車水v哈芝巷 獅城華.馬來西亞重鎮見證跨族愛情
- 馬來女孩愛上烤豬男孩 真愛與幽默跨鴻溝

新加坡在疫情爆發前曾是國人喜歡的旅遊地點，尤其是美食更是讓人難忘，而一部新加坡喜劇，就用獅城多元的美食文化，帶出一段跨種族與信仰的愛情故事。華人烤豬王子與馬來烘焙公主陷入熱戀，卻因為家族背景差異，而發生許多笑料，也讓戀情頻受波折。

成为第一个电影在台湾公映的本地马来导演，雷米沙里（Remi M Sali）接受《联合晚报》访问时说：“好紧张，不知道台湾电影观众的反应会如何。”

沙里所执导的《不是我妈妈的烘焙》（Not My Mother’s Baking）掺杂了本地语言色彩包括华语、英语、马来语等对白，刻画本地演员张丞礼饰演的华人录影师，在为马来名厨西蒂的女儿莎拉拍摄视频时，擦出爱火，并走上婚姻殿堂，但两个家族的文化不同，惹出不少笑话。影片今天（5月7日）起在台湾公映，雷米沙里说：“在台北、桃园、新竹、台中、台南和高雄。我很好奇台湾观众对这部新加坡电影的看法。”

《媽哩媽哩烘》is much better than expected. It seems to touch on ordinary and monotonous issues but actually incorporates a huge amount of information. Through a relaxed and humorous tone, it tells this love story under a huge cultural barrier. The film is 112 minutes long, with a brisk rhythm and no sloppiness. The director likes to put two extreme values together, presenting a "contradictory showdown" one after another, which brings out wonderful sparks again and again. Enjoyed and satisfied!”

Thank you TVBS 新聞 and 林佳妮 for highlighting quotable quotes from Not My Mother's Baking and using them to tell the essence of the story.

The whole film cleverly highlights the love and affection between two Singaporean families of different races, one Malay and one Chinese. Due to the differences in race, cultural etiquette, religious beliefs and food, a series of misunderstandings are derived. As long as you are honest and call for true love in your heart, you must try your best to eliminate the voices of fear and opposition from others. From the first acquaintances that cause disputes and frictions which then leads to mutual affection and laughter, the film explodes into a series of lively and witty dialogue. The festive marriage makes people laugh and cry, and it is also full of joy!

1. 不論你是否談過戀愛，這部電影絕對會帶領著你重溫或探索戀愛的滋味！
2. 戀愛不必煽情演出，也可呈現得滋味十足！
3. 世界上甚麼是最無私的，那應該是親情，它的力量更勝過宗教信仰
4. 是部美好的電影

新加坡溫馨喜劇電影 #媽哩媽哩烘
美食X愛情 爆笑登台啦
宛如"羅密歐與茱麗葉"般
她該選擇心愛男人⁉ 還是家族⁉

Singapore-based investment, production and licensing firm 108 Media picked up two Singaporean indie projects produced in late 2020: feature documentary “The Last Artisan” about an ageing master craftsman who must past his tools to the next generation, directed by Craig McTurk; and social comedy “Not My Mother’s Baking,” about religious and cultural misunderstandings in the age of social media, by veteran director Remi M Sali.

I find film making gleefully exciting, but absolutely nerve-wracking at the same time. Ho Pak Kin (co-founder of Studio59 Concepts) and I challenge ourselves to create local-centric content that everyone loves to watch, but nobody dares to make. With Malay content, there are so many subject matters that have yet to be explored and showcased, which can be universally accepted and appreciated.

Not My Mother’s Baking is a rare film that presents the faultlines in inter-ethnic and inter-faith Singapore in a point-blank yet light-hearted way. We have the opportunity to interview director Remi M Sali, a Ngee Ann Poly graduate and Chef Sarah Ariffin, who plays the female lead in the film. Here’s what they have to say about the controversial portrayals in their film.

Eye-opening. That was the first word that came to mind when I was leaving the theatre after watching local film Not My Mother’s Baking. More than just a romance comedy and culinary drama, this local film explores the complex interracial and interfaith relations that are ever so present and not so talked about in Singapore.

"BABI! Babi! Babi!" That was one of the dialogues of the narrator of a romantic comedy film screening recently by Studio59 Concepts, Not My Mother's Baking. The 112-minute film tells the story of an extraordinary encounter between the son of a roasted pork rice seller, Edwin, and a Muslim pastry chef, Sarah. Personally, the film can be a trigger for honest, open and relaxed discussions on religious and racial issues. However, this column will discuss in particular the word 'babi' following the hilarious dialogue from the language perspective and its relationship with the community.

Sekiranya korang ternampak trailer filem Not My Mother’s Baking ni, pasti korang dapat agak bahawa filem ini pasal another kisah cinta antara Melayu dan Cina yang dilarang dek perbezaan budaya dan agama, tapi akhirnya dapat dileraikan. Tapi, apa yang membuat perjalanan cinta watak Sarah dan Edwin lebih menarik adalah personaliti keluarga masing-masing yang menambahkan flavour kepada kisah cinta ala Romeo dan Juliet ini.

Is it a headache for the son of a roast pork hawker to fall in love with a Malay girl? The local movie Not My Mother's Baking tells such a story, director Remi M Sali dares to accept the challenge. In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, he candidly said that the film explores the cultural and religious beliefs of different races. The plot and bold dialogue in the film made the cast and crew nervous for him.

Local movie Not My Mother's Baking caught the favour of Taiwanese distributor Cineplex Development Co. and is slated for a theatrical release there. The Taiwanese film distribution company has previously picked up Eric Khoo's 'My Magic' and Yeo Siew Hua’s Golden Horse award-winning film 'A Land Imagined'.

Local romantic comedy Not My Mother’s Baking reimagines Romeo and Juliet for modern Singapore. The film is bold in its challenge of religious, cultural and racial sensitivities in the country, holding the accolades for being the first Singaporean film to feature a Malay lead speaking English for most of the film, and for being the first film in the world to showcase the Islamic conversion of a man led by a woman religious leader.

I believe I am not alone in my love for cinema. In particular, movies about food. There is nothing that gets my cravings going more than seeing a dish on the big screen—think ramen from Tampopo (1985), or ratatouille from, well, Ratatouille (2007). Imagine my excitement when Not My Mother’s Baking (2020), Studio59 Concept’s latest work, was announced in September of 2019. Over a year later, I am pleased to report that the film is finally hitting the cinemas.

Q&A with director Remi M. Sali and producer Ho Pak Kin on Not My Mother's Baking for SGIFF 2020.

“Not My Mother’s Baking” by Remi M Sali, similarly to “Konpaku” (2019), the debut feature of this Singapore-based director, explores the territory of intercultural and interfaith relations. However, while “Konpaku” was using the elements of horror, this time the mood is entirely different. We get a rom-com combined with a light-weighted family drama and… lots of mouth-watering delicacies. Remi M Sali made use of his experience gained during working on TV culinary shows like “Cinta Kek” or “Delicatessen” to implement some tasty content and a thread of video productions dedicated to foodies and gormandizers.

During his childhood, film director Remi M Sali felt as a Malay-Muslim, he is "purer" than the Chinese - as "Malays do not eat pork, and do not touch dogs." In fact, he admitted that he was angry with a school friend who put a piece of non-halal dumpling into his plate. Who would have thought, that past experience inspired the production of his latest film, which addresses the halal and non-halal aspects of living in harmony between races, both in relationships, lifestyle and food.

True love conquers all in Remi M Sali’s warmhearted Singaporean rom-com Not My Mother’s Baking (不是我妈妈的烘焙). Spinning a Romeo and Juliet romance between an aspiring Malay Muslim cook and the heir to a roast pork hawker stall, Not My Mother’s Baking is as much about cross-cultural connection as it is about two young people finding their own directions and the strength to pursue them free of parental expectation as they figure out what it is that will really make them happy.

Just in case you were wondering what the film title means, it’s a millennial daughter spiting her celebrity mother’s bakery-driven fame by starting a YouTube channel named as such, featuring her own baking exploits. Pretty cool isn’t it? This ‘family values’ vehicle packs a few instances of rebellion and impropriety to keep the film crunchy without being too haram.

Live interview with mother-daughter leads Chef Siti Mastura, Chef Sarah Ariffin, director Remi M Sali and producer Ho Pak Kin.

The film has an authentic blend of Singapore flavours with dialogues in Chinese, Malay and English. Shin Min Daily News interviewed the protagonist, Vincent Tee. He revealed that his role as a roast pork seller was initially just as a guest star. As he is effectively bilingual, he became the narrator in the movie, coupled with his on set impromptu dialogue improvisation. “As a result, my role increased from being a guest star to 50%!”

Director Remi M Sali and Executive Producer Ho Pak Kin of Studio59 Concepts share their vision for their movie with TheHomeGround.Asia ahead of its World Premiere at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival.

Radio Interview with actresses Chef Siti Mastura, Chef Sarah Ariffin & director Remi M Sali.

At first glance, Not My Mother’s Baking, seems like your typical romance flick of star-crossed lovers set in modern day Singapore. That is until you start unpeeling the layers to this film by Studio59 Concepts, their second full-length feature and their first film to be showcased at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival.

For this year’s Singapore Panorama, we doubled the short film programme to provide a richer experience of local films. The diverse showcase ranges from works with wider appeal to those of hybrid and unconventional forms. Together, they present a crossection of the state of independent filmmaking in Singapore. Through their varied portayals, they capture a slice of eclectic Singapore that we hope will spark discussion and reflection.

The culinary section of the 14th Five Flavours is a sense-stimulating survey of film delicacies from across Asia. And if the steaming-hot soups, dishes sprinkled with colorful seasonings, and glossy chocolate-glazed cakes make your mouth water, you can join us for a home feast accompanying the screenings!

Food, religion and culture clashes occur in the romantic comedy Not My Mother's Baking, which relates what happens when the daughter of a Malay-Muslim celebrity chef falls in love with the son of a Chinese roast pork seller.

Local movie Not My Mother’s Baking is rated NC16 as it touches on interracial marriage and religiously-sensitive content.

This persistence of vision is also apparent in a number of self-funded independent films. Most intriguing of all is Konpaku (Soul) by Remi M Sali, a young filmmaker who began with short films in 1995 (after Sandi Tan). Still with his filmmaking partner, Dzulkifli Sungit, who helms cinematography, Sali’s film is an in-your-face politically incorrect film about the Malay minority in Singapore.

We present a list of twenty films you shouldn’t miss at the 10th Cambodia International Film Festival which will take place from March 13th – 22nd (2020) at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Zack Zainal, Chef Siti Mastura and their respective children star in the movie "Not My Mother's Baking" which will meet the audience in theatres next year.