While movies like the Saw or The Conjuring franchise are enjoyed by most Malaysians, most of us are not aware that these movies are produced by a director with Sarawakian roots!
This director is no other than James Wan, who was born in Kuching, Sarawak. James spent the early seven years of his childhood in Sarawak before moving over to Perth, Australia.
Even in such a short time, his roots here in Malaysia left a lasting imprint on him and continues to follow him throughout his career as an influence that he has openly and actively acknowledged. James has often spoken about the Asian ghost stories and supernatural folklore that he often heard from relatives as he grew up in Sarawak, which shaped the unique directing styles in much of his horror-based cinematography.
James’ big breakthrough in the film industry kicked off in 2004 with the first movie in the Saw franchise, which he produced with Leigh Whannell on a famously restricted budget of USD 1 million, and shooting confined to only one room of space throughout the film. The film was a hit and went on to gross over USD 1 billion worldwide, more than 1,000x of its initial investment due to being one of the earliest films in the body-horror and escape room-themed category. The Saw franchise eventually became a global phenomenon with a cult following that grew into a billion-dollar franchise, with James being catapulted into worldwide fame.
James continued on producing other horror films, notably the Insidious (2010) and The Conjuring (2013) franchise, which helped solidify his expertise as a modern master of the horror genre. The Conjuring franchise eventually became the highest‑grossing horror universe of all time, surpassing $2.7 billion worldwide.
In his later career, James branched out beyond horror films to something new – action and blockbuster with Furious 7 (2015) and the first Aquaman (2018) film of the DC cinematic universe. Both crossed the billion-dollar mark, making James the first-ever Asian director with more than one one-billion-dollar film.
During the Aquaman press tour, James shared how his Malaysian Chinese roots influenced his directing and storytelling styles. He shared that traditional Chinese stories such as Journey to the West, which are commonly known amongst different generations of Malaysian Chinese households, inspired the development of the Aquaman universe’s elements and cinematography.
Here he also shared a personal anecdote where he deeply related to Aquaman’s experience of being “caught between two worlds,” as someone who was born in Malaysia and subsequently raised in Australia. He shared that he spent many years of his early life navigating between multiple identities before learning to embrace that both are a big part of hm.
James has also spoken affectionately about Malaysia beyond our culture’s influence on his cinematography. On a trip home recently, he shared how much joy he found in once again revisiting the foods from his childhood days, such as laksa, chicken rice, and even durian, bringing to light his emotional connection with Malaysia albeit having migrated to Australia many years ago.
From Kuching all the way to Hollywood, James’s journey is an inspiring story to all Malaysians on how Malaysian culture and identity has influenced some of the biggest, culturally changing industries worldwide. While James Wan remains one of the most successful directors in this generation, his roots aren’t just a highlight on his Wikipedia page – it’s a silent influence skillfully woven into all his creative works, making him not only a Hollywood modern-day master of horror but also one of Malaysia’s greatest creative ambassadors.
Share hidden facts about Malaysia and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM4,300! Find out how to join here. T&Cs apply.
C Chai (crystal.chaijeecheng@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.