Brunei’s first major martial arts film, as well its first major film of any genre, “Yasmine” has released its full trailer on YouTube. On top of the aforementioned precedents set by the film, “Yasmine” also marks the debut feature of Brunei’s first female director, Siti Kamaluddin.
“Yasmine” marks the latest in a series of martial arts films with a major focus on the Southeast Asian art of Silat, following on the heels of “The Raid” films and “Merantau” by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans, along with Cecily Fay’s “Warrioress”. The film follows the exploits of its titular heroine, played by Liyana Yus in her debut role, and her determination to win a local Silat competition.
Particularly enticing for martial arts fans is the fact that the film’s action direction is being handled by Chan Man-ching, a former member of the famed Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Among his many collaborations with Hong Kong’s legendary king of action are “Dragons Forever”, “Drunken Master 2”, “Rumble in the Bronx”, “Gorgeous”, “Supercop”, and “Rush Hour”. He’s also worked as a stunt performer alongside other famed martial arts maestros as Jean-Claude Van Damme in “Knock Off”, Michelle Yeoh in “Supercop 2”, and Kane Kosugi in “Muscle Heat” (aka “Blood Heat”.)
Chan’s hard work and that of the cast and crew of “Yasmine” really shines through in the new trailer, and fans get to glimpse far more of it than in the previous teaser. Indeed, on the basis of the new trailer, you’d probably never guess that both the director and almost everyone else involved in the film apart from Chan are first-timers. Not too shabby!
“Yasmine” hits theaters in Brunei on August 21st. To find out when fans outside of Brunei will get the opportunity to see the film, be sure to follow the film’s links below.
