Aside from filmmaking, Mizz is also passionate about acting, singing, modelling and activism. Photos: Handout
Proving Malaysians can make it big in the international scene: That’s the ultimate goal that New York-based Malaysian filmmaker-singer Mizz (real name: Amira Badawi Kamaluddin) aims to achieve in the long run.
Growing up, Mizz always saw herself shaping up to be in show business.
She attended Garden International School (GIS) in Kuala Lumpur, where she developed her passion for music after joining multiple singing competitions.
She then moved to a boarding school in Britain shortly after, and pursued A-levels in theatre at Hurtwood House in Surrey, where she dabbled in acting and dance.
At 18, she was accepted into New York’s Tisch School Of The Arts. There, she did four years of training in performing arts and two years of screen acting before making a foray into film production and screenwriting.
Mizz aspires to break into the international scene and contribute in putting Malaysia’s name on the map.
“Something I realised is that we have many Malaysian actors, yet there’s not much Malaysian content being showcased in the mainstream market.
Growing up, Mizz had not seen many Malaysians being represented in the global market.
“There’s plenty of interesting stories about Malaysia, yet they are being sidelined because no one’s writing about them.
“I figured that by getting into filmmaking, I can try to bring these stories to the Western market,” the 22-year-old said.
During our chat on Zoom, Mizz expressed admiration for Oscar winner Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh and Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding for making strides in Hollywood.
She said that growing up, she did not see many Malaysians being represented in the mainstream media. So, she is glad that Yeoh and Golding are pushing the boundaries in Hollywood.
“I thank Michelle and Henry every day because they’re the ones starting this movement. They’re the ones putting Malaysia’s name out there.
“I want to do what they’re doing, which is to tell Malaysians, ‘hey, we can break into the international market too.’ I strive to open more doors for Malaysians to realise that they’ve got what it takes to make it big, not just in the film industry but in any sort of field,” she said.
Passion project
Sure enough, Mizz is heading off to a great start.
Last month, the KL-born artiste bagged three prizes at the Prague International Sound Music Awards for her 2022 debut single, To My Love – which explores the theme of letting go, heartbreak and healing.
The categories she won in include Best Asian Music Video, Best First Time Director and Best Makeup.
For her next project, Mizz aims to promote Malaysia’s diverse culture to the Western market through her self-produced short film, Lemak – which tells the story of a Malaysian girl striving to be a chef in the United States by cooking Malaysian food.
“As I’m currently in New York, the challenge in making this project work is figuring out how to properly showcase Malaysia’s diverse culture without actually going (back to shoot).
“That’s when I thought of food because there are many signature dishes unique to different regions within Malaysia, and all these things are important in our culture,” she said.
Mizz described Lemak as a “passion project” of hers – mainly because it’s her first ever self-produced short film, and it’s a story that hits close to home.
“In the film, the protagonist talks about how she’s still able to feel support from her mother even though they are miles apart. This is something I strongly resonate with.
“Despite the distance and time difference between New York and Malaysia, my family is my rock and I always seek their advice.
“My parents are especially supportive. They push me in the best way possible and have always believed in my potential since the beginning. Even though we’re like 9,000 miles away from each other today, I still feel their support,” she said with a smile.
Mizz cites her family as her biggest role model and motivator in life.
Mizz said that when she comes back to Malaysia for visits, it is usually for short periods only. However, during the pandemic, she stayed put with her family here for more than a year.
“I went home in March 2020 and was there until June 2021, which is the longest I’ve ever been home in a long time,” she explained.
The filmmaker shared that spending such a long stretch of time in Malaysia reminded her of just how much she loved being home. Mizz also mentioned the Raya celebrations she missed. According to her, she hasn’t had a proper Raya celebration since leaving for Britain when she was 13.
“Celebrations were also more pared-down in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“I miss going to my grand- parents’ home, spending the day with them and just coming home to large boxes of kurma (dates). During Ramadan, everyone is sending kurma home but because I’m in New York now, I have to go out to get them myself,” she said.
Tough city
Speaking about her experience working in New York, the filmmaker admitted that it’s a tough city to work in. Apart from the winters which can get “harsh”, breaking into the Big Apple isn’t easy, especially since it’s a competitive city.
“New York is the hub of the best of the best. There’s a pursuit in every field here.
“Every corner of the city you go to, there’s people from all different walks of life, and the competition is high.
“But something I love about New York is that even though all of us have different pursuits, (most) of us are equally driven.
“Almost everyone I’ve met here has this sort of ‘I have a dream, I have a drive and I’m going to work for it’ kind of mindset.
“Seeing the strong drive in these people motivates me to work hard for the things I want to do,” she said.
Mizz added that while it’s nice to be surrounded by so many people who are similar to her, it gets daunting when she starts to compare herself to others sometimes. She is still learning to be kind to herself – both physically and mentally.
“Juggling filmmaking, acting and singing is challenging. But in the past two years, I kept telling myself to take things slow and just listen to what my body needs.
“I try to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and exercise to keep my body fit.
“Since this job can get quite hectic, I meditate every day for 15 minutes to keep my mental health in check.
“Doing these things helps me present the very best version of myself to others,” she concluded.
