Malaysian film editor's work screened at LA Shorts in Los Angeles

'It is an honour to see Aro's World being screened at the LA Shorts. Photos: Praboo T. Arivananthan

Melaka-born, Hollywood-based award-winning film editor Praboo T. Arivananthan, 28, has achieved success with his work on the short horror film, Aro's World. The film will be showcased at the LA Shorts International Film Festival (LA Shorts) today (July 19) at 2pm, Malaysian time.

Touted as one of the largest international short film festivals globally, LA Shorts screens over 300 films annually. It holds the distinction of being the only film festival with seven award categories recognised by the prestigious Academy Awards (Oscars).

The 11-day festival ends July 28, and features 61 films of different genres, including sci-fi, comedy and drama. Aro’s World is about a young boy named Adi (played by Kaya Johnson) who befriends a sock puppet as a means to escape from the guilt of his actions that accidentally caused the death of his father. Praboo says it is an honour to see the film being screened at the LA Shorts, stating that the feeling is surreal.

Kara plays Adi in the horror film, Aro's World. Photo: American Film Institute

"This film holds a special place in my heart because it is my first time dealing with a child-centred story, where the protagonist is a nine-year-old boy.

"What makes it even more special is that this was Kaya's first time acting in a film. When editing, I told myself that I must do my best because I wanted to be a part of his journey. Fast forward a year later, he won Best Young Performer at the Chicago Horror Film Fest this summer," said Praboo in an email interview from Los Angeles, California, the United States.

The 13-minute short film is directed by Los Angeles-based Indian director and writer Vibha Kulkarni. The 2023 film was shot in Los Angeles over the course of five days. The budget was nearly US$50,000 (RM233,375).

"Although I never worked with the cast directly, I handled the footage and I felt responsible for shaping their performance," said Praboo, a former student from SMK St Francis in Banda Hilir, Melaka.

Praboo says it feels surreal that the film is being screened at the prestigious film festival.

Rising star

Praboo, who holds a Master of Fine Arts in Editing from the American Film Institute (AFI), has directed eight short films and one feature film in the last decade. In 2015, Praboo was named Malaysia's Youngest Filmmaker for his debut award-winning feature film, Kid.

In the last nine years, the talented man from Bukit Katil, Melaka has gone on to attain international acclaim. Earlier this year, his film Pulang clinched Best Debut Filmmaker at the 2 11 17 International Film Festival in Chennai, India. In March, the movie won Best Super Short Film (Student) at the Hollywood Gold Awards.

"These wins came totally unexpected. Pulang was conceived while I was lying in bed, contemplating my career during the film industry strike in the US. My parents reassured me that I always had a home to return to if things didn’t work out, and that sparked the collaboration.

"I am grateful that my family has been very supportive of my decision to venture into the production world. My mother once said: 'If you don't try something new in life, how do you even elevate yourself?' I guess she was right," said Praboo, who hopes to work with Hollywood director Christopher Nolan and actor Robert Downey Jr.

Praboo's parents, Sarita Mohan (left) and T. Arivananthan (right) have been his pillar of strength.

During the pandemic, he transitioned from working with cameras and directing, to focusing on editing. And over the years, he has developed a growing passion for film editing, saying it has made him become a better storyteller and a better person.

"On my first film with the AFI, the short I worked on was about a young girl's journey to acceptance of wearing hearing aids. The story was based on a true incident. As I edited the scenes, I began to realise that I have a set of good hearing that I need to cherish because I could hear things others couldn't. I also learned that people are constantly hearing things around but how many actually listen?

'Pulang was conceived while I was contemplating my career during the film industry strike in the US,' says Praboo."I attended to the editing with lots of tender loving care. It even made my editing professor cry while he analysed the film at the end of the process. From the experience of listening and connecting with people, I have been able to connect with people of different walks of life and develop amazing friendships."

Praboo believes it is important for Malaysian students to take the film industry as seriously as any other profession.

"If you are passionate about film production, go for it. Films influence the way people see the world, whether we acknowledge it or not. I believe we should establish film and TV clubs in Malaysian schools to expose kids to the world of storytelling and unity.

"Malaysia has so much to offer in terms of storytelling to reflect our identity as a multi-racial country. But we need the technological resources to realise our potential. While I believe we don't need high-end equipment to tell a great story, having access to these tools is crucial for us to compete on the international stage and elevate our craft. I'm passionate about making this change for our country's film industry," Praboo said.