“Horologist” First Malaysian Short To Premiere At San Diego Comic-Con 2023
The themes in Horologist stem from the personal experience of director and writer Jared Lee of Grim Film.
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LATEST UPDATE: Horologist wins Best Animation at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
Horologist, a Malaysian-made animated short, premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con film festival on Sunday, 23 July (local time). It’s also the first Malaysian short to be shown at the popular convention for comic fans.
Grim Film CEO and Horologist writer and director Jared Lee thanked the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) Malaysia for the support throughout the film’s journey.
Growing up only dreaming about the possibility of ever attending THE San Diego Comic-Con came to realization this weekend with more than I can ever hope for: having a film we made selected to premiere and given the chance to be on the panel to share about the film. It’s surreal.
Grim Film CEO and Horologist writer and director Jared Lee
Ivan Cheong, the sound engineer of Horologist, said having the film premiere at the convention fuels their hopes and aspirations to level up even further.
The six-minute short produced by Grim Film and Dinohowl tells the tale of a shopkeeper named Sand who finds a way to sell time itself. The film explores the implications of selling time and the effect it has on the characters.
Previously, Horologist was also selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner, the Atlantic Bridge International Film Festival 2023, the Court Metrange International Film Festival 2023, and was nominated for ‘Best Animation’ and ‘Audience Choice Award’ at Poland’s International Animation Festival ‘Animator’ 2023.
The film also won Best Animation at the USA International Film Festival 2023.
How did the film Horologist come to be?
Horologist started out as a manga by Jared Lee during the Covid-19 lockdown. He drew inspiration for the story from his personal experience, such as his 2018 diagnosis of testicular cancer.
Since he could not have children, he looked into adoptions and his research led him to learn about other issues such as child abandonment.
He collaborated with local comics artist Cross to create the manga. The Horologist manga was completed within a year and the first limited run sold out quickly.
Lee then came across information that the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) was giving out grants for animation.
He decided to take the opportunity and received the grant in late 2020. He collaborated with a local animation studio, Dinohowl, and the rest they say is history.
According to Malay Mail, Lee quietly sent the film to various international festivals and could not believe it when it was accepted by the Cannes Film Festival.
Honestly, when I first got the email that our short was selected for the Cannes Short Film Corner I thought it was a scam. “I wrote a reply to them asking ‘Is this for real?’ and Cannes wrote back to me saying ‘Yes, indeed. Your film is chosen.’
Grim Film CEO and Horologist writer and director Jared Lee
In the future, Lee plans to expand Horologist into a series and is looking for backers and collaborators.
Horologist is the first of a four-part comic collection called The Grimoire. The second instalment Omakase will be out soon.
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