Unheard Memoirs from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya

Unheard Memoirs from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya A documentary that follows the stories and experiences of the locals who survived the Japanese Occupation of Malaya during the WW2 era.

Join us this Sunday, 23 November, 5–7pm, for a rare and powerful lecture by Professor Gary Lit, author of the acclaimed ...
20/11/2025

Join us this Sunday, 23 November, 5–7pm, for a rare and powerful lecture by Professor Gary Lit, author of the acclaimed If the Sky Were to Fall… — a book that unpacks the myths, traumas and untold stories of the Japanese Occupation and the Malayan Emergency through the eyes of ordinary people.

Professor Gary Lit will take us deeper into the hidden histories that shaped our parents’ and grandparents’ lives — stories of survival, resistance, injustice, and resilience that are too often left out of official narratives.

✨ Bonus insights you’ll hear at the lecture:
▪️ His latest research shared with Beijing TV, CCTV, and Australian media — including rare images from our Perak filming journey
▪️ The tragic history of the Three Star Tombs & the dangerous Kinta Valley caves
▪️ The overlooked role of the Fifth Column spies during WWII
▪️ Extraordinary sacrifices of women during the war — from Malayan guerrilla mothers to wartime parallels in Vietnam
▪️ A comparison between Ho Chi Minh and Chin Peng, and why the outcomes in Vietnam and Malaya differed
▪️ PLUS: a gripping look at “Rare Earths and the Secret Japanese Atomic Bomb Project” in Kinta Valley — and the unimaginable consequences had history taken a different turn

Professor Gary Lit will also share vivid personal anecdotes, including memories passed down through his own family — from mahjong games in Kampar to the golden-toothed fashion of pre-war Malaya.

➡️If you’re interested in coming along, this is a FREE event. Please RSVP to [email protected] ⬅️

DETAILS:
This Sunday 23rd Nov
5pm - 7pm
Kathleen Syme Library, 251 Faraday St, Carlton

📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝

🎥 .ren from our recent visit to Malaysia

We’re back in Melbourne and reunited at last night’s Screen Presence event! Sunday morning marked the end of our journ...
20/03/2025

We’re back in Melbourne and reunited at last night’s Screen Presence event! Sunday morning marked the end of our journey, but the start of the next phase of production - reviewing and sorting footage.

It’s been a busy couple of days adjusting back into the swing of things, but forever grateful for this opportunity to meet with, learn from and really develop not only the documentary, but our knowledge about the Japanese Occupation and life before, during and after the war.

Thank you for joining us on this leg of our adventure! I will update you all again soon 😁

You can find out more about our documentary project on Documentary Australia:
https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

A huge thank you to Martin Looi for your generosity and support of our documentary project. Your contribution has helpe...
13/03/2025

A huge thank you to Martin Looi for your generosity and support of our documentary project. Your contribution has helped us greatly, especially in the last few days of travel.

Today marks the second last day of this journey, which involves a visit to the Changi Chapel Museum and Lim Bo Seng's Memorial in Singapore.

If you would like to partner with us in the important preservation of these stories, you can find out more and make a tax deductible donation on Documentary Australia:

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

As we near the end of our journey in Malaysia, I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported us and cheered us on so...
11/03/2025

As we near the end of our journey in Malaysia, I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported us and cheered us on so far. Since we arrived in Malaysia last Sunday, it has been non-stop with very long days, little sleep, averaging 2 meals a day, but uncovering great content.

Yesterday was no exception to what we’ve experienced in the past week, as we flew up to spend the day in Kota Bharu and returned back to our place in KL around midnight. Shout out to Zafrani for being our tour guide (as it was our first time in Kelantan state)!

Today, our team starts breaking apart as Chan heads back home to Melbourne. Tomorrow, I will be heading to Singapore to visit more historical landmarks and continue researching stories over there.

Funds are quite tight especially for these last few days and this trip has only been made possible by the kindness of our donors via Documentary Australia. Our aim was to raise a minimum $2k to make it through this journey and we are still short $200. All contributions help us get close to this minimum goal and so I ask, if you can, please consider supporting our cause 🙏

You can find out more here (link in bio too):
https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

07/03/2025

Some shots from yesterday where Chan and Nicholson were left in the jungle...?

Help them get home by supporting our documentary!

Any donation amount is grately appreciated and helps us get to the end of the trip and make it safely back home again. We are hoping to raise at least another $250 to cover our basic costs such as meals, internal travel costs - fuel, tolls, entry fees and any unexpected mishaps.

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

Thank you to our recent supporters, Vivian Woo and an anonymous contributor. Your donation is going a long way in helpi...
07/03/2025

Thank you to our recent supporters, Vivian Woo and an anonymous contributor. Your donation is going a long way in helping us connect with locals and find stories that haven’t been heard before.

Today we are travelling in Bidor, which was an unexpected, but welcomed turn of events. We’re visiting tomb stones of people who had a big impact on the people of Bidor during the Japanese Occupation.

We can’t wait to go through the footage!

We are at day 6 of our journey and I still have 8 days left. At the moment we are still short on the minimum funds needed to get to the end of this trip. On average each day costs $100-$150 which covers fuel, travel costs and meals for us and volunteers who have kindly shared their knowledge on the Japanese Occupation and war.

We are $250 short of reaching our minimum target for getting through to the end of this trip. If you can, please consider contributing to help us get through. 🙏

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

Thank you, Ansell for helping connect us with some of the greatest history preservers in the area. It’s always great to...
07/03/2025

Thank you, Ansell for helping connect us with some of the greatest history preservers in the area. It’s always great to meet fellow filmmakers ☺️

From all the way in Malaysia, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to our recent donors, Shen Ni Loke, Ying Lee and May...
03/03/2025

From all the way in Malaysia, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to our recent donors, Shen Ni Loke, Ying Lee and Mayling Lok who are helping us make an impact with this project! Your support helps us get through another day filming in Malaysia and means we are able to jump on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that pop up.

Yesterday was an example of these unexpected, brilliant opportunities, where we got to meet with incredible people who shared insights on the Japanese Occupation and what life was like during this era. (I will post up more of this shortly.)

This is all dedicated to our wonderful supporters!

If you haven't yet, it isn't too late to be a part of preserving history. If you would like to find out more or jump on board as a donor, please check out our campaign on Documentary Australia:

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

We’ve landed in the vibrant land of Malaysia and are just adjusting to the humidity, but staying indoors where the airco...
02/03/2025

We’ve landed in the vibrant land of Malaysia and are just adjusting to the humidity, but staying indoors where the aircon is blasting. Just kidding! We’re currently on our way to KL Sentral to catch another train to Ipoh.

We’re still a few more hours away from checking into our accommodation and can’t wait to put our feet up for the night. But before we do, we will stop by a few key historic sights around Ipoh to grab some footage!

If you would like to support this documentary project, it’s not too late! Please head to our campaign on Documentary Australia to find out more:

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

On the 11th December 1941, 3 days after the Japanese 25th Army first made their amphibious landing at Kota Bahru, the Ma...
28/02/2025

On the 11th December 1941, 3 days after the Japanese 25th Army first made their amphibious landing at Kota Bahru, the Malaya Tribune newspaper printed this image on page 1, depicting the movement of Japanese forces reaching Malayan shores.

Despite this front-page news, many locals and British nationals remained confident that the British and Allied forces would fend off the oncoming danger. But within weeks, that confidence was shattered. The speed and strategy of the Japanese invasion overwhelmed Malaya’s defenses, forcing a retreat down the peninsula. By February 1942, Singapore had fallen.

As we document these stories, we hope to shed light on the experiences of those who lived through this era. If you'd like to support our efforts to preserve these histories, consider contributing to our documentary project.

It's now less than 2 days before we leave!

Find out more and support our project here: https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/unheard-memoirs-from-the-japanese-occupation-of-malaya/

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251 Faraday St, Carlton VIC 3053
Carlton, VIC
3053

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