22/01/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | JAN 22, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

/thesundaily /

Slaying expectations with more battles

F OR the Japanese action packed anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle , chief director Hikaru Kondo set out to deliver something he had never seen on screen before: relentless, back-to-back battles inside a demon-filled castle. “I was trying to find examples or other films that were similar, that had a similar kind of composition or format, I guess you could say to ours, and I couldn’t. “So, this could be perhaps one of the first films that exists, (which) has this type of structure and narrative. It’s back-to-back-to-back combat,” Kondo told Reuters. The already surging global popularity of the manga and anime series Demon Slayer laid the groundwork for Infinity Castle to o Demon Slayer movie director aims to deliver unseen

become highest-grossing international film ever in the US and land at the top of the Japanese box office. The film, which arrived in Japanese theatres last July, earned a Golden Globe nomination for best animated film. The movie is based on the “Infinity Castle” arc of the 2016-2020 Demon Slayer manga by Koyoharu Gotouge and is a direct sequel to the fourth season of the anime television series, which is produced by animation studio Ufotable for original streaming on the platform Crunchyroll. The show follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who becomes a Demon Slayer after his family is murdered and his younger sister Nezuko is turned into a demon. Infinity Castle places Tanjiro and his fellow Demon Slayer Corps members in a series of battles against the first and oldest demon Muzan Kibutsuji and the host of demons he summons in the Infinity Castle. Kondo recalled being “cooped up” in his house for three weeks trying to figure out how to weave together the the

Infinity Castle is the highest-grossing international film ever in the US. – IMDBPIC

overall flow of the film’s action and drama to “astonish” audiences. However, by the time he finished it, the film was too long.

“When you lose the groove, the audience becomes detached from your journey, then immediately I think they’ll just be disengaged and

shut about the importance of trimming the film to its runtime of two hours and 35 minutes. down,” he said

Libyan filmmaker dreams for cinema revival post-dictatorship MOUAYED Zabtia shoots most scenes for his latest movie in a studio he built at his Tripoli home. For the filmmaker, it is one way to overcome the obstacles he faces in a country where cinema once nearly vanished. Before a 1969 coup that brought Muammar Gaddafi to power, Libya’s capital Tripoli was home to more than 20 movie theatres. “Today we have none,” Zabtia told AFP. Disinterest Many like 47-year-old Zabtia believed after Gaddafi’s fall, cinema would be resurrected but the instability that ensued has delayed any revival. “The problem is disinterest from all governments since 2011. We were expecting that they would help,” Zabtia said.

Zabtia (centre) directs his crew as he films outside his home-come-studio.

The filmmaker added that he had funded all his productions from his own pocket, mainly with revenue from a production company he founded in 2001 to create television series and wedding videos. It was only after the 2011 revolution that he decided to take on cinema, a goal since childhood. In his dim-lit studio, Zabtia oversees everything – from lighting and sound to costumes – as a small crew bustles about making his latest film 1986 . He said the film is inspired by true events, including the estrangement from Libya of pioneering singer Ahmed Fakroun after Gaddafi cracked down on Western-influenced music. Today, he shared it is no longer censorship that stifles filmmaking in Libya but an array of other challenges

Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 – and though the censorship of his era has declined, its effects are still deeply felt through underinvestment and public disinterest. “You have to go abroad to see films in a movie theatre,” said Mohammed Rizk, an actor in Zabtia’s current project, which is set in 1980s Libya when a younger generation yearned for freedom under Gaddafi. Under the longtime ruler, cinema was viewed as a tool of foreign cultural invasion and only movies aligned with the state were funded and promoted. Movie theatres were seen as spaces for gatherings that were difficult to control.

Zabtia (right) looks on as crew member assemble a structure in his home-come-studio.

compounded by a lack of public support. Authorities have in recent years attempted to revive the artform through festivals and the creation of the Libyan Film Institute in 2021. No story without women Zabtia said most of his work is filmed in the studio as “filming outside in Libya is very tiring”. “We lack logistic support. You need big crews, food, drinks, help with the police for outdoor sets. We don’t have that experience and people are not used to seeing these kinds of cameras in the street.” Added to that, some Libyans feel cinema clashes with their moral values, he added. Portraying women on screen is particularly difficult, Zabtia said although he insisted it was “impossible to make a film without women when it comes to telling a story.” “We have many hidden female talents who are afraid to come forward.” Yet the director believes one solution to these social obstacles is

Festival Amsterdam. While “cinema doesn’t really have a market in Libya”, Zabtia expressed hopes that the lack of interest will translate into an opportunity to stand out and establish a niche – particularly with platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. “We want to develop and highlight Libyan work, talent and skills. And we want to reach audiences overseas. It’s important that they hear about Libyan stories and culture – and get to know us as a people,” he said. – AFP

cinema itself: “The role of cinema – our role – is to pinpoint issues and try to address them.” Despite the obstacles, a handful of Libyan films have crossed borders. Freedom Fields , a documentary by Libyan-British director Naziha Arebi about three women footballers, was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018. In 2023, Donga , a film by Muhannad Lamin about the 2011 uprising, was shown at the International Documentary Film

Zabtia standing next to his equipment in his home-come-studio in Tripoli. – PICS FROM AFP