Unheard memoirs from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya

Unheard Memoirs from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya is a documentary research project which aims to preserve and remember the stories of local Malaysians during the WW2 era.  

Following the lives of local survivors, this series pieces together their experiences as they recall life in Malaya from the late 1930s, prior to the Japanese Occupation, to 1945 when the Japanese Army surrendered.  This explorative project will dig deeper into history, creating an immersive recollection of food, housing, societal norms, love courting, work, status and raising a family during this period.  

"Growing up in Australia, we learn a lot about the WW2 era from the ANZAC's perspective, but very little is taught about what was going on around Asia at this time.  Many Australians with Malaysian roots, like myself, have a large gap in understanding what our grandparents, great-grandparents or parents' generation went through, particularly with the Chinese persecution during the Japanese Occupation.  

A week before her stroke, my grandma (my Popo) told me about how she lived through the war and how she had to dress as a boy to prevent being taken by the Japanese soldiers.  When bombs rained down, she and her family had to hide in a "hole" at the back of their house that her father had built.  

I found, after further research into this period, that there was a missing piece to the whole picture.  Information in books, research papers, news articles and media content provided precise detail on the British, Japanese and even the Australian military, but very little on the memoirs of the locals.  

Through this project, our purpose is to bring light to these forgotten stories and capture as many recounts as we can, before it is too late.  We aim to answer the question, of what really happened during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya while appreciating the lives of a generation that survived." - Taysha McFarland

We are actively looking for participants to take part in this documentary.  If you or someone you know experienced the Japanese Occupation in Malaya and would be interested in having their stories preserved in this documentary, please send an email to: taysha@toprockproductions.com

We need your help to reach out to friends and family who have lived through the 1930s - 1940s in Malaya.  We are also looking for people who have either studied this era extensively or have had stories passed down to them.

The more we can preserve, the more we can recognise, remember and learn from what this generation went through.    

What other information would be useful? 

If you have any older artefacts, newspapers, coins, or household items from their era, we would love to know about them.  

Financially Support the Project

In order to capture as many stories as possible, we need your help to support the financial costs of the production of this series. Funds will help provide care for participants re-calling any trauma, film equipment hire, travel costs and the overall running costs of the project.  

We are currently seeking funds to complete filming in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA and Japan.  Please consider supporting our project by clicking the "Donate" button below.   This will take you to an external website called "Documentary Australia" to complete your donation.  Donations over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. 

What is Involved for Participants?

As a visual medium, we would love to capture your story on film.  We want you to feel comfortable during the interview and are happy to discuss ways in which we can help make this happen.

What if I'm Camera Shy?

Our purpose is to capture your story and preserve it, however, we understand that some participants might be camera shy.  We can offer a range of different techniques that can capture your story, while not revealing your identity, or opting to record the audio instead.  Please reach out to us to discuss what you feel comfortable with, as all we want is to hear your story.

What will you do with the Footage?

We will use the footage from the interviews to piece together the documentary series.  This will be combined with scene recreation, animation and other interviews.  We are dedicated to making sure that you are well-represented throughout.  

Once completed (which we expect to take a couple of years), we aim to have this series readily available so that Malaysian descendants living abroad can appreciate and learn from this series. 

When will the Documentary be Available?

We anticipate that this project will take a couple of years to produce and is estimated to be completed in early 2026.  Please follow our Facebook Page to stay updated.

How can I Stay Up to Date with the Project?

Please follow us on Facebook for the latest updates and help to share our page around.