Edge of Obedience

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Ahmad Zakii Anwar may well be Malaysia's best-known artist. He became famous for his photo-realistic animal pictures, still life paintings and expressive portraits, which offer a timeless reinterpretation of modern Asian society. This documentary looks at the way Zakii's art continues to defy convention in an increasingly radical Islamic world. Ahmad Zakii Anwar's paintings of naked male bodies are both provocative and fascinating, especially in a country like Malaysia, where Islamic Sharia law prevails. It is a society that still regards nakedness and even being different as taboo. The 63-year-old Anwar, who is one of Malaysia's most sought-after artists in Western countries, sees himself as an urban realist looking for confrontation. It is the first time a documentary has looked at the painter and his work in detail and examined its meaning in both a radicalizing society and a liberal one.