New York Film Academy (NYFA) MFA Acting for Film student Amir Rahim is starring in his first Malaysian feature film, Suraya, set for release in early January.
The film made its theatrical debut in the Philippines at the Mindanao Film Festival earlier in December, and tells the story of Adam and Nabila, two avid YouTubers who set across Malaysia and end up in a mysterious homestay.
Rahim, who hails from Malaysia, co-stars in the thriller as Adam. He attended the MFA Acting for Film program at NYFA’s Burbank-based campus from 2013 – 2015.
This is the second project Rahim has made with Feisk Productions and director Feisal Azizuddin; the first was the film Temenggor, still in post-production. He earned the role while living in Los Angeles through an audition call he heard from a friend. “My acting coaches at NYFA always tell me to be prepared for auditions,” says Rahim, “i.e having your headshot and resume ready and up to date, have some monologues prepared (if the audition doesn’t have any sides) and most importantly, be early. That’s what I did. After completing Temenggor, the director wanted me to be in his next film, Suraya.”
Rahim is grateful for the education that led to his casting and shares this advice for his fellow NYFA students: “Get involved in as many projects as you can while you’re there, whether it’s a film or theatre project, and don’t just look for projects at NYFA, look outside as well … The best way to learn is by doing. Use this time to experiment with the different kinds of characters you want to play and also discover the kind of actor you want to be. If you have friends from other programs like Filmmaking or Screenwriting, get together and create your own project—you don’t have to wait for people to offer you roles. Also build a showreel while you’re at it. That will come in handy when you graduate and start looking for agents and auditions. No agents, casting directors, or producers want to hire an inexperienced actor. Never stop hustling.”
New York Film Academy congratulates MFA Acting for Film alum Amir Rahim on his Malaysian feature debut and looks forward to the release of Temenggor and whatever films Amir has in his future.