Spikes Asia to pay tribute to Yasmin Ahmad

Ahmad will be remembered and celebrated through a tribute to be made among her peers and friends during the Awards Ceremony on 18 September.

Widely respected both at home and abroad, she was executive creative director of Leo Burnett Malaysia as well as an acclaimed director and scriptwriter who used her talent to produce multi-award winning feature films such as Gubra, Sepet and Mukhsin.

With a career in advertising spanning over 25 years, her work accumulated over 150 awards including Golds at the Clio Awards, the Andy Awards, London International Awards, Kancil Awards and momentously at Cannes Lions, where she became the first Malaysian winner of a Gold Film Lion in 2008 for Tan Hong Ming. Ahmad was inducted into the Malaysian Advertising Hall of Fame by the Malaysian 4As in November 2008.

Jarek Ziebinski, president of Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Asia-Pacific, said: "Yasmin was a brilliant star at Leo Burnett and the whole creative industry. Her works truly reflected humanity and love. They touched people’s hearts and inspired them to change and to make a difference in life. We are thankful to Spikes Asia for acknowledging Yasmin and allowing all who love and admire her to pay tribute to her at the event."

Festival chairman Terry Savage said, "Yasmin Ahmad made a real contribution to Asian creativity. It is therefore entirely appropriate that we pay tribute to her life and work at an awards ceremony that is celebrating creativity."

"To quote Issac Newton, 'If I have seen further ... it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.' Yasmin helped us all see further, deeper and more honestly. Her work could make grown men cry. We have lost a great talent and an extraordinary human being," added Linda Locke, CEO of Godmother and former regional creative director of Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide.

The montage tribute to be shown at Spikes Asia is being created by VHQ, The Gunnery and producer Pamela Phang.

To view some of Yasmin Ahmad’s best works, click here.

To register to attend or for more information on Spikes Asia 2009, visit www.spikes.asia