KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Malaysia is in the international spotlight again... thankfully this time for a short film. Award-winning film-maker Ho Yuhang’s short film “Trespassed” has made it to the short list of the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards.
The awards are divided into fiction, art and films, with each category meant for only certain regions e.g. Africa and the Middle East (fiction), Asia Pacific (short film) and Latin America/Caribbean (art).
Ho, who is best known for his feature films “Rain Dogs” (2006) and “At The End of Daybreak” (2009), has been previously nominated for and won several international film awards for his work.
He is also popular on the festival circuit. However, Malaysians probably recognise him more for his acting than his directing; his work on TV commercials has garnered him quite a fan base.
The FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices awards recognise the most inventive and creative fiction writers, film-makers and artists from emerging market countries.
“Trespassed” is about a young girl who starts having epileptic fits after her father goes missing and there are no medical solutions to her problem. She appears in her mother’s dream and reveals a possible solution to her suffering.
The long list for films had two entrants from Thailand, two from India, four from China and one each from Vietnam and Malaysia.
In the short list are four films: “Kush” (India), “Endless Nameless” (Thailand), “The Sea” (China), and of course, “Trespassed” (Malaysia).
The winners of each category will receive a US$40,000 (RM157,040) prize, which will be awarded in New York in early October.
