KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — 2023 was a good year for Malaysian films domestically — but it was a great year for Malaysians in film internationally.
Kicking off the year in March was Ipoh’s own Michelle Yeoh who put Malaysia on the map with her historic win at the 2023 Oscar awards for Best Actress as the first Asian to bring home the golden statuette for her role as dimension hopping laundromat owner Evelyn Wang in the action film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
Yeoh, however was not the only Malaysian who made waves in the international film industry this year.
Malay Mail celebrates Malaysians and their movie magic that had the world spellbound, with their undeniable achievements abroad.
Amanda Neil Eu (Director): Tiger Stripes
One of the most prominent voices in filmmaking this year is director Amanda Nell Eu with her feature length directorial debut, Tiger Stripes.
The film made waves when it won the Cannes’s Critic’s Week Grand Prize at this year’s edition of the renowned international film festival.
The film has also been selected as Malaysia’s hope for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Eu’s film follows a 12-year-old girl who struggles to understand her transforming body as she goes through puberty.
The director based the story on female monsters in Malaysian folklore and her experiences in boarding school.
“It can be the most beautiful supportive place and the most horrible, lonely place at the same time,” Eu told AFP.
“I didn’t know who I was and... I couldn’t find something that I wanted to tell a story about.”
Eu’s genre of “feminine monstrosity” began in her previous acclaimed short films Vinegar Baths and It’s Easier to Raise Cattle.
Jin Ong (Director): Abang Adik
Director Jin Ong’s Abang Adik made strides in the international film festival circuit this year, being nominated and winning in multiple award categories in Europe, Asia, and America.
Ong’s first feature film tells the story of the bond of two undocumented underprivileged brothers who fight for survival in current day Kuala Lumpur.
The film won the Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film at the New York Asian Film Festival in August, the Best Performance award at China’s FIRST Film Festival in July, and three awards at Italy’s Far East Film Festival in March.
Most impressively, the film’s star, Taiwanese actor Wu Kang-ren won the Best Actor award at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards in Taipei.
“It’s amazing, I’m so happy,” Ong told Malay Mail on Wu’s achievement.
“Abang Adik gave him his first nomination and win at the Golden Horse Awards so ecstatic fans were very supportive.”
The film also made history as the first Malaysia film to top the Taiwanese box-office, grossing RM 2.2 million in three days since its premiere on December 1.
The 48-year-old veteran of the Malaysian Chinese entertainment industry has been producing films since 2014 including Shuttle Life, The Gathering, In My Heart and Miss Andy.
Chong Keat-Aun (Director): Snow in Midsummer
Malaysian director Chong Keat-Aun’s second feature film Snow in Midsummer flew under the radar this year despite its accomplishments.
The film tells the story of a young man and his mother who deal with the disappearance of his father and brother during the controversial May 13th riots in 1969.
The historical drama was the official selection for the Giornate degli Autori International Competition at the Venice Film Festival 2023.
In Asia, the film also earned nine Golden Horse Award nominations including Best Narrative Feature, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress.
Chong said in an interview with TaiwanPlus News the film was named after the Yuan Dynasty Chinese Opera of the same name, stating the performances were used to portray political dissatisfaction at the time.
Jared Lee (Director): Horrologist
Another Malaysian director who made it to Cannes this year was Malaysian YouTube filmmaker Jared Lee with his animated short Horrologist.
The animated short was part of the selection at the Cannes Short Film Corner as part of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The 39-year-old had uploaded videos and short films on YouTube since 2011 with prominent local social media influencers like JinnyBoyTV and DanKhoo Productions.
He told Malay Mail in June that he was still pinching himself over his work being featured at Cannes and said it was an eye opening experience for a burgeoning filmmaker.
“I believe a good film doesn’t preach and every film I saw at Cannes this year asked questions about social issues and challenged the audience,” Lee said.
“On top of that, meeting directors and producers of other countries and workshopping new ideas really motivated me to push forward.”
The short took home the Best Animation at the San Diego International Independent Film Festival, held as part of SDCC 2023.
Lee thanked everyone who said yes to the project and supported the project on Instagram, expressing his gratitude to his friends, family and wife who believed in his stories.
Horrologist was a pandemic passion project by Lee and local comic artist Cross that tells the story of a shopkeeper that finds a way to sell time at a heavy cost, adapted from a four-part comic book called The Grimoire.
Tan Chui Mui (Director/Writer/Actor): Barbarian Invasion
Completing the list, is director Tan Chui Mui’s and her long-awaited second feature film which was actually released in 2021.
The meta-action drama only made it to local cinemas in November 2022.
It’s however worth mentioning Tan as the film made its mark only this year, being the official selection in prominent international film festivals in China, The Netherlands, and Canada.
It won multiple awards at the annual 2023 Asean International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) in Kuching including for Best Film and Best Screenplay.
Tan’s film centres around an actress who works with an elusive film director to make her return to the big screen when her son is unexpectedly kidnapped.
In an interview with Free Malaysia Today, Tan said the story is based on her own experiences as a new mother.
The film also stars other prominent local actors such as Bront Palarae, Pete Teo, James Lee, and Mano Maniam.
Tan is a renowned filmmaker who was part of the “New Wave” movement, releasing award winning films in the early 2000s like A Tree in Tanjung Malim and Love Conquers All.
