Cannes film festival otherwise known as Festival de Cannes is the world’s most prestigious film gathering that features filmmakers worldwide. This will be the 62nd edition of Cannes Critic’s week, a parallel section of the prestigious 2023 Cannes Film Festival that will commence from May 17 to 25 focusing on first and second-time works from various filmmakers.
Following that, Tiger Stripes – Malaysia’s Ghost Grrrl Pictures‘ debut feature film has been selected. Directed by Amanda Nell Eu and produced by Foo Fei Ling, this marks an incredible milestone for the local film industry. The news also marks the first time since 2010 that a Malaysian film has been featured in Cannes and to date, there have only been three other chosen Malaysian films.
Meet Amanda, the first Malaysian female filmmaker invited to Cannes Festival 2023
Growing up in the UK, Amanda had shared with Wau Post that she has always felt confused with her own identity leading her to constantly feel uninspired. Albeit challenging, she mentioned that her decision to move back to Malaysia has allowed her to find her own voice and subsequently this breakthrough.
Source: Provided to Wau Post
Graduating with MA in filmmaking from the London Film School, Amanda’s talent was fine-tuned, along with her dedication and passion towards the film industry it has created a rather impressive resume that includes participation in both the Berlinale Talents and Locarno Filmmakers Academy.
Her short film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and has won multiple awards at international festivals, including a Special Mention at the International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand. Her next short film also won Best Picture at the Scream Asia Horror Shorts competition, and now she’s poised to make her mark in the world of feature films with her debut, Tiger Stripes.
A glimpse of horror through her lens
Horror can be one of the most challenging genres to dabble into but to Amanda, it’s what piqued her interest since she was a teen. From black and white silent films to gory cult slasher movies, she found that it offers a dark sense of humour that many other genres don’t have.
Source: Provided to Wau Post
Shortly after moving back to Malaysia, Amanda began experimenting with short films that included a genre twist. From there, she sparked inspiration for Tiger Stripes, which plays on themes of empowerment and celebrating one’s true self. She loved the sense of humour that horror can have in storytelling, and it was great to integrate it with subjects that are close to her heart.
Recalling back the moments, Amanda shared that the hardest part of her newest film was actually the makeup needed.
“I was adamant to use practical effects make up in the film, really as an homage to old horror films that I absolutely love”, she said. As an enthusiast for monster make up, Amanda was fortunate enough to have Rogier Samuels from the Netherlands work with them.
Source: Provided to Wau Post
Rogier had done the make up for the Lord of the Rings films and series thus, she managed to learn so much from his expertise. However, even with Rogier’s expertise, using SFX make up in the tropical heat was a struggle and they had to carefully plan all the shots, with many hours of application in a portable air-conditioned truck.
“It was definitely challenging, but I still loved it and I’ll definitely continue to work with more SFX make up in the future”, she said, adding that creative challenges faced can also be seen as fun.
Prestigious film festival that showcases cinematic legends
When asked how she felt about the Cannes Film Festival, she shared that in her eyes, it’s one of the more prestigious film festivals in the world and she feels honoured to be able to be a part of it. It’s a stellar place to launch films as there are plenty of buyers, investors and distributors.
“As a film fan I follow up on their selection every year and I am a huge fan of cinematic legends who present their films there”, she said.
Source: Provided to Wau Post
After discovering that she had been selected to be a part of the Cannes Critic’s week, Amanda revealed that both she and her producer Foo Fei Ling were shedding tears of joy. It was a dream come true but also a big relief after all the hard work they had put in over the years to create this film.
“All of our international co-producers were on Zoom calls with us, celebrating from all over the world”, she mentioned.
Source: Provided to Wau Post
As for advice to those who want to venture into the film industry, Amanda shared that the first rule of thumb is to always go head on and make a film that is honest to oneself. Locals who’d like to show Amanda their support may do so in the near future when her horror film, Tiger Stripes, premieres.
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story with us Amanda. Congratulations on being selected, marking a new milestone for our local film scene!
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