PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Chong Keat Aun took the honours in the Best New Director category at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei last night for his feature film “The Story of Southern Islet”.
The film, said to have been inspired by a true incident that took place in his home state of Kedah in the 1980s, explores the numerous spritual beliefs among locals, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
Chong, who is a Kedah native, was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay, but lost out to the big winner on the night, Taiwanese romantic comedy “My Missing Valentine”, which also won for Best Film and Best Director.
“Movies are not great. It is the people who help make them that are great,” Chong said in accepting the award.
Chong, who also acted in the film, cited one of the producers of the film as well as a cameraman and a mentor, all of whom had passed away shortly after the film was completed.
“Many people helped me make the film but I am especially grateful for these three people for their guidance and support,” he was quoted as saying by CNA, Taiwan’s national news agency.
Chong, 42, also thanked his parents, whom he jokingly said have probably not yet realized that the movie is about them.
“When I was trying to secure funding for this film, many people told me that they didn’t understand it, and I kept saying that maybe someday somebody will. And the Golden Horse Awards understood it,” Chong was quoted as saying.
“The Story of Southern Islet” is about a Chinese couple who live near the Malaysia-Thailand border. After a quarrel with their neighbor, the man faints and spits up blood and a rusty nail.
As she goes out in search of a cure for her husband, the woman starts by exploring the diverse spiritual beliefs among the different ethnic groups, hoping that one of them can help heal her husband.
Winning awards is nothing new to Chong. As a radio deejay, he won the Anugerah Seri Angkasa award for Best Radio DJ in 2011 (Male). He was the first Chinese radio deejay to win this award.
His short film debut in 2017, “Cemetery of Courtesy,” was selected for the Busan International Film Festival.
Another Malaysian, stylist Raymond Kuek, was honoured for his makeup work on Singaporean film “Number 1”, which won the Best Makeup and Costume Design award.
In accepting the award, Kuek thanked the cast and crew of the film and his parents for giving birth to a “short but talented man”, The Straits Times reported.
“Number 1” is a film about a retrenched man who decides to work as a drag queen to make ends meet. - FMT
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