International audience give the thumbs-up to a simple tale of love

Rising star: Lau taking a scenery shot at his hometown in Sitiawan.

PETALING JAYA: It was a simple documentary telling a tale of family love in Malaysia yet it has the power to move even international audiences to tears.

Entitled Absent Without Leave, it was shown in film festivals in Korea, Taiwan and most recently Singapore where it won the Singapore International Film Festival’s Audi­ence Award on Sunday.