PETALING JAYA: Koo Hui Yin, the director of the short film “Ndhuk” (Daughter), became the first Malaysian filmmaker to make the cut for the highly competitive student film section of the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF) in Spain.
Ndhuk is among the 14 films chosen from 473 submissions for the Nest Film Competition. These submissions came from 220 schools across 57 countries.
The film was produced as part of her Final Year Project for the Faculty of Cinematic Arts at Multimedia University (MMU).
Koo’s entry for the competition not only marked the first for Malaysia, but also for Southeast Asia.
By earning this spot, Malaysia now stands alongside prestigious institutions such as La Fémis (France), the National Film and Television School (UK), Tisch School of the Arts at NYU (United States), Columbia University (United States), and the Łódź Film School (Poland).
“This is a proud moment not only for MMU but for Malaysia as a whole,” said MMU Faculty of Cinematic Arts Dean Shahfeeq Jibin.
“Having a Malaysian student compete on this global stage reflects the world-class quality of our young filmmakers, and it affirms our vision of nurturing talents who can tell authentic stories with international impact,” he said.
Koo will also compete for major awards such as the Nest – The Mediapro Studio Award, the Movistar Plus+ Award, and the Tabakalera Award.
Founded in 1953, SSIFF is one of Europe’s most important cultural events and a leading global platform for cinema.
Over its 73 editions, it has hosted premieres from legendary directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Pedro Almodóvar, and Wong Kar Wai.
The festival will be taking place from Sept 19 - 27 this year.
Ndhuk tells the story of Ika, a domestic worker in Malaysia who finds a sense of peace caring for her employer's child, Jane.
Her world is shaken when a pocket dial from her daughter back in Indonesia reveals a painful secret.
