A FEATURE film by Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun has been selected to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, China Press reported.
A US-based entertainment news portal reported that, Pavane for an Infant, which tells a story of baby hatches in Malaysia, has been submitted for evaluation for the 98th Academy Awards.
The feature film made history by being the second non-Malay film to be selected after Jin Ong’s Abang Adik last year.
It stars Hong Kong-based Malaysian actor Fish Liew as a social worker in a baby hatch who takes an interest in a troubled young girl considering abortion.
Since its release, the film has received widespread acclaim and international accolades, from being the opening film at the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival to winning Best Screenplay at the 12th Silk Road International Film Festival.
Shot in 2022, Pavane for an Infant was made with a budget of RM6.75mil, believed to be the highest production cost for a local Chinese film.
> The daily also reported that Chinese authorities have thwarted an attempt to smuggle endangered chameleons into Shenzhen.
China Customs reported that during an inspection of inbound travellers at Futian Port, they spotted a man wearing a white jacket and black trousers walking in an unusually stiff manner.
Upon examination, officers found two white bags in the man’s pockets each containing two chameleons.
Tests conducted by the Shenzhen Animal and Plant Inspection and Quarantine Technology Center confirmed that the reptiles were panther chameleons, an endangered species.
According to Chinese law, it is illegal to carry endangered species into China without appropriate import and export permits, and perpetrators may face criminal prosecution.
The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
