Earning her stripes as a filmmaker

Pole position: Eu is the first female Malaysian movie director to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival.

MALAYSIAN filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu may not be a familiar name to most Malaysians, but she has set a record by becoming the first female Malaysian director to head to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.

Her movie, Tiger Stripes, is in competition for the coveted award for best first feature film at the event and is set to showcase her talent as a rising filmmaker in Malaysia.

The 62nd edition of the Cannes Critics’ Week next month and the film will have its world premiere at the festival alongside 11 titles selected from 1,000 films screened.

Certainly, it’s a feat, regardless of the outcome of the event. It is also the first Malaysian film to be featured in Cannes since 2010.

Over the Hari Raya holiday, I had a chance to speak to Eu, who has already received international coverage, including from the media in the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and even the Middle East.

Tiger Stripes tells the story of 12-year-old Zaffan, who struggles with puberty and discovers her body morphing in a terrifying way, with her friends turning against her, and soon, dropping dead one by one.

I think this should suffice without giving away any more spoilers.

It’s no surprise that Eu has always been interested in watching horror movies since she was a teenager.

“I was especially into horror, and I would watch everything from black-and-white silent films to obscure cult classics.

“Even in art school I was making weird small films and music videos for the bands that I was in. This was when I lived in the UK.”

Eu studied graphic design in Central Saint Martins, one of the world’s leading centres for art and design education.

“But most of my projects were always films and animations. I was still adamant to get my graphic design degree, and a year after graduation, I enrolled myself into film school, so I ended up doing a Master’s at the London Film School in filmmaking.”

While Eu has been making short films since her return to Malaysia, she described Tiger Stripes as really a continuation of that obsession.

“It’s my dark sense of humour maybe, where I like to play with the idea of monstrosity and beauty, and who gets to dictate those definitions.”

She isn’t sure if her Bahasa Malaysia film would be regarded as commercial or independent, but notes that Tiger Stripes is not associated with any studios, so can be regarded as independent in that sense.

If in the past, filmmakers had to rely entirely on the decision of cinema owners to screen their movies, that has changed too. The monopoly has ended. For the first time, Malaysians can watch foreign movies and TV series because of platforms like Netflix, Amazon and Viu, and even on Astro.

These platforms, known as streamers, have provided a great opportunity to reach out to a wider audience and is a big help to filmmakers.

No doubt, going to the cinemas is an experience. The big screen with the best sound and colour makes the difference.

But there are also many who like to take their time to watch shows, especially after midnight, and not to forget the luxury of stopping a movie and resume watching at our time. Any film buff would agree that both platforms – the cinemas and streamers – have their own merits.

We hope Eu will create history for Malaysia at Cannes, the resort town on the French Riviera, which is also regarded as the Capital of Cinema.

For now, she has already earned her stripes as a young filmmaker.