Malaysian Director Wins Top Prize At The Bologna Asian Film Festival

Making Malaysia proud, one film at a time.

With names such as Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, it's easy to overlook our own local directors who's been putting out great films.

And one just put Malaysia on the world map.

According to Sin Chew Daily, Edmund Yeo became the toast of the 15th Bologna Asian Film Festival when his film 'Aqerat', which translates to 'We, The Dead', scooped up the Best Film Award.


The film went up against the likes of Korea's 'Excavator', Philippines' 'Sea Serpent', Japan's 'Love Disease', fellow Malaysian film 'Shuttle Life' and Hong Kong's 'Our Time Will Come'.

The jury wrote on their official website that 'Aqerat' was chosen "for the poetic rigor and refusal of sensationalism with which it immerses us in a human tragedy too little known".

OK, sounds legit.

'Aqerat' tells the story of a Malaysian girl named Hui Ling who, in a bid to make her way to Taiwan, works as a human trafficker on the Thai-Malaysian border.

As she descends into the darkness of her sordid trade, she witnesses the atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya immigrants.

This is not the first time Edmund received recognition for 'Aqerat' though: in 2017, the movie earned him a Best Director award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan.

'Badang', when is your turn?