Malaysian Film Stone Turtle Makes History at the Prestigious 75th Locarno Film Festival

The film he served as producer for, ‘Barbarian Invasion’ also previously won the Jury Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Film Festival. His works have achieved recognition internationally, being screened in film festivals at cities such as Cannes, Berlin, Busan, and Venice.

His latest film, ‘Stone Turtle’ has been nominated for ‘the Golden Leopard’, the top prize of the Locarno International Film Festival which is awarded to the best film in the competition.

This marks the first time ever that a Malay-language film has been selected for the Main Competition (Concorso Internazionale). Although most people are familiar with the Cannes Film Festival, this festival which is held every August in Switzerland has a 75-year history and is regarded as one of the most important film events worldwide.

Woo Ming Jin is also up for the Best Director prize, while the lead actors, Malaysian Bront Palarae and Indonesian Asmara Abigail, are nominated for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.

He has expressed his excitement about being nominated, saying, “(I’m) very grateful to be working with the incomparable Bront Palarae and Asmara Abigail Sumiskum.

I've known Bront for a long time, and while this is the first time with Asmara, I've always been struck by her since watching Joko Anwar films, in particular her scenes in Impetigore. So happy for everyone involved! Locarno here we come!”.

This thriller unfolds about a time-traveling tale of a woman who gets entangled with a man in a dangerous dance of duplicity and deception. ‘Stone Turtle’, which will be released on 6 August 2022, is set in the east coast and production took a month in Terengganu, where they mainly filmed on the beach. The film also co-stars Amerul Affendi, Maisyarah Mazlan, Samara Kenzo and Alison Khor.

‘Stone Turtle’ was produced by Greenlight Pictures, a KL-based film and television production house which was co-founded by Woo Ming Jin. Edmund Yeo, the acclaimed filmmaker who works in Japan and Malaysia, served as the producer and editor while award-winning filmmaker Liew Seng Tat who worked on ‘Flower in the Pocket’ was behind production design, with other local and international talent being part of the crew.

Woo Ming Jin, Edmund Yeo and the two leading actors Bront Palarae and Asmara Abigail are expected to attend the festival the festival which will be held from 3-13 August 2022

Do you know any other Malaysians who have made their mark in history? DM us or email at [email protected].