Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann has been nominated for an International Emmy Award for her role in the HBO Asia original Invisible Stories - a six-part series created by home-grown director Ler Jiyuan.

The 43-year-old, known for her Golden Horse Award-winning roles in local director Anthony Chen's films Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019), was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress. She played Lian, a single mother caring for her 19-year-old son who displays aggressive behaviour following the death of his grandmother.

Invisible Stories, set in a fictional HDB estate, is shot entirely on location in Singapore and delves into the untold stories of the Singaporean heartland-dweller. It is available to stream on HBO Go.

Yeo posted about the news on her Instagram account and wrote: "What exciting news!"

The nominations were announced in New York on Thursday by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The second season of Singaporean film-maker Leon Cheo's People Like Us is in the running for Best Short-form Series.

The show follows the journey of four gay men living in Singapore.

Cheo said in a Facebook post: "A first for Singapore in the category. I am happy that the series has struck a chord with the judges at the International Emmys."

The comedy series Fam! was nominated in the comedy category in last year's International Emmy Awards, but did not win.

The winners of the awards will be announced in a ceremony produced from New York City on Nov 23.