Director of Cannes-winning Malaysian film Tiger Stripes decries edited version released in Malaysia

SINGAPORE - The Malaysian film-maker behind the

Cannes-winning movie Tiger Stripes

has distanced herself from the edited version which was given a limited theatrical release in her home country on Thursday.

In a statement which she posted on Facebook and Instagram on Friday, Amanda Nell Eu expressed her disappointment at the cuts made to her debut feature, which she wrote and directed.

In May, it became the first Malaysian film to win the grand prize for best feature at the International Critics’ Week, a sidebar event of the Cannes Film Festival that is dedicated to first or second films.

“I do not stand behind the cut that will be shown in local cinemas,” wrote the 37-year-old. “It is not the film that we made and it is not the film that won (the grand prize at Critics’ Week) in Cannes.”

The 95-minute horror-tinged Malay-language work stars Malaysian actress Zafreen Zairizal as a teenage girl whose body undergoes strange changes. It has been selected as Malaysia’s official entry to 2024’s Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category.

It received funding from Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore. Among its producers is Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia, while its financing includes a Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant from the Singapore Film Commission.

In Singapore, Tiger Stripes has received a “passed clean” PG13 classification. It is the opening film of 2023’s Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), which runs from Nov 30 to Dec 10.

On presenting the unaltered version, Mr Thong Kay Wee, SGIFF’s programme director, says: “We firmly believe in preserving the intended narrative of the film. SGIFF has always been committed to showcasing a diverse range of films that challenge norms and provoke meaningful discussions.”

Tiger Stripes will also open at The Projector on Dec 14. Mr Prashant Somosundram, the indie cinema’s general manager, confirms that the version screened here will be the same as the one screened at Cannes as well.

While Eu did not give detailed descriptions of the cuts, the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Media Classification website states that Tiger Stripes received its PG13 classification because of “disturbing scenes”.

This includes scenes of a character eating raw meat, with others depicting an exorcism as well as bodily violence.

In her post, Eu said that the edited Malaysian version has removed “the very joy of being a young girl in Malaysia... a girl who is maybe different from the rest, misunderstood”.

“It saddens us that this type of girl has to be censored from public view.”

While she and her team “respect different opinions and voices in our country, we wish we had more freedom to discuss things openly”, she added.

“This statement will financially hurt our (production company Ghost Grrrl Pictures) and the many parties involved, and we are truly sorry for that, but we also believe in our right to share our opinions.”

SGIFF’s Mr Thong calls Tiger Stripes “a beautiful, bold and brutal celebration of growth and womanhood”, with a “wild, explosive character” that combines comedy with horror.

Eu’s short films, It’s Easier To Raise Cattle (2017) and Vinegar Baths (2018), had screened at the festival. Tiger Stripes was her project when she participated in the Southeast Asian Film Lab, SGIFF’s mentorship programme for budding feature film-makers, in 2017.

Mr Thong said the film’s achievements at Cannes and other international festivals are “a testament to advances in independent South-east Asian cinema”.

“To open this year’s festival with Eu’s film is also our celebration of her debut as a feature film-maker.”