Cannes’ Critics’ Week Honors Malaysian Film ‘Tiger Stripes’ With Grand Jury Prize

Tiger Stripes, the debut feature of Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu, won the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics Week, the Cannes sidebar dedicated to first or second films. The prize was awarded by a jury presided over by Audrey Diwan, the Venice prizewinning director of Happening.

The French Touch Jury Award went to Belgian director Paloma Sermon-Das Its Raining in the House, a film about adolescence, while the Revelation prize from the Louis Roederer Foundation was handed out to Jovan Ginic, the actor of Vladimir Perisics Lost Country. The SACD prize, meanwhile, went to The Rapture by Iris Kaltenbck.

Tiger Stripes tells the story of Zaffan, a 12 year-old girl who discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Ostracized by her community, Zaffan fights back, learning that in order to be free she must embrace the body she feared, emerging as a proud, strong woman.

The film stars Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral and Piqa. It was produced by Foo Fei Ling, Patrick Mao Huang, Fran Borgia, Juliette Lepoutre, Pierre Menahem, Jonas Weydemann, Ellen Havenith and Yulia Evina Bhara. The movie will be released in France by Jour2Fete and is represented in international markets by Films Boutique.

Another film about youth, Its Raining in the House is set in Belgium and follows 17-year-old Purdey and her younger brother Makenzy as they experience first love and fend for themselves.

Jovan Ginic, meanwhile, plays 15-year Stefan in Lost Country, which is set in Serbia in 1996 during the student demonstrations against the Milosevic regime. The story follows Stefan who has to confront his beloved mother, spokesperson and accomplice of the corrupted government that his friends are rising against. Lost Country is bring sold by Memento International.

This 62nd edition closed with La fille de son pre, Erwan le Ducs anticipated follow up to his critically acclaimed debut Perdrix.

Besides Diwan, the jury included Portuguese cinematographer Rui Poas (Tabu, Zama German actor, choreographer and dancer Franz Rogowski (A Hidden Life Indian journalist, curator and Berlinale programming advisor Meenakshi Shedde; and Sundance programming director Kim Yutani.

Headed by Ava Cahen, Critics Weeks recent standouts include Charlotte Wells Aftersun which won last years top prize and went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Paul Mezcal.

More to come.