Horror film Tiger Stripes made history by being the first Malaysian film to win the Grand Prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week or La Semaine de la Critique, a parallel sidebar event to the main film festival in France that showcases the first or second feature films by new directors.
With Tiger Stripes’ win, director Amanda Nell Eu has also nabbed a €10,000 (RM50,000) cash prize.
Starring Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral and Shaheizy Sam, the film tells the story of how 12-year-old Zaffan becomes the first amongst her friends to hit puberty, only to discover a horrifying secret about her body.
In a statement to the press, jury president Audrey Diwan commended the film, calling it “irreverent and uncompromising”.
“It is content to fully assume its seductive singularity. It was the first film of the selection that we saw. It has passed the test of time.”
Multiple critics have also showered Tiger Stripes with praise, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw writing: “The performances the director gets from her young cast are tremendous and it is terrifically shot.”In response to her win, the 37-year-old Eu uploaded a succinct celebratory post on Instagram with multiple Malaysians congratulating her in the comments. Eu is the first female Malaysian director, and the fourth Malaysian director overall, to have a film featured at the prestigious French film festival.
