‘Tiger Stripes’ achieves milestones for Malaysian film industry at Cannes

Ahead of its roaring debut at Cannes Film Festival yesterday, the trailer for the Malaysian movie ‘Tiger Stripes’ was released last week.

The fictional 95-minute film directed by Amanda Nell Eu and produced by Foo Fei Ling has been selected for a festival appearance at Cannes, marking a significant milestone for Eu — not only is she the first female filmmaker from Malaysia to achieve this, but also the first ever in several years for the country.

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‘Tiger Stripes’ tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who undergoes terrifying bodily changes. According to Eu, the movie serves as a metaphor for the challenges of female identity and going through puberty, wrapped in a thrilling body horror experience.

“This comes from my dark sense of humour. People always label young girls as little monsters. They say that teenage girls are emotional or crazy or hysterical. So, my thinking was ‘Why don’t I tell a story about a young girl who actually does turn into a monster’ and let me show you what a monster is. It is a metaphor and a genre film,” she told Variety.

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In addition to achieving two significant milestones, Tiger Stripes also features an eclectic range of music from house to experimental, soundtracked by Bali-based duo Gabber Modus Operandi, known for their fervent experimentation in marrying both traditional and electronic sounds.

Watch the trailer of ‘Tiger Stripes’ below.

Adrianna Cheung is Mixmag Asia’s Culture Curator, follow her on Instagram.