Legendary Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh shows no signs of stopping. She had been acting long before her global breakout role in 2000’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” which earned her a BAFTA best actress nomination, making her the first Asian to win in the category and first Malaysian to win an Oscar. Over the years, she’s established her star power with audiences, as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – and she’s far from done.
This time, Yeoh stars in the short film “Sandiwara”, which premiered at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival. In the film, she plays five different characters as she gracefully weaves through the bustling streets of Penang. Directed by Sean Baker, the Oscar-winning director of “Anora”, “Sandiwara” – which in Malay means ‘drama, theatrical performance, play’ – is precisely what the film stages: Yeoh plays the Hawker, the Vlogger, the Waitress, the Critic, and the Singer. Each of her personas represent something about Malaysian culture.
Shot entirely on an iPhone, “Sandiwara” highlights Penang’s vibrant food culture and daily life. True to Baker’s stripped-back filmmaking style, the project was shot in just two days in Penang. The film is also made in partnership with Self Portrait, a fashion house whose founder and designer Han Chong, actually grew up in Penang. Each character wears Self Portrait pieces and is brought to life with unique quirks and personalities, all intersecting at a Penang hawker centre.
“Penang has this quiet theatricality: its heritage architecture, its faded grandeur, the sense of history layered into every street,” Chong told W Magazine. “It felt like the perfect stage for Sandiwara, which translates to ‘drama.’ At the end of the shoot, Penang had become our sixth character in the film.”
“Representation is very important,” Baker added to W Magazine. “I’m an outsider helping to bring a love letter to Malaysia to the big screen, so it must be done with respect and responsibility.”
Watch the full short below:
