Malaysian director Sam Quah (柯汶利) has enjoyed great success in the past year with his movie, “A Place Called Silence (默杀)”. After dominating the Chinese box office, the filmmaker recently achieved another victory, winning the “Best New Director” award at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival!
The award was presented on 29th October 2024 (Tuesday), under the Golden Crane Award ceremony, as part of the film festival’s China Film Week. Upon receiving the award, Sam expressed gratitude to the committee for presenting him with a high honour. In his speech, the Penang-born said he wants to continue creating films with the attitude and energy of a new director and will keep his original aspiration in mind as he works on making more good movies for the audience.
The stars of “A Place Called Silence” also won recognition for their acting, with actress Janine Chang (張鈞甯) winning “Best Actress” and actor Shen Hao (沈浩) winning “Best New Actor”. In her speech, Janine said, “Awards like this are encouraging for actors. Earlier this year, I was able to film “A Place Called Silence” in Malaysia. It’s a film about school bullying, which is a problem that occurs globally. I hope this film will draw attention to such social issues.”
“A Place Called Silence” was first released in 2022 before getting a reboot in 2024. The remake grossed over 1.29 billion yuan (RM806 million) in sales in China alone. The film is a harrowing tale of a schoolgirl who faced relentless bullying on campus. As those around her turned a blind eye to the bullying, the collective silence brewed greater violence. The movie also stars Hong Kong actor Francis Ng and Malaysian talent Tan Kim Wang.
In related news, another renowned Malaysian director will showcase his new work at the same film festival. Chong Keat Aun’s latest film, “Pavane For An Infant”, is set to make its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The movie follows a female social worker operating a baby hatch facility in Malaysia, exposing the challenges women face in the country’s male-dominated society.
Congratulations to Sam, Janine and Shen Hao on their awards. Their wins highlighted the movie’s impact on the film industry, and we hope ‘A Place Called Silence” will continue to achieve more success in the future!
Sources: Oriental Daily, Natalie.mu, Variety
