A few months ago, the local arthouse horror film ‘Tiger Stripes’ which was the debut feature of director Amanda Nell Eu, made waves globally and made Malaysia proud after winning the Grand Prize at the 62nd International Cannes’ Critics’ Week.
It tells the story of 12-year-old Zaffan, who becomes the first among her friends to hit puberty and discovers a horrifying secret about her body. It just recently premiered in local cinemas; however, not as it was fully intended to be shown.
In an Instagram post, Amanda shared how she is grateful that her film is receiving love from local audiences, but the filmmaker shared her displeasure with the version that is currently being screened to local audiences. In the post, she explained that it is because it strays away from her original version of the film.
“I have to say that I do not stand behind the cut that will be shown in local cinemas. Living as an artist and a filmmaker in Malaysia, we are all used to having our work and voice censored.”
“While I am not here to attack the censorship board, I am here to state that the film that will be shown in local cinemas is not the film that we made, and it is not the film that won the Grand Prize of Critics Week in Cannes,” she added.
Meanwhile, she explained that the part that got censored was meant to reflect the joy of being a young girl in Malaysia which was the experience of being misunderstood for expressing herself differently yet still fighting for her existence in this world.
“Although we respect different opinions and sensitivities in our country, we wish that we had more freedom to discuss things openly and not quickly punish each other, or have to hide away from things that we are afraid of.”
She ended her post by stating that she, along with her production house, will fight and continue to find alternative ways for Malaysian audiences to legally watch the uncensored version of the movie in the near future and thanked fans for all the support that they have shown.
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: M’sian Film ‘Tiger Stripes’ Becomes First Local Film to Win Grand Prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week!
