KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian film Stone Turtle bagged the coveted Fipresci Prize at the 75th Locarno Film Festival last Sunday.
South China Morning Post reported today that it was the first time a feature film in Malay had competed in the main category of the prestigious Swiss festival.
The Fipresci prize jury wrote on the festival's official Twitter page that Stone Turtle impressed them for the "multiplicity of perspectives on violence against women, the question of who has a right to citizenship, and the way we deal with our natural environment".
Producer Edmund Yeo, in thanking his team for their dedication and hard work, said: "The Fipresci Prize by the International Federation of Film Critics is one of the most prestigious awards.
"Locarno Film Festival has been handing out the Fipresci Prize since 1958 and many of the great filmmakers I admire such as Francis Ford Coppola have received it. I am greatly honoured."
The first Malay film to win the Fipresci Prize, Stone Turtle is about a stateless woman Zahara (Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail) who illegally sells turtle eggs on a small Malaysian island.
She is soon befriended by a visitor named Samad (Bront Palarae) who claims to be a university researcher.
Samad employs Zahara as his guide and as the day progresses they become entangled in a dangerous game of duplicity and deception.
Director Woo Ming Jin said: "Stone Turtle was made with a small team of people whom I have worked with before.
"I wanted to return to the simple joys of filmmaking, and the crew was family throughout the shooting process."
Stone Turtle which also stars Amerul Affendi was filmed in Terengganu in January.
Early this month, Chinese film distributor Parallax acquired international distribution rights to Stone Turtle, and plans for a regional release are in the pipeline.
Yeo said: "We hope the film will have a theatrical release in different countries in Asia. Ever since Locarno announced its film line-up, we have also received invitations from numerous festivals."
