KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian film Maryam Pagi Ke Malam won two awards at the 21st Asian Film Festival in Rome, Italy recently.
The film directed by Badrul Hisham Ismail won Most Original Film while Datin Sofia Jane won Best Actress for portraying the protagonist Maryam.
Maryam Pagi Ke Malam follows the story of Maryam, a 50-year-old gallery owner from an aristocratic family who feels isolated after her father (Omar Abdullah) refuses to consent for her to marry her younger foreign boyfriend from Sierra Leone.
Badrul said in a news report yesterday that the wins were a "pleasant surprise and honour".
"We couldn't have a wide release of the film here so, it's really encouraging to be recognised and celebrated elsewhere," he said.
Sofia thanked the Asian Film Festival for showcasing the film and thanked the jury for her award.
Maryam Pagi Ke Malam debuted at the International Festival Rotterdam 2023 in January 2024 as the sole Malaysian representative.
The film which is a critique of religious institutions in Malaysia, focused on their perceived intrusions into the private lives of Malaysian Muslims.
At 90 minutes, it is funded by Penjana Kreatif and the Arthouse-Festival Feature Film Grants from MyCreative Ventures and produced by Anomalous Films.
Besides Sofia, Maryam Pagi Ke Malam also stars Susan Lankaster, Vanidah Imran, Roslan Madun, Azman Hassan, Pekin Ibrahim and Bella Rahim.
