Malaysian film Stone Turtle to compete at the 75th Locarno International Film Festival
This marks the first time a Malay-language film will be contending in the Main Competition stage of the prestigious film festival.
“I’m very proud that the hard effort of our team has resulted in a film that we’re very satisfied with, and that a top-tier, historical festival like Locarno has selected Stone Turtle for its Main Competition section.
“This is our world premiere, so it’s the beginning of our film’s journey. We are looking forward to present our film alongside other great filmmakers in the world at Locarno,” said Woo.
The film’s producer Edmund Yeo said that while the film is helmed by a Malaysian director, it’s a culmination of talents from different regions.
“Our lead actor is from Malaysia, our lead actress is from Indonesia, our post-production is done in Thailand with our brilliant Thai sound designers, colourists and composer, our animation is done by a great Japan-based British who had worked on Studio Ghibli films,” he said.
In addition to competing for the top prize, the Golden Leopard, Woo is also contending for the Best Director prize, while both his lead actors, Bront Palarae and Indonesian star Asmara Abigail, are in the running for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.
Other talents in the film includes Amerul Affendi, Maisyarah Mazlan, Samara Kenzo and Alison Khor.
Stone Turtle is a film that sits on the premise of a dramatic thriller, about a woman seeking justice. It centres around a character named Zahara who lives in a small remote island, where she makes a living selling turtle eggs.
One day, a man named Samad visits the island, and employs Zahara to show him around. Eventually, the duo gets entangled in a dangerous dance of duplicity and deception.
“Stone Turtle is a story about inclusivity and taking risks, which also embodies the spirit of this film. We also made this film to preserve some of the memories of our long-forgotten local folklore,” said Woo.
Woo, Edmund as well as the film lead stars Bront and Asmara is expected to attend the festival which will take place from Aug 3 to 13 in Locarno, Switzerland.
