The Story of Southern Islet

Malaysian film

The Story of Southern Islet

Directed by| Chong Keat Aun
Written by| Chong Keat Aun
Produced by| Lim Hui Bee
Starring|

* Jojo Goh
* Pearlly Chua
* Season Chee

Cinematography| Chan Hai Liang
Music by| Yii Kah Hoe

Running time

| 105 minutes
Country| Malaysia
Languages| Cantonese
Hokkien
Malay
Mandarin

The Story of Southern Islet (Chinese: 南巫) is a 2020 Malaysian film directed by Chong Keat Aun. The film is his first feature. The plot was inspired by the director's own childhood in Kedah, Northern Malaysia.[1][2] The film, that addresses the topic of shamanism, received various awards and positive critical response.

## Premise

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Yan's husband, Cheong, catches a mysterious disease. Yan seeks the help of various shamans in the hope that they can improve his condition, that conventional doctors seem unable to cure .

## Themes

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A review explained that "What is comparatively more menacing are the political spectres. Set in 1987, the film features news reports of the Malaysian government’s policies of the time, made all the more eerie with today’s hindsight. For Malaysian Chinese, the year might spark resentment of the government’s closure of Chinese media outlets, how Chinese schools were sent non-Chinese-educated teachers for senior positions, and Operation Lalang."[3]

## Release

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The film was theatrically released in November 2020.[4]

The Story of Southern Islet was selected for the 2021 Locarno International Film Festival,[5] the International Rotterdam FIlm Festival, the Golden Horse FIlm Festival, where it won the Award for the Best Director, and the Valladolid Film Festival.[6]

## Awards and nominations

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Year  | Award  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2020  | Golden Horse Film Festival | NETPAC Award | Won  | [7]
Observation Missions for Asian Cinema Award  | Won
FIPRESCI Prize | Won
57th Golden Horse Awards | Best New Director | Won  | [8][9]
Best Original Screenplay  | Nominated
2021  | 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival | FIPRESCI Prize | Won  | [10][11]
25th Fantasia International Film Festival | AQCC - Camera Lucida Prize  | Won  | [12][13]

## Reception

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A review in Screen Daily found that "The Story Of Southern Islet is a little unfathomable at times but that only adds to its sense of mystery. Chong seems to place more emphasis on storytelling and showcasing issues around Malaysian identity than developing well rounded characters."[14] A reviewer for Asian Movie Pulse described the genre of the film by evoking the wider Malaysian context: "Although the movie could easily have become a horror, Chong Keat Aun's steady directorial hand does not allow the narrative to fall that way, with the supernatural elements serving another purpose, that of presenting the mixture of cultures, mentalities and ways of thinking that dominate the area. In that regard, and in combination with the realism permeating the market scenes and the overall everyday life, the movie essentially functions as a tour guide to all the antithetical aspects that comprise life in Malaysia, including the co-existence of the natural and the supernatural."[15]

## See also

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* Malaysian folk religion
* Na Tuk Kong
* The Medium

## References

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1. ^ "The Story of Southern Islet | IFFR". iffr.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
2. ^ "The Story of Southern Islet – Oslo film festival". Retrieved 4 February 2025.
3. ^ "Film Review: 'The Story of Southern Islet' 《南巫》Awes With Its Intricate Cultural Tapestry". Sinema.SG. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
4. ^ "Diaspora, Syncretism, Home: Chong Keat Aun's "The Story of Southern Islet"". ari.nus.edu.sg. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
5. ^ Desbois, Erwan (4 September 2023). "Venice 2023 review: Snow in Midsummer (Chong Keat Aun)". International Cinephile Society. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
6. ^ The Story of Southern Islet (2020) | MUBI, archived from the original on 8 September 2023, retrieved 8 September 2023
7. ^ "Malaysia's Chong Keat Aun wins best new director at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards for film inspired by Kedah childhood". Malaymail. 22 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
8. ^ "Malaysian Director wins Golden Horse Awards for his first debut movie". NAT. 22 November 2020.
9. ^ "Msian director Chong Keat Aun shines in international arena". NST. 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
10. ^ "The Story of Southern Islet Wins FIPRESCI Prize". VIMooZ. 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
11. ^ "HKIFF45 Announces Firebird and FIPRESCI Prize Winners". AsianMoviePulse. 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
12. ^ "The 25th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival unveils its winners!". OrcaSound. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
13. ^ "Fantasia International Film Festival 2021 Awards Announced". DreadCentral. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
14. ^ Hunter, Allan (2 June 2021). "'The Story Of Southern Islet': Rotterdam Review". Screen. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
15. ^ Kotzathanasis, Panos (22 November 2021). "Film Review: The Story of Southern Islet (2020) by Chong Keat Aun". Asian Movie Pulse. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.

## External links

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* The Story of Southern Islet at IMDb
* Article on the film

*[Ref.]: Reference