Award-winning filmmaker of Tiger Stripes, Amanda Nell Eu has come out to say that, “the film that will be shown in Malaysian cinemas…is not the film that won the Grand Prize of Critics Week in Cannes“.

Posting on social media, Amanda shared that Tiger Stripes will have a limited release on 19 October in local cinemas, and while she appreciates the excitement and buzz around it, she does not stand by the ‘cuts’ that will be shown in local cinemas.

She said that what has been censored from the film is the very joy of being a young girl in Malaysia.

“A young girl who is maybe different from the rest, misunderstood, or has the urge to express herself differently from others – a young girl who is innocent and curious about the world around her and fights for her existence in this world.

“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,” said Amanda.

Amanda, who started Ghost Grrrl Pictures with producer, Foo Fei Ling also said that she had decided to make the statement to denounce the censorship of her film despite knowing that it would be financially detrimental to her company and other stakeholders involved.

“This statement, we know, will financially hurt our company and many parties involved, and we are truly sorry for that, but we also believe in our right to share our opinions involving the freedom of our voice and expression as Malaysians.

“Being dictated on what we can or cannot show and limiting artistic voices in Malaysia is detrimental to our society.

“We have always believed that the power of art is to open healthy discussion, to hear from diverse voices and stories, and to learn more about each other.

“In our opinion, the safest way to speak out, question and discuss has always been through art, and we believe and respect that the Malaysian audience has the maturity to make decisions based on their own critical choices,” Amanda wrote in her social posts.

After being the first Malaysian film to win the Critics Weeks Grand Prix when it premiered at Cannes film festival in May this year, Tiger Stripes is now slated to be an Oscar entry in the Best International Feature category of the Academy Awards.

In announcing this, Amanda expressed joy at seeing that, “our Malaysian film has been appreciated worldwide during our festival travels. Ghost Grrrl Pictures and our larger team will try our best to make sure Malaysians will one day get to see the film in full uncensored glory, director’s cut… but legally, of course!!”.

Tiger Stripes tells the story of Zaffan, an 11-year-old girl from a small rural community in Malaysia, whose experience  of puberty is portrayed in all its ‘horrific glory’.

It depicts the very familliar and perhaps uniquely Malaysian scene of ‘mass hysteria’ that occurs in Malaysian schools, commonly attributed to demonic possessions and hauntings.

Zaffan then becomes, “Like a tiger harassed and dislodged from its habitat, and decides to reveal its true nature, its fury, its rage and its beauty.”

The film stars new talents,  Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral, and Piqa, alongside veteran local actors Shaheizy Sam, Jun Lojong, and Fatimah Abu Bakar.

The horror film is an eight-country co-production, with Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Qatar all contributing to the film.

Read Amanda Nell Eu’s full statement below:

“Dear all who have been anticipating the release of Tiger Stripes in Malaysia,

As many of you know, Tiger Stripes will have a very limited release in local cinemas on 19th October. It’s actually been so beautiful to see the buzz and excitement around it. I want to thank all of you for this – Tiger Stripes was made with Malaysians in mind as my priority audience; therefore, showing it back home would have been the most meaningful experience for me.

Unfortunately, though, 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.

What has been censored from the film is the very joy of being a young girl in Malaysia. A young girl who is maybe different from the rest, misunderstood, or has the urge to express herself differently from others – a young girl who is innocent and curious about the world around her and fights for her existence in this world. Our production company, Ghost Grrrl Pictures’ very ethos is to fight for these voices and to celebrate a safe space for freedom of expression. It saddens us that this type of girl has to be censored from public view, and although we respect different opinions and sensitivities in our country, we wish that we had more freedom to discuss things openly and not quickly condemn and punish each other or have to hide away from things that we are afraid of. This is what art does best, and it is why we deeply love it and continue to pursue it in our lives – to discuss, question and express freely.

As an artist living in Malaysia, I am grateful that I can find ways not to have to self-censor my work. I have an incredible team and support network that has allowed me to have full creative control over my voice and the stories I want to tell, and so, coming from this privilege, I have never believed or felt the need to self-censor. My producer, Foo Fei Ling and I started Ghost Grrrl Pictures to have this creative freedom.

We will continue to fight and urge all artists not to self-censor and to try to find other avenues to deal with censorship in our country – it’s a huge struggle, we know, emotionally and financially, and not to mention sometimes our safety is jeopardized because of this. But let’s keep doing it, guys!

Being dictated on what we can or cannot show and limiting artistic voices in Malaysia is detrimental to our society. We have always believed that the power of art is to open healthy discussion, to hear from diverse voices and stories, and to learn more about each other. In our opinion, the safest way to speak out, question and discuss has always been through art, and we believe and respect that the Malaysian audience has the maturity to make decisions based on their own critical choices.

This is really all I have to say regarding the local release of Tiger Stripes. This statement, we know, will financially hurt our company and many parties involved, and we are truly sorry for that, but we also believe in our right to share our opinions involving the freedom of our voice and expression as Malaysians.

In other news, we are very proud to be Malaysia’s official entry for the Academy Awards and happy to see that our Malaysian film has been appreciated worldwide during our festival travels. Ghost Grrrl Pictures and our larger team will try our best to make sure Malaysians will one day get to see the film in full uncensored glory, director’s cut… but legally, of course!!

Love to you, and THANK YOU for all the support so far, Amanda.”