KUALA LUMPUR: Local supernatural thriller Miimaland won Best Horror Film and Best Director awards at the AltFF Alternative Film Festival Spring 2021 in Toronto, Canada, on Monday.
The Nevin Hiong-directed film beat Dead Destination and Faith from the UK, Canadian film Edwin and Thousands Of Years from the US in the Feature Film category.
Produced by Mico Studio (M) Sdn Bhd, Miimaland follows a group of content creators who are tasked with conducting some filming work in the titular dilapidated theme park which was popular in the 1980s.
During the filming process, various strange happenings occur leading to the deaths of the group's members after they accidentally awaken some mystical spirits that were dormant in the area.
Hiong, 50, said they never expected the horror film to win anything and were just trying their luck by submitting the work to various foreign film festivals.
"Previously, this film received criticism from film critics on YouTube. So, we are proud of this victory because it is important for the team and at the same time this success will be our benchmark for our future film," he said in a Bernama news report yesterday.
The Johor Bahru-born director, who has been in the industry for over a decade, started his career as a cinematographer in a string of Malay movies, including Cerita Kita, Nasi Kangkang, Jin, Cerita Hantu Malaysia and Highland Tower.
Hiong made his directorial debut with the action-comedy film, Kampung Drift, in 2016.
He added that Miimaland was also nominated in a few other international film festivals, including the Portland Horror Film Festival, Brussels Independent Film Festival and Europe Film Festival.
The horror movie, which stars Fattah Amin, Sophia Albarakbah, Zandra Ridhuwan, Camelia Natasya, Hazzy Alzeeq and Zalif Sidek, premiered in local cinemas on Sept 24 last year.