KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian film titled Stone Turtle has been selected to compete in the Main Competition (Concorso Internationale) at the upcoming 75th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland next month.
Produced by Greenlight Pictures, this marks a first for a Malay language film to be selected for Locarno's main category.
Its director Woo Ming Jin said: "I'm very proud that the hard effort of our entire team has resulted in a film that we're very satisfied with, and that a top-tier film festival like Locarno has selected this film for its Main Competition section.
"This is our World Premiere, so it is the beginning of our film's journey. We are looking forward to present our film alongside other great filmmakers in the world at the festival," he said in a press statement today.
Stone Turtle tells the story about inclusivity and taking risks, which also embodies the spirit of this film.
"We made this film with some of the great talents from different countries, and to preserve some of the memories of our long-forgotten local folklore," he added.
Filmed in Terengganu in January, the film stars Bront Palarae and Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail, both of whom are in the running for Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the festival which is taking place from Aug 3 to 13.
Also in the cast lineup are Amerul Affendi, Maisyarah Mazlan, Samara Kenzo and Alison Khor.