KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian drama Abang Adik has won big at the 25th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy last April.
Written and directed by Jin Ong, it achieved a clean sweep of the top prizes, a first for Malaysia at the prestigious festival.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Abang Adik won the Golden Mulberry audience award, the Black Dragon critics' award and the White Mulberry Award for best first feature.
Abang Adik is the first feature film for Ong as a writer and director. He is best known for the award-winning 2017 film Shuttle Life.
Abang Adik is the story of Abang and Adi, two undocumented orphans who live in the heart of the Malaysian capital.
Abang, the elder brother played by Taiwanese actor Wu Kang-Ren is deaf and mute and has resigned himself to their fate, while Adi played by Malaysian actor Jack Tan of Fly By Night fame strives hard to improve their lives.
The festival with 78 titles from 14 countries also saw South Korean director Chang Hang-jun's sports drama Rebound in second prize in the audience award.
The jury for the best first feature prize gave a special mention to Hong Kong's Lost Love by Ka Sing-fung.
Taiwanese director Fu Tien-yu's Day Off won the best screenplay honours while Mongolian director Janchivdorj Sengedorj's comedy The Sales Girl won the Purple Mulberry Award selected by users of Italy's leading film fan platform Mymovies.
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