Malaysian Shorts by Female Storytellers (skrin@temu)

The August edition of SKRIN @ TEMU spotlights four distinct cinematic voices from Malaysia: Amanda Nell Eu, Mickey Lai, Ekin Kee Charles, and Amirah Arshad. Navigating varied topographies - from the quiet rural landscapes of Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia to the regimented quarters of a National Service camp - these films explore the transitions, body politics, and cultural weight carried by girls and women. By grouping these works together, the lineup showcases the sheer breath and nuance of contemporary female-led Malaysian cinema.

Curator’s note: Anchored by a debut short film, Kapal Kertas, this lineup gathers early, formative works by some of Malaysia’s most compelling female filmmakers. Raw, intimate, and distinctly personal, these four shorts capture each director finding her voice - exploring identity, myth, and quiet rebellion through a fresh, feminine lens.

Line ups & Synopsis

Kapal Kertas

Director: Amirah ArshadRuntime: 7 mins | Country: MalaysiaSynopsis: Kapal Kertas (Paper Boats) follows a bright 14-year-old girl who writes her dreams of becoming a teacher and traveling the world on paper, folding them into boats that she sets adrift on a river to represent the fragile innocence of her youth. Her future is abruptly derailed when an older man enters her life and she is ushered into an early marriage—a practice normalized within her community. As her personal ambitions quietly slip away, the river carries off the unexpressed childhood dreams she was forced to leave behind. Through evocative imagery and delicate sensory storytelling, Kapal Kertas poignantly captures how childhood innocence attempts to process weightier, unexpressed human emotions before society teaches us how to name them.

It’s Easier To Raise Cattle (Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu)
Director: Amanda Nell EuRuntime: 23 mins | Country: MalaysiaSynopsis: Rahmah, a self-conscious teenage girl in a remote Malaysian village, becomes fascinated by Asiah, a free-spirited local outcast. As the two form an intimate friendship, Rahmah discovers Asiah harbors a terrifying secret: she is transforming into a pontianak, a vengeful female spirit from Malay folklore. Entangled in Asiah’s unsettling metamorphosis, Rahmah watches her friend’s physical shifts as their bond blurs the line between monstrosity and deep affection. A precursor to Amanda Nell Eu’s Cannes-winning feature Tiger Stripes, this film uses folklore and body horror as metaphors for female transformation, agency, and the monstrous nature of puberty under societal scrutiny.

Pace

Director: Ekin Kee CharlesRuntime: 9 mins | Country: MalaysiaSynopsis: Set in rural Sabah, Pace centers on Yaya, a young girl whose uninhibited childhood among her male cousins begins to fracture with age. As subtle double standards take hold, she faces a quiet reckoning with her changing body and the rigid expectations of womanhood imposed upon her. Refusing to be sidelined, Yaya fights to retain her freedom and keep step with the boys. Brought to life through raw, unscripted intimacy and minimal dialogue, the film captures the visceral friction of growing up. Ultimately, Pace is a tender, observational coming-of-age story about girlhood, body awareness, and resisting forced gender norms.

Washhh

Director: Mickey LaiRuntime: 23 mins | Country: MalaysiaSynopsis: Set during a midnight disturbance at a Malaysian National Service camp, WAShhh follows a young trainee commanded to lead her multiracial peers in an unsettling task: washing used sanitary pads by hand. When a sudden spirit possession is blamed on "unclean" pads left in the communal toilet, an unyielding instructor orders the recruits to cleanse them immediately. As fatigue and confusion mount, the task unearths deep-seated cultural taboos surrounding menstruation, faith, and female bodily shame. What begins as an absurd disciplinary order quickly becomes a psychological pressure cooker, fracturing the girls' fragile camaraderie. Grounded in director Mickey Lai’s real-life experience, WAShhh employs raw, claustrophobic tension to examine how institutional authority and societal stigmas weaponize natural female experiences to enforce control and divide women.