Aida Nadhirah

b094815e0cfbf67f1da555e69c575697e0bea893c1d161c5acc43e3d8edd7291

Social

Malaysia

film

Academy Awards

Oscars

censorship

Tiger Stripes

Amanda Nell Eu

Lembaga Penapis Filem (LPF)

Ministry of Home Affairs

Cannes

In recent months, we received our first Cannes award for Best Feature Film with &lsquo;Tiger Stripes&rsquo; by Amanda Nell Eu &ndash; a milestone for our film industry and the production crew personally. However, the censorship set by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia, better known as Lembaga Penapis Filem (LPF) for its local theatrical release, has been met with backlash from the public and the director herself.
Eu expressed her disappointment publicly, saying, &ldquo;The version that LPF approved is not the film we made &ndash; it lost its soul."
What is the film about to be censored by the LPF so much?
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/b8da9600de89e68555b1526566cef674fa70bb795a5674af176b4f959400413b" alt="" width="1001" height="563" />
*Spoiler alert
The coming-of-age tells the story of Zaffan, a 12-year-old girl going through puberty and dealing with physical changes and emotional turmoil. It was ingenious to explore the theme of a girl going through puberty from a horror angle and weave it with Malaysian folklore while delving into the complexities of female friendships, body image, and bullying as the essence of its story.
Set in a rural religious school for girls, Zaffan was ostracised by her peers and the adults around her when she first got her period, and all kinds of changes happened to her physically. When a mass hysteria occurred at the school, all heads turned to Zaffan, blaming her for it. That is when the audience witnessed the tiger in her unfurls her wrath.
Certain vital scenes in the film, such as when Zaffan danced energetically under the waterfall without her headscarf for a Tiktok video, a girl trying out her friend&rsquo;s bra at the school&rsquo;s toilet and the blood on her menstrual pad were some of the scenes that the LPF edited out.
Director&rsquo;s disappointment over LPF&rsquo;s decision
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/f8eb8e6ed97261434f2d24ab4b2443a7bc3885b68f074637a093d01deb58798b" alt="" width="900" height="611" />
To say that Eu, the director, was immensely disappointed is an understatement. In a recent interview, she mentioned that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim promised a more lenient censorship moving forward in his government, but according to Eu, none of that happened.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With LPF being governed under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government was directly involved in censoring scenes considered sensitive for the public, with the task force joined by the Federal Islamic Authority (JAKIM) to provide advice from the Islamic point of view.
For Eu, who was born and raised in Malaysia before moving to the UK, her mother shared stories of Malaysian folk tales of horror creatures and taboos that reflect the multicultural society in Malaysia. She adapted that into Tiger Stripes, but unfortunately, the LPF has other plans for the critically acclaimed film.&nbsp;
Eu also mentioned how the film reflected her experience of puberty during her teenage years. She detested the changes happening to her, especially when people noticed it and made it a norm to point it out. In the pre-production stage of the film, Eu worked with sex educators, running workshops discussing topics deemed taboo by the public &ndash; creating a safe space for teenage girls. Kudos to Eu and her team for the remarkable initiative!
Critics&rsquo; claims and awards
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/66f0566abce5d5d5064627b30315dee99d2116cd348aea4119167a8c8d49f7c7" alt="" width="1000" height="562" />
While Tiger Stripes might not be the first Malaysian film to be featured internationally, it was the first to receive the Critics&rsquo; Week Grand Prize (equivalent to the Best Picture award) when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 in May. Shortly after, the film won the H.R. Giger &lsquo;Narcisse&rsquo; Award for Best Feature Film at the Neuch&acirc;tel International Film Festival.&nbsp;
Tiger Stripes is also slated to compete for the 96th Academy Awards, representing Malaysia at the prestigious ceremony for the first time. A truly historic moment for all Malaysians! Censorship aside, what Eu and her team achieved with Tiger Stripes is a massive milestone in our film industry &ndash; showing that our filmmakers have what it takes to stand tall with other international filmmakers. The 100% score Tiger Stripes bagged on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tiger_stripes">Rotten Tomatoes</a> and a slew of other glowing reviews by noteworthy film critics cemented the film&rsquo;s reputation on the international scene.&nbsp;
In case you wanna check out the film, you can watch its trailer below:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7lu0KoD5so" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Congratulations to Eu and her team for putting Malaysia on the Hollywood map with Tiger Stripes and its heartfelt portrayal of teenage girls' journey through puberty. It's too bad that Malaysia failed to show appreciation for its success due to strict censorship.&nbsp; I think it&rsquo;s time for the LPF to review their censorship guidelines again before we lose more creative and talented Malaysians to neighbouring countries. Do you think censorship will eventually kill our film industry?&nbsp;
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Amanda Nell Eu &amp; various cross-references for context.
FOMO much? Follow our <a style="color: #e03e2d;" href="https://www.facebook.com/mycclub/">Facebook</a> and <a style="color: #e03e2d;" href="https://www.instagram.com/myc_news/?hl=en">Instagram</a> for more updates.

Another masterpiece fallen victim to LPF censorship.

6e34446b76c1aa1d15de125fe2b243b48fd5b23d2c9e305a75af7775507bda16

Censorship Ruins ‘Tiger Stripes’, The Award-Winning Malaysian Film At Cannes

Censorship Ruins ‘Tiger Stripes’, The Award-Winning Malaysian Film At Cannes

Another masterpiece fallen victim to LPF censorship.

Latest News

Toto Set To Rock Malaysia With ‘Dogz of Oz’ World Tour 2025

DBKL Addresses The Removal Of Street Artist Cloakwork’s Murals Across KL

Chagee Faces Backlash Over Controversial ‘Nine-Dash Line’ South China Sea Map In Mobile App

Lady Gaga's Singapore Concert: Record-Breaking Demand Sparks Scalping Controversy With Tickets Resold For RM100K

Thailand To Reduce Visa-Free Stays To 30 Days Over Policy Misuse

Related Articles

Toto Set To Rock Malaysia With ‘Dogz of Oz’ World Tour 2025

DBKL Addresses The Removal Of Street Artist Cloakwork’s Murals Across KL

Chagee Faces Backlash Over Controversial ‘Nine-Dash Line’ South China Sea Map In Mobile App

Lady Gaga's Singapore Concert: Record-Breaking Demand Sparks Scalping Controversy With Tickets Resold For RM100K

Thailand To Reduce Visa-Free Stays To 30 Days Over Policy Misuse

Related Articles

Toto Set To Rock Malaysia With ‘Dogz of Oz’ World Tour 2025

DBKL Addresses The Removal Of Street Artist Cloakwork’s Murals Across KL

Chagee Faces Backlash Over Controversial ‘Nine-Dash Line’ South China Sea Map In Mobile App

Lady Gaga's Singapore Concert: Record-Breaking Demand Sparks Scalping Controversy With Tickets Resold For RM100K

Thailand To Reduce Visa-Free Stays To 30 Days Over Policy Misuse