Tan Chui Mui

Tan Chui Mui is one of the top independent filmmakers and a pioneer of the Malaysian New Wave, which led to her being the first in the country to win prestigious awards at international film festivals. Among them are the New Currents Awards and Fipresci Award at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea for her debut feature film, Love Conquers All. The film also received the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Her recent directorial effort Barbarian Invasion, in which she also portrayed the complex main character—a single mother and actress who is returning to acting after a hiatus with her child in tow—picked up the Jury Grand Prix at the Golden Goblet Awards, part of the Shanghai International Film Festival. Besides feature films, Tan’s directing credits also include short films, which have similarly garnered numerous accolades.

Eager to help young aspiring filmmakers in Malaysia and the region, Tan has served as a mentor and spearheaded a number of initiatives including the Next New Wave, which organises workshops conducted by accomplished directors in Southeast Asia. In 2017 she also kickstarted SeaShorts, a film festival dedicated to regional short films which provides a platform for emerging directors to showcase their work. Besides that, she also supports young Malaysian filmmakers through her indie film production company Da Huang Pictures, which she co-founded in 2005.