71st edition. From 23 to 31 October 2026.
71st edition.
23/31 Oct. 2026
23/31 Oct. 2026
Set in 1987 at the foot of Mount Keriang. Cheong is a believer of folk god Datuk Gong, while his wife Yan has different beliefs. One day, Cheong accidentally damages his neighbour’s house while chasing a snake on the shrine of Datuk Gong. The neighbours, Aunty Kaew and her husband Nam are furious and trigger a fight. Later that night Nam is killed by a truck on his way to gather materials for house repairing. After that, Aunty Kaew is no longer seen in the village. Days later Cheong falls sick suddenly when he is working in the fields and vomits several rusty nails covered in blood. Being told that her husband is under a spell, Yan focuses on taking her husband to the hospital for treatment, but heong is not getting any better…
Keat Aun Chong (1978, Malaysia) is a filmmaker, performing artist and broadcaster of Chinese descent. In 2011 he was the first Malaysian Chinese broadcaster that won the Seri Angkasa National Award. He made his directorial debut with the 2018 short ‘The Cemetery of Courtesy’. His feature film ‘The Story of Southern Islet’ was released in 2020. The film, which was based on his own parents, won him the prize for Best New Director and the FIPRESCI Prize at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.
