Tiger Stripes
Fall Grants 2022 - Post-Production Stage
Amanda Eu / Feature Narrative / Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar / 94 min / Original Language: Malay / Interests: Coming of age
Synopsis
Zaffan is a rebellious and carefree girl until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body. She develops a hideous rash, bleeds from her fingernails and clumps of hair fall from her head. Struggling to maintain being normal at school, Zaffan is in denial of her inevitable changes and tries to cover herself. Zaffan’s friends, however, attack her, when all hysteria breaks loose—one by one, teenage girls drop to the floors in fits, turning it into a spread of mass hysteria across the school.
Rumours of a dark figure in the toilets have caused fear to take over the primary school, and a visiting Medical Officer appoints himself in command—his sole mission is to drive away the demon that is haunting them. He soon discovers that Zaffan may be the root of their problems and steps in to perform an exorcism on her. The whole community watches as the Medical Officer uses extreme methods to shame and physically hurt Zaffan. And like a tiger who has been dragged out of its habitat and poked because we fear it, because we don’t know it—Zaffan decides to finally reveal her true self, her wrath, rage and her beauty, to everyone.
Credits
- Director
- Amanda Nell Eu
- Screenwriter
- Amanda Nell Eu
- Producer
- Foo Fei Ling, Patrick Mao Huang, Fran Borgia, Jonas Weydemann, Juliette Lepoutre, Ellen Havenith, Yulia Evina Bhara
- Production Company
- Ghost Grrrl Pictures
About the Director
Having graduated from the London Film School with an MA in Filmmaking, Amanda has directed short films based in the UK and also Malaysia. Her short 'Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu', premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival (2017). The film has continued to travel and win awards in many other international festivals, including receiving a Special Mention at the International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand (2018). Amanda is an alumna of Berlinale Talents Campus and Locarno Filmmakers Academy. She is working on her first feature film Tiger Stripes, set in Malaysia. In her work, she likes to explore the female body and identity within the context of South East Asia.