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Get to know the director of Tiger Stripes, the M’sian film that won at Cannes Critics’ Week

By now, you’ve probably heard of Tiger Stripes, which became the first Malaysian film to win the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique) in France, earning it a €10,000 cash prize.

It’s a massive achievement as it had been 13 years since the last Malaysian film was presented there. 

Produced by Ghost Grrrl Pictures, Tiger Stripes is an indie horror movie written and directed by Amanda Nell Eu.

Amanda and her team in France / Image Credit: Amanda Nell Eu

It follows the life of Zaffan, a 12-year-old Malay girl living in a rural community who is approaching puberty. And with that, comes a monstrous physical change. The film explores the theme of womanhood and characters who don’t belong.

This is something that Amanda has been working to create at her co-founded production house. By reimagining folkloric figures, she gives the viewers a more personal and human experience to these monsters. 

This is explored in her two previous short films as well—Vinegar Baths (2018), which is from the perspective of a middle-aged Chinese penanggal and It’s Easier to Raise Cattle (2017), which is about a teenage pontianak.

But while looking up more information about this bright young filmmaker, we found six more interesting facts about Amanda Nell Eu. 

1. She was raised in the UK, but now calls Malaysia home

Amanda moved to the UK when she was 11 years old and has lived there for a big part of her life. She’s a graduate of the London Film School and started making short films in the UK.

She soon moved back to Malaysia as she didn’t feel like she fit in “very well” there. But she somehow ended up facing the same thing over here just because she was brought up “somewhere else”. 

Eventually, she went on a journey of self-discovery and feels comfortable with where she is now.

“I know who I am now. I’m proud of who I am today. And I think that’s when you figure out how you fit in.” Explaining to New Musical Express, she said, “The thing is, you always do fit in, as long as you know yourself.” 

2. She’s always been an avid horror fan

Being Malaysian, it’s hard to run away from folk tales that talk about what lurks at night. You could even say it’s a part of our local culture.

“Ever since I was a kid, I would buy anthologies of urban tales or scary things that happened on the highway at midnight, and I’d love reading them,” Amanda shared in an interview with Cut Throat Women

Image Credit: Amanda Nell Eu

So when she was venturing into the film world, she began with the horror genre. 

She started by watching black and white horror movies, and then went on to create her own. “It’s something that I’ve actually always loved. I’ve really loved the thrill of it. It always excites me.”

3. Her first two films were (surprisingly) not of the horror genre

Right after completing film school, Amanda made two short films called Pasak and Seesaw

The former follows a young pregnant woman setting out to make her life better, whereas the latter explores the complications of love. 

It’s quite a deviation from what she’s known for now, but Amanda contributes it to her youth and naivety. “I thought that being a serious filmmaker meant creating drama films. I thought that was the way to go,” she told Cut Throat Woman

It wasn’t until she took a five-year break from filmmaking before restarting did she come back to her one true love—horror. 

4. She has unconventional ways of securing filming spots

While filming her short film, It’s Easier to Raise Cattle, Amanda had set sights to shoot in a jungle. This was common as it suited the theme of the movie. And so she received permission for it.

The Malay film poster for “It’s Easier to Raise Cattles” (left) & Amanda’s team at the filming location (right) / Image Credit: Amanda Nell Eu

But then she bumped into a spiritual problem as while going around trying to get access to the shooting location, the producer said that one of the spirits in the area disagreed with it. 

This was an issue as the spirit was part of a tree, one that Amanda had set sights on to play a big role in the film. So they found a way to workaround it, by performing rituals, abstaining from eating meat, dangling shiny CDs to distract spirits, and more. 

5. She doesn’t do horror in the traditional sense

Despite her love for horror, Amanda doesn’t succumb to typical horror film tropes. Jump scares aren’t really her thing as her intention isn’t to scare the audience. 

Instead, she prefers to use real folk tales and the experiences of real people to her advantage and to elicit a stronger response out of viewers. 

“I want to tell those stories because my friends see it. My family, they all feel creepy or eerie about things. And I’m always the one that doesn’t see it. So I guess I make those stories for myself to see it on screen,” she shared.

6. This isn’t the first time she’s international recognised

Amanda’s short films, It’s Easier to Raise Cattle and Vinegar Baths, have each premiered at other international film festivals.

It’s Easier to Raise Cattle premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017, the BFI London Film Festival in 2018, the Taipei Film Festival in 2018, and the Istanbul Film Festival in 2022.

On the other hand, Vinegar Baths showcased at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2018, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2019, and the Istanbul Film Festival in 2022. 

Amanda at the Venice Film Festival in 2017 / Image Credit: Amanda Nell Eu

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Speaking of the future, Amanda confessed that her next feature film is already in the works. 

“I’m working on my next feature. I love to challenge myself. I’m thinking, I want to make a film set in the 1930s Malaya pre-World War II” she shared to New Musical Express.

“It’ll have more mature themes about a married woman, about the expectations of being a wife, a daughter-in-law, and expectations around motherhood. All within this very colorful—and I find strange—period.”

But naturally, it’ll have blood and some horror aspects to put a spin on the plot as it seems to be her winning formula.

  • Learn more about Amanda Nell Eu here.
  • Read other articles we’ve written about entertainment here.

Also Read: This M’sian brand has sustained itself with just one fizzy honey beverage for 6 years

Featured Image Credit: Amanda Nell Eu

Trust Bank launches new insurance service – digibank’s CEO says it aims to break even in 2025

Trust Bank — a joint venture between Standard Chartered and FairPrice Group — announced today (May 29) that its customers are now able to directly purchase travel insurance offered by Income Insurance Limited (Income) within the Trust mobile app.

Besides this announcement, Trust’s CEO Dwaipayan Sadhu also shared some of the digital bank’s achievements thus far at a media event held earlier today.

Trust Bank CEO
Trust’s CEO Dwaipayan Sadhu speaking at the media event / Image credit: Vulcan Post

Since its inception in September 2022, Trust has since become one of the fastest-growing digital banks — they have acquired 500,000 customers in just seven months, and their deposit balances are now over S$1 billion.

“We want to become the fourth largest retail bank in Singapore by the end of next year and to break even in 2025. To do this, we will continue to build for what our customers tell us is important and what makes a difference to their everyday needs,” he added.

Sadhu acknowledged that the great digital infrastructure and high level of digital adoption has turned Singapore into a very attractive digital banking space.

Coupled with the backing of Standard Chartered — which has a long, trusted banking heritage in Singapore and a full banking licence — as well as the NTUC ecosystem that brings strong customer advocacy and loyalty, it’s only natural for Trust to continue rolling more services that are “built on customers’ needs”.

A one-stop shop for travel

Since the start of 2023, Trust has been rolling out a slew of new features, including Budget Buddy that leverages the use of animated characters to help customers track their expenses and the recent launch of Supplementary Card (Supp Card) that existing customers can apply online.

The in-app Income travel insurance experience that’s introduced today is the latest addition to this suite of products and services. Sadhu explained that unlike most credit cards in the market that charge up to 3.5 per cent fee on every overseas transaction, Trust has a zero markup on all overseas expenses.

Trust Bank
Trust Bank is planning to release more products later the year / Image credit: Trust Bank

“There are no Forex fees, and the exchange rate for Trust is the same as what one would find on any search engine,” Sadhu said.

The travel insurance requires less than 60 seconds to apply for and is devoid of any data entry, which will greatly enhance the overall customer experience and position Trust as a comprehensive one-stop shop for travel.

Trust will soon offer instant loans and unsecured loans to customers in the coming months, with additional services like pay by trial, savings pots, and other in-app features expected to be available by the end of the year.

Sadhu added that the launch of Trust credit card nine months ago had garnered Trust data on customers behaviour and their repayment capability. This allows the digital bank to assess interest rates and customers’ eligibility in crafting more personalised offers like instant loans.

Likewise, many of the services, like the travel insurance, were initially offered by Trust via a tap-out to the Income website. It’s only after observing a high level of adoption that Trust decided to build some of these services within its mobile app.

“We believe the combination of our initial growth and continuous expansion had given us a very solid footing,” Sadhu noted.

Featured Image Credit: Trust Bank

Also Read: Trust Bank launches new digital supplementary card with real-time transactions and rewards

S’pore’s eighth president Halimah Yacob announces decision not to stand for re-election

president halimah yacob

Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob made a significant announcement today (May 29), stating that she will not stand for re-election in the upcoming Presidential Election, which is scheduled to take place in a few months’ time.

President Halimah, who has served as the eighth President of Singapore for the past six years, expressed her gratitude and reflected on her time in a video, which she shared in her Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/100044255928150/videos/pcb.795389048612952/105895379184598

“It has been a great honour and privilege to serve as the eighth President of Singapore for the past six years,” President Halimah said. “The experience has been most inspiring and, at the same time, humbling.” She acknowledged the immense responsibilities that come with the presidency and expressed her commitment to creating a more caring and compassionate society during her tenure.

President Halimah took office in 2017, becoming the first female president of Singapore and the first Malay president in 47 years. Throughout her term, she has strived to serve all Singaporeans regardless of their race, language, or social standing, aiming to foster unity and inclusivity within the nation.

In her post, she also thanked various community, social, and business organisations that have inspired her with their conviction and enthusiasm to build a better Singapore.

Reflecting on her experiences, President Halimah emphasised that she would forever cherish the fond memories of the people she has met and the lessons learned during her term. She expressed her determination to continue contributing to Singaporean society and the nation in other ways for as long as she is able to.

As President Halimah’s decision not to seek re-election sets the stage for the upcoming Presidential Election, political observers and citizens alike will now closely watch for potential candidates who may run for the esteemed office. The election will be a critical moment for Singapore as it determines the future leadership and direction of the country.

President Halimah’s announcement marks the end of a remarkable chapter in Singapore’s history, where she has left an indelible mark as a compassionate and dedicated leader. Her tenure as President has seen significant strides towards social cohesion, and her departure will undoubtedly leave a void to be filled by her successor.

Featured Image Credit: RENDY ARYANTO via VVS.sg

Also Read: BudgetMealGoWhere: New website lets you find cheap eats from S$3 at nearby HDB coffeeshops

How Jeffrey Cheah went from accounting to turning a tin mine wasteland into Sunway City

As a child, some of my fondest memories were all the fun I had at Sunway Lagoon, the biggest theme park in Malaysia at the time.

Fast forward to several years later, the Sunway area has been immensely developed to the point where it now has its own hospital, university, and public transport system.

But you can trace its roots all the way back to 43 years ago, when the area was in fact a barren tin-mining wasteland before the visionary behind it all, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, turned it into the Sunway City we know today.

The mind behind it all

Jeffrey Cheah grew up in a small town near Ipoh, Perak. He eventually left his hometown of Pusing, a mining settlement, to pursue a business degree at Victoria University in Melbourne. 

Upon graduation, he returned to Malaysia and took up a job as an accountant in a motor assembly plant.

In 1974, Cheah left his accountant’s desk in the assembly plant to start his own business and put in RM100,000 for a small tin-mining company.

Image Credit: Sunway Group

He later acquired a piece of tin-mining land in Selangor to work on, but eventually decided to rehabilitate the barren landscape.

It was reported that Cheah’s decision came after he had witnessed how apparent the environmental, social, and economic degradation in Pusing was, due to the impacts of the mining activities in the town.

When the miners had left, the town was left with a scarred landscape where nothing could grow and very little economic activity happened, which left families in poverty.

In an interview with The Asean Post, Cheah said, “I am an accountant by training. But I realised I have an entrepreneurial mindset. So, I quit my job at a motor assembly plant and ventured into my own business.”

“Sunway City was founded on the concept of sustainable development. About four decades ago, Sunway City was a barren land of disused and abandoned mining pools.”

According to Sunway Property and Facilities Management chief operating officer Cheng Jew Keng, “In the 1970s, Cheah’s team had to even bring back the earthworms to the land.”

Cheah was pictured articulating his vision to the then-culture, arts and tourism minister, Tan Sri Sabaruddin Chik, back in 1980 which marked the beginning of his transformative vision.

Image Credit: Sunway Group

In 1986, the construction of Sunway Lagoon marked the first entertainment theme park in town. It began operations in 1992 and was officiated by then-Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad, in 1993.

The late 80s and 90s were filled with swift development in the area with the establishment of Sunway College in 1987, Sunway Resort Hotel in 1996, Sunway Pyramid in 1997, and Sunway Medical Centre in 1999.

Innovating smart & sustainable townships

Today, the site is Malaysia’s first fully integrated green township, serving a community of more than 200,000 people with smart energy management systems, an elevated electric bus system, and free WiFi.

The township is not only considered a smart city but has an array of sustainability features that have earned it numerous certifications and awards. 

According to its website, green space makes up roughly 40% of the township, which is now home to more than 150 species of flora and fauna. 

Sunway Group is planning to replicate its success at Sunway City Ipoh and Sunway City Iskandar Puteri, which will comprise six different precincts and span 720 hectares, two and a half times the size of the KL city that Sunway first built.

Image Credit: Sunway Group

Laying down the plans for the future

Apart from his interest in a sustainable future, education is undeniably one of Cheah’s main priorities.

The Sunway Education Group has under it 12 educational institutions now. But in 1987, there was just Sunway College (now Sunway University), which was a pioneer of the twinning and credit transfer programmes.

Image Credit: Sunway Group

A major phase in the college’s early development was its partnership with Monash University in Melbourne, which eventually led to the opening of the Monash University Sunway Campus. 

These institutions were later placed under the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation which was set up by Cheah in 2007.

Further pushing for his vision of better education, in 2015, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation awarded over RM165 million worth of scholarships to more than 20,000 students.

Image Credit: Sunway Group

In an interview with Channel News Asia, Cheah shared, “This is not giving money away. This is helping these people to excel and these are my future talents, the future talents to move the country, (and) of course to move my company.”

It’s no secret that Cheah has amassed a massive amount of wealth. As of 2023, he has a net worth of US$1.2 billion, making him number 2,259 on the Forbes annual World’s Billionaires List.

But he’s always been a proponent of giving back, mainly through education.

“I feel that if I’m successful in business, if I’ve earned enough—which I have—I should do something for society, through education. I want to do business with a heart. To me, I give back through education,” stated Cheah to Channel News Asia.

“That’s why I always say, I aspire to inspire, before I expire.”

A role model for people & townships

Today, many of us know Sunway City for its vast housing developments, leisure, and entertainment premises such as Sunway Lagoon theme park and Sunway Pyramid shopping mall, and its education and health facilities.

However, it is undeniably awe-inspiring that Cheah was able to gaze into the future and not only see the potential of a mass of barren earth, but also turn the vision into what it is now.

Cheah shared with Channel News Asia, “I’m still visualising and dreaming what else I can bring in here to make a difference. It has already made a difference in the local scene, hopefully in the international scene also.”

Image Credit: Sunway Group

“Because a lot of other developers do come and have a look at what we’re doing. And hopefully it is a model township.”

Cheah himself definitely serves as a role model for not just other entrepreneurs and leaders, but for us all too. In 2016, he made headlines for being spotted picking up bits of trash such as used tissue paper and strands of plastic on the pavements and green landscapes around Sunway City whilst walking around.

Netizens were surprised but pleased to see the billionaire displaying such acts of care, and some who claimed to have worked for Sunway said that this was a common practice of Cheah’s.

Further showcasing his humility, Cheah once admitted that he was not embarrassed to say that part of Sunway’s rapid growth was down to luck. “In fact, I think all successful entrepreneurs should be humble enough to acknowledge the role of lady fortune in their endeavours,” he said to The Asean Post.

  • Learn more about Sunway here.
  • Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.

Also Read: When not cooking at a Michelin-starred spot, this M’sian is designing Japanese chef knives

Featured Image Credit: Sunway Group

Burnt out from her job, this S’wakian quit and started selling intricate kek lapis in PJ

No one does layered cakes quite like Sarawak does. The state’s kek lapis is not just a delicious dessert, but a sight for sore eyes with vibrant colours and fascinating patterns to boot.

One Sarawakian who is creating such cakes in the Klang Valley is Karen Chai. Born and raised in Kuching, the baker had originally kicked off her business, Kitchen Confidante, in her hometown back in 2016. 

From 2016 to 2019, Karen was staying in KL, but she would often fly back to her parents’ house in Kuching during the festive seasons to bake her cakes.

Due to the constraint of the pandemic, however, she was forced to stay in Petaling Jaya, and she spent those days growing her business and grounding it in place.

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

There was something something else that happened in 2019 that changed the course of the business. She had met her boyfriend, Kah Kein, and had decided to work together.

“At the time, I had just left my long career in the sportfishing equipment industry to explore new possibilities,” Kah Kein shared with Vulcan Post. “Karen invited me to join her enterprise and with uncanny timing, the pandemic came and abruptly threw most plans and choices out of the window.”

Breathing new life into the business, the couple worked together to start Kitchen Confidante in PJ, opening up the business to a whole new market.

Pursuing her own thing

Before she started her patisserie, though, Karen was already quite familiar with the kitchen.

“Burnt out from my job as an inhouse commercial chef, I was jaded,” Karen reminisced. “I left, and I pursued studies of French culinary art.”

Taking a step away from the daily grind helped Karen realise that to enjoy her work, she must bake what she enjoys, otherwise she’ll just end up at the same burnt-out state of mind.

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

“And that is why the business started—for the sake of my wellbeing,” Karen emphasised. “The only way I can create to my wish is to have my own thing.”

So, Kitchen Confidante was started as a home-based patisserie, which it still is today. The team has turned the entire ground floor of a double-storey terrace into a workplace. Meanwhile, the upper floor is where Karen and Kah Kein live.

“Being not a brick-and-mortar retail shop, our business is small and dynamic, so it was easy for me to dive in,” Karen explained. “And I kind of understand food business as it is not complex one. You won’t fall far if your customers like your taste.”

Borrowing her mum’s borrowed recipe

While Karen has quite the culinary repertoire under her belt, she inherited the kek lapis recipe from her mum, Jennifer.

But it was originally a recipe belonging to the late mum of Jennifer’s friend.

Missing her late mum’s baking, the friend had asked Jennifer if she could bake according to the recipe, hoping to achieve the same taste she loved.

“The outcome was a success,” Karen shared. “That happy friend became my mum’s very first customer for kek lapis, and she helped promote my mum to the small community.”

“My mum is not in the business, but she is like an indispensable import player,” Karen expressed.

When the baking gets intense, her mum will often come over to help. With quite the experience in the kitchen, her mum is fast with her hands and efficient with methods. Until now, there are times when Karen seeks her advice on technical matters.

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

“Baking has always been my biggest interest, that is why I was a very eager child labourer,” she joked.

Like Karen, baking is Jenifer’s hobby, but selling kek lapis wasn’t so much a hobby than a way for her to put on the table and her children through school.

“She would say, even until today, baking for money is very hard work,” Karen shared.

Tweaking the recipe

Over the years, this borrowed recipe has continued to evolve. The composition of ingredients, timing, and techniques were adjusted or fully changed to create the taste and texture that the team preferred.  

Another way that Karen has innovated her cake is through the design. While the geometric design stems from the origins of kek lapis Sarawak in the 80s, the Kitchen Confidante team has dressed them with contemporary colour palettes and modernised the presentation.

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

“The source of inspiration for a new product is without fail from the outside world or dug out from the depths of my memory well, something I have tasted and loved in my younger years,” Karen shared.

Coming up with a new design will sometimes take as short as a week to as long as a whole month before the team finalises it.

Not a business for the masses

Rather than designing their cakes to appeal to the masses, Kitchen Confidante actively avoids mainstream flavours and ingredients. This is so that true lapis lovers can enjoy new experiences, Karen said.

Unique flavours include Fig & Apricot, Cempedak, Lemon Poppy Seed, and more.

That said, they do also sell the classic kek lapis Sarawak for RM188 at 950g, the same price as most flavours in this size. The more intricate cakes can go up to RM298.

Plus, as a small team, they’re more adept at serving a niche to begin with, since kek lapis and handcrafted mooncakes or cookies are very laborious to produce. One design can take up to 12 hours to put together.

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

In fact, for every festive season, the team has never been able to take in all the orders because of their small output.  

During the most recent festive season, which was Ramadhan, Kitchen Confidante sold around 800 units of assorted kek lapis.

“This figure is almost our maximum output threshold for a month,” she said. “When you do the simple math, you will comprehend how time devouring the art of Kek Lapis is.”

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

The home-based patisserie’s customer base is made of consumers from Klang Valley as well as Kuching. They also service a small handful of corporate clients for their festive gifting.

Slow and steady

Currently, Kitchen Confidante is run by a small team of four. Karen and Kah Kien are joined by two young pastry arts graduates, Vanessa Tan and Kwok Syuen. Both are crucial to the business, Karen shared.

Some of the biggest challenges this small but mighty team has tackled together was the pandemic. At the time, specific ingredients and packaging materials had been hard to come by.

Having made it through the pandemic, a newer and bigger challenge the team is facing now is the rising cost of almost everything involved in running the business.

“We easily see an average [cost] increase of 35% for food ingredients and 15% in printing and packaging materials, and like everyone else, we can’t increase our price in proportion to the increase in cost,” Karen admitted. “It is beyond my know-how to overcome this challenge.”

“The only thing we know we can do is instead of finding ways to cut cost, we are focusing our energies to create better products with better ingredients, materials, and know-how.”

Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

With her current team of four being her proudest achievement, though, Kitchen Confidante is able to brave these challenges and soldier onward.

Going forward, Karen shared that she doesn’t actually have any specific business plans. After all, they’ve already accomplished their biggest goal of moving their kitchen from a condo unit to a landed house.

“From day one to now, our plan is to do enough for us to live in good health and comfort but not more to the extent which will disrupt our life balance and end up not having fun,” Karen shared.  

  • Learn more about Kitchen Confidante here.
  • Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian F&B businesses here.

Also Read: When not cooking at a Michelin-starred spot, this M’sian is designing Japanese chef knives

Featured Image Credit: Kitchen Confidante

Vulcan Post aims to be the knowledge hub of Singapore and Malaysia.

© 2021 GRVTY Media Pte. Ltd.
(UEN 201431998C.)

Vulcan Post aims to be the knowledge hub of Singapore and Malaysia.

© 2021 GRVTY Media Pte. Ltd.
(UEN 201431998C.)

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