M’sian Filmmaker Wins ‘New Talent Award’ At International Film Festival For Heartbreaking Film About Religion

By Ameera Rosli  •  11 Nov 2020 in Movies & TV

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Mickey Lai is a Malaysian filmmaker and graduate from Met Film School in London. Coming from a multi-cultural country like ours, she uses her struggles with her identity, religion and family as a framework for her art. The most accurate snapshot of her experiences to-date takes shape in her film, The Cloud Is Still There. 

Based on her personal story, Lai weaves a tale centred around her terminally-ill grandfather and her insistence on praying for his health. Since she comes from a family of differing religious beliefs, her method of worship clashes with the rest of her family’s. Conflict arises when she, a Christian, is caught praying by his bedside by her mother, a Taoist.

The film’s complex yet relevant themes captured the heart of audiences and critics alike. Not only was it praised within the Asian cynosure, but Lai has since won the New Talent Award at the National Film Festival For Talented Youth in the United States.

 

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曾经有位老师对我说… 其实年轻人真的不需要急着想要变强大，变厉害 然后想要证明些什么给别人看 好好享受这个让自己挣扎，矛盾，突破，成长的过程吧 是的 现在的确痛苦地快乐着 📸: @shirlynkwok416 . #好好地实实在在活着啦 #一步一步慢慢来 #wardrobefittingday #tableread #roadtomaster2020

A post shared by Mickey Lai 黎乐怡 (@mickeylai23) on Feb 1, 2020 at 10:27am PST

Despite the success, Lai has yet to show her family the film. In an interview with SAYS, she discloses that she’s “too afraid to do so” but that she will eventually, once she’s ready.

The film stars Tan Cheong Bee in the main role, an actress whom Lai praises for being able to embody sadness and other complex emotions via just her eyes, as well as Tang Ling as the mother.

 

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It’s been a dream to showcase the work in US🇺🇸 Happy to share that The Cloud Is Still There will be having its North America Premiere at National Film Festival for Talented Youth. The film is nominated for Best Narrative Short (Student). Kudossss to the team 🙂 . @nfftyfilm is the world’s largest and most influential festival for emerging filmmakers. . #TheCloudIsStillThere #蓝蓝天空 #shortfilm #officialselection #filmfestival #nffty

A post shared by Mickey Lai 黎乐怡 (@mickeylai23) on Oct 15, 2020 at 6:29am PDT

During the audition process, Lai made sure to choose the right talents for the heavyweight roles. She often took the time to sit down with those who were auditioning, to tell them her story, her vision and to get to know the backgrounds of the actors.

The project meant so much to her that she cried several times during script consultations.

Check out the trailer below:

As of now, the film has garnered 2 awards and has since been selected for 3 different film festivals. A huge congratulations to Mickey Lai for her poignant film!