Locarno player ‘Stone Turtle’ recorded by Parallax

The Chinese distribution agent Parallax Films has acquired the international sales rights for the feature film “Stone Turtle” by Malaysian director Ming Jing Woo, which celebrates its world premiere in the international competition of the Locarno Film Festival.

The time travel film Stone Turtle is produced by Edmund Yeo and Ming Jin Woo at Greenlight Pictures in Malaysia and co-produced by Cheng Thim Kian and Yulia Evina Bhara at KawanKawan Media in Indonesia.

The story follows Zahara, a stateless refugee living on a small remote island in Malaysia, where she makes a living selling turtle eggs.

One day Samad, posing as a university researcher, visits the island and wants to hire Zahara to show him around. As the day progresses, Zahara and Samad become entangled in a dangerous dance of duplicity and deceit.

“’Stone Turtle’ is a metaphorical journey of a woman searching for personal and social justice in the midst of systemic oppression. It’s also a preservation of my country’s long-forgotten folklore,” said director and producer Ming Jin Woo.

A leading voice in Malaysian New Wave, Ming Jin Woo’s previous films have garnered significant international attention. He is the first Malaysian Helmer in history to represent the country at the Big Three festivals in Europe.

His feature film debut “Monday Morning Glory” (2005) was selected for Berlin. The second, Elephant and the Sea (2007), won the Special Jury Prize at the Torino Film Festival. Woo’s Woman on Fire Looks for Water (2009) became the second Malaysian film to be selected for the Venice Orizzonti section, while Tiger Factory (2010) was the third Malaysian film to be officially selected for Cannes.

Parallax is the international film sales and distribution brand of Midnight Blur Films, specializing in the worldwide distribution of quality films and promotion at international film festivals. It has commercial offices in Paris, New York, Beijing and Shanghai.

“I’m definitely looking forward to our collaboration here, as I’ve been an admirer of Parallax Films’ catalog over the past few years, like last year’s ‘New Old Play’ by Qiu JiongJiong. So of course we’re excited to have ‘Stone Turtle’ as part of their always exciting line-up,” said producer Edmund Yeo diversity.