10 Oct - M. Raihan Halim's comedy "La Luna" has been selected to represent Singapore for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The news was announced by Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), stating that the movie was chosen by a panel of advisors from the Singapore Film Commission. Starring actors from both Malaysia and Singapore including Shaheizy Sam, Sharifah Amani and Hisyam Hamid, the movie tells the story of a woman who decides to open up a lingerie store called La Luna in a conservative village in Malaysia.
Said Sharifah Amani, "Being Hani Abdullah in La Luna was a deeply personal experience for me, and now, to see it being recognised by Singapore as their official selection for the Oscars is simply surreal." Despite having a majority of Malaysian actors, the movie was able to represent Singapore as it was produced by two Singaporean studios, Clover Films and Papahan Films alongside Malaysia's ACT 2 Pictures and Louis Koo's One Cool Film. It made its premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Jogja-Netpac Asia Film Festival. It was also the closing film for Rotterdam International Film Festival and was screened under International Panorama at the Shanghai International Film Festival.