KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — Award-winning Malaysian actress Sharifah Amani has shared that she is fine with the film La Luna being submitted for the 97th Academy Awards (Oscars) under the banner of Singapore.

She also expressed pride in Malaysia’s decision to submit the 2023 film Abang Adik to represent the country at the 97th Oscars.

"It’s very lovely to see that Malaysia sent a predominantly Mandarin-language film to represent the country.

"While Singapore submitted a Malay-language film to represent them. So, it’s cool,” Sharifah said.

The 38-year-old, who has been invited as a guest star at the recording session of BBC Arts Hour on Tour at the Playhouse Theatre in The Campus, Ampang, recently, said she has no issue with Singapore submitting the film for next year’s Oscars under the International Feature Film category.

This is because La Luna, a romantic dramedy in the Malay language, was directed by Singaporean director M. Raihan Halim despite featuring an almost fully Malaysian cast.

Malaysia’s entry, Abang Adik, directed by Jin Ong, tells the story of undocumented orphans in Malaysia.

The elder brother, who is deaf, has resigned himself to a life of poverty while his younger sibling burns with indignation and faces further challenges after a brutal accident.

The film stars Malaysian actor Jack Tan and Taiwanese actor Kang Ren Wu.

Since its release, the film has won 19 international awards, including the Best Film award at the 10th Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles, United States.

Meanwhile, La Luna tells the story of a bold newcomer, Hanie, played by Sharifah, who opens a lingerie store in a conservative village, triggering both anger and support from the villagers.

Both films are currently available on Netflix.

Speaking about La Luna, Sharifah revealed during the Arts Hour on Tour recording session that director M. Raihan Halim made the movie for his niece.

"Raihan and I have known each other for a while now.

"It took him 10 years to write the film, and it’s womencentric, big on feminism, and is a love letter to his niece.

"He wants his niece to know that it’s alright to love your husband, to be healthy in a sexual relationship with your husband, and to ask questions, which are things women don’t usually get to do,” she said.

Programme host Nikki Bedi asked the actress how filming freedoms have changed over the years.

Sharifah said there are still inconsistencies, especially with the local Film Censorship Board (LPF).

For example, she shared that the 2005 film Sepet, directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad, had been ordered to be cut seven times by LPF despite being a simple love story between a Malay girl and a Chinese boy with no scenes pushing certain boundaries.

However, for the 2006 film Gubra, a sequel to Sepet, none of the scenes were cut despite the film being bolder.

"There was another story in the film about a prostitute who lives next door to the bilal (man who makes the call to prayer for Muslims), and they were good friends.

"He even touched a dog in the film, and there were all kinds of things that would usually trigger the LPF, but there were no cuts at all,” Sharifah said.

She added that being a creative person in Malaysia means navigating the industry creatively, being brave and never giving up.

Sharifah Amani was one of five notable guests invited to the BBC Arts Hour on Tour discussion.

Other notable guests included film director Ng Ken Kin, poet and singer Takahara Suiko, comedian Kavin Jay, singer Dabra Sia and the Sabahan band Tuni Sundatang.

The Malaysian episode of the programme is set to air on December 14 via BBC World Service.