The prestigious Cannes Film Festival continues to be one of the world’s most celebrated platforms for international cinema, bringing together acclaimed filmmakers, rising talents, producers and film enthusiasts from all over the world. The festival held annually in France, which is known for recognising for spotlighting outstanding cinematic works and introducing fresh faces in filmmaking.
This year, Malaysia once again finds representation on the international stage through rising filmmaker Ananth Subramaniam, who is returning to Cannes with his latest short film Holy Crowd. The 16-minute short film, produced through an Indonesian-French co-production, will make its world premiere at the 65th edition of Critics’ Week, held alongside the Cannes Film Festival from May 12 to 23, 2026.
Holy Crowd
Holy Crowd, by Ananth Subramaniam, also co-directed with Indonesian filmmaker Reza Fahriyansyah, was developed under the Next Step Studio Indonesia initiative, a programme that encourages cross-border collaborations among rising Southeast Asian filmmakers. The initiative gathers regional directors and producers to create new works through shared creative development.
The short film tells the story of a woman who rises from the dead during her own funeral and begins performing miraculous healings. As believers and opportunists gather around her, devotion slowly transforms into manipulation and chaos, revealing how far a community is willing to go to preserve its faith.
Ananth Subramaniam: First Malaysian Short Film Director Selected for the Cannes Film Festival
Ananth first gained international recognition through his 2025 short film Bleat!, which became the first Malaysian short film selected to compete at Cannes. The film later screened at more than 30 international festivals, including Singapore International Film Festival, SXSW, and MoMA’s New Directors New Films, while also winning the Youth Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival.
Ananth is also currently developing his first international co-production feature film, PRAY TO THE THUNDER, which has already received several awards at international project markets such as Grand Prize (Bucheon Award) at BIFAN NAFF Project Market, Grand Prize (SEAPITCH Award) at Bangkok BAFF SEAPITCH, Southeast Asian Co-Production Prize at the QCinema Project Market (Philippines). With Holy Crowd premiering at Cannes Film Festival 2026, Ananth continues to strengthen Malaysia’s presence in the international film scene.
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