Winner of the prestigious FIPRESCI prize at the Locarno Film Festival, Stone Turtle is Woo Ming Jin's stunning thriller that evokes Groundhog Day and Woman in the Dunes.
Zahara and her ten-year-old niece, Nika scrape by on a remote Malaysian island, making a living illegally selling turtle eggs. Enter Samad, a researcher at a mainland university, who seeks the endangered leatherback turtle and wants Zahara to help him. But there is an obvious tension, and when Zahara inexplicably traps the man, the narrative loops back, slowly examining the truth behind Samad’s sudden visit and Zahara’s need for vengeance. Woo Jing Min’s study in mysticism and violence is a crafty, tense thriller that will leave audiences reeling. “[A] beguiling, all-around-gorgeous reimagining of Southeast Asian folklore.” –Peter Debruge, Variety
Director Biography
Woo Ming Jin is a Malaysian filmmaker whose acclaimed movies have screened at festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Berlin and Venice. His films include Monday Morning Glory (2005), The Elephant and the Sea (2007), The Tiger Factory (2010) and Return to Nostalgia (2015), among many others.