Malay-language comedy La Luna selected as Singapore's Oscar entry for best international feature film

The Singapore-Malaysia co-production tells the story of a woman who opens a lingerie shop in a conservative Malaysian village. 

On Wednesday (Oct 9), Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced that the Malay-language comedy La Luna has been picked as Singapore's entry for the best international feature film category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.

The selection was made by a team comprising members of the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) Advisory Committee.

IMDA and SFC had previously supported the film through the Content Development Grant for long-form content – under the former's Media Talent Progression Programme.

Directed by M Raihan Halim and produced by Singapore's Clover Films and ACT 2 Pictures as well as Malaysia's Papahan Films and Hong Kong's One Cool Film, La Luna tells the story of a woman named Hanie (Sharifah Amani) who opens a lingerie shop in a conservative Malaysian village.

It was released in November 2023 and has played at multiple film festivals around the world including the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Shanghai International Film Festival.

In a statement, IMDA's assistant chief executive of media, innovation, communications and marketing Justin Ang said: “We are excited to be presenting La Luna as Singapore’s entry for the 2025 Oscars. This has been another great year for made-with-Singapore films with strong presence at festivals like Cannes, Venice and Busan.

"La Luna is a great testament to Singapore’s multi-lingual and multi-ethnic make up that gives rise to interesting stories. We are proud of M Raihan Halim and the production team and cast and we look forward to good news at the 2025 Oscars.”

The movie's main star Sharifah Amani added: "Being Hanie 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.

"Every film has its own life, and La Luna felt like a piece of art that was born from the passion and hard work of everyone involved. I am so grateful to the incredible team behind La Luna, to Singapore for embracing this story and to every audience member who found a little bit of themselves in this film. This recognition is for all of us who believe in the power of storytelling to bridge divides. I’m truly grateful and excited for what’s to come."