ANANTH Subramaniam’s Bleat!, a Malaysian Tamil-language film, will compete at the 64th edition of Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique), running from May 14 to 22, alongside the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
Founded in 1962 by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, Critics’ Week is the Cannes Film Festival’s most selective sidebar programme, renowned for spotlighting breakthrough filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Julia Ducournau.
The selection marks a milestone for Malaysian cinema, as Bleat! becomes the first Malaysian short film ever selected for Cannes across all sections. Prior to this, only four Malaysian feature films have been selected: Tiger Stripes (2023), The Tiger Factory (2010), Karaoke (2009) and Kaki Bakar (The Arsonist) (1995).
Bleat! is an international co-production led by Choo Mun Bel of Sixtymac Pictures (Malaysia), Bradley Liew of Epicmedia Productions (the Philippines) and Dominique Welinski (France), with international sales managed by Belgium-based Hors Du Bocal.
Groundbreaking Malaysian-Tamil story
Set in a suburban Malaysian-Tamil community, Bleat! tells the story of an elderly Malaysian Tamil couple who discovers their male goat, set for ceremonial slaughter, is pregnant. Torn between faith and the expectations of their community, they struggle to decide whether to slaughter it or face the wrath of the gods. The film stars Tharmasegaran MS Maniam, Pannerselvam Evarani and Big Boy the goat.
Film writer and director Ananth said: “I have always had an inescapable feeling about my Malaysian Tamil culture. Growing up, especially during those awkward puberty years, I wrestled with questions about who I was and where I fit in. The expectations felt heavy, sometimes impossible, and my community always seemed to be in a constant state of change. So, I turned myself into a goat and threw myself into the middle of all that inevitability – and somehow, that became a film about what makes being Malaysian Tamil so special.
“My filmmaking has always been about peeling back the layers of tradition, questioning why things are the way they are, and finding both humour and heartache in the process. Now that Bleat! is in Semaine de la Critique, I hope it resonates with other minority kids who have felt that same inner conflict, offering a little comfort in knowing they are not alone. More than anything, this film is a love letter to the strength and resilience of my people.”
International collaboration with regional pride
“Bleat! is the fifth short film Ananth and I have made together. When he first shared the script with me, I was immediately drawn to its absurdity, warmth and cultural specificity. The mix of music, humour and a suburban Tamil backdrop created a cinematic language that felt unmistakably Malaysian. We worked meticulously through each phase of development, and I am incredibly proud of the emotional depth and playful spirit this film brings to the screen,” said producer Choo (Sixtymac Pictures).
Co-producer Liew added, “This is Southeast Asian storytelling at its most specific and universal. Bleat! reflects our region’s diversity, wit and layered humanity.”
From France, Welinski commented, “The voice Ananth brings is refreshingly distinct, and we are proud to see this story take its place at Cannes, where bold new cinema belongs.”
Bleat! follows Malaysia’s growing international film presence. In 2023, director Amanda Nell Eu’s Tiger Stripes won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize for a feature film. BLEAT! continues this momentum – this time, making history in the short film category.
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