2 Jan – Malaysian short film "Benevolent Ba" is set to make its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Kuala Lumpur-born, L.A.-based director Diffan Sina Norman made the announcement on his Instagram as he released the official poster and trailer, saying he was "honoured, thrilled and delighted" that his film would be premiering at the festival this year. "Benevolent Ba" is a 9-minute short film detailing how a devout woman's desperate thirst for virtue leads her family down a dark path of slaughter and sacrifice. According to a post on FINAS' (National Film Development Corporation) Facebook page, the film was shortlisted under the International Narrative Short Films category, out of a whopping 10,397 entries from all over the world.
"Benevolent Ba" is also competing for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize against 27 other countries. Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the United States. The prestigious festival is held in various Utah locations at the beginning of every year, lasting from 23 January to 2 February this 2020. This isn't Norman's first time at Sundance – his short film "Kekasih" also had its world premiere at the festival in 2014. The film was a smash hit, receiving nominations for both the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and Best Short Film at the 26th Malaysian Film Festival. He's also received local and international accolades, his multidisciplinary work having been featured at SXSW, Rotterdam, Raindance, Cartoon Network and The National Art Gallery of Malaysia before.