His debut feature film Jagat (2015) made history as the first non-Malay-language film in 28 years to win Best Film at the Malaysian Film Festival.

Now, with his latest film “Macai”, he has once again broken new ground – it was selected for the prestigious Big Screen Competition at IFFR 2025, making it the only Malaysian film to compete in the category.

The competition serves as a bridge between popular, classic, and arthouse cinema, showcasing 14 films from around the world.

While the Big Screen Award ultimately went to Swedish filmmaker Jon Blåhed’s “Raptures”, Sun-J and his team celebrated the achievement of premiering their film on such a grand stage.

Speaking to FMT Lifestyle, Sun-J recounted: “We were actually rushing to finish the movie so we could submit it for the festival’s competition,” he shared. “We got the news in September last year that we were selected.”

The world premiere on Feb 2 took place in IFFR’s largest venue, the IMAX theatre, with a full house of cinephiles from diverse backgrounds.

“Stepping into a packed theatre was very overwhelming. This experience was very special and I could tell the audience was attentive right until the end.”

Produced by Skyzen Studios, “Macai” follows Siam, a drug dealer in the fictional country of Lingapura near Singapore, who misplaces a stash belonging to his ruthless kingpin boss.

With no choice but to make up for the loss, he ropes in a friend and embarks on a desperate quest to recoup the cash. However, his situation quickly spirals into chaos in a kinetic, genre-blending film that explores themes of survival and fate.

“The entire project was born out of curiosity,” Sun-J admitted. “The plot is not out of the ordinary, but I wanted to experiment with something different.”

Sun-J described Macai as an exploration of “spiritual madness”, using the protagonist’s frenzied journey as a metaphor for a deeper, more introspective experience.

For Sun-J, storytelling is about more than just crafting a commercial hit. “It’s easy to copy a Hollywood plot and make a likable, sellable movie, but I don’t see the challenge in that,” he said.

“I have a lot of emotions I want to express. So, I thought – what if I combine everything? Film noir, different genres I grew up with, the tropical landscape, social politics, spirituality, and the quirks of Malaysian dialogue. At its core, though, it’s a story about the working-class people I grew up with.”

The writing process for “Macai” took around four years, but the filming itself was completed in a matter of days.

The Tamil-language film stars Karnan Kanapathy in the lead role, alongside Kuben Mahadevan, Irfan Zaini, Fabian Loo, Subashini Asokan, and Susan Lankester.

Sun-J credited his diverse crew for enriching the filmmaking experience: “I learned so much from them while making this film.”

Reflecting on his experience, he shared: “A lot of people encouraged me to do a sequel to ‘Jagat’- it would have been an easier way to reach the audience. But I didn’t want to take the safe route.”

His passion for film traces back to his childhood. “I grew up watching movies on RTM, especially Cantonese films. There was one story about grandparents finding love in a sugarcane plantation, and it made me wonder about our great-grandparents in rubber estates. But there were no films to depict that.”

That realisation sparked his determination to tell the untold stories of Malaysia’s Indian working class. “Movies were always the most accessible form of entertainment for us,” he expressed.

However, making Tamil films in Malaysia comes with its challenges. “Getting funding for a local Tamil movie is very difficult. So, when I get the opportunity, I want to use it to grow our small industry and upcoming talents.”

Sun-J also acknowledged that while technical aspects in regard to Malaysian cinema have improved, there was still room for growth in storytelling. “We have a long way to go,” he remarked.

As “Macai” awaits its Malaysian release, its recognition on the international stage is a testament to the strength of local cinema. And for Sun-J Perumal, the journey continues.

Follow Sun-J Perumal on Instagram. For more details check out Skyzen Studios.