Starring renowned international actress Fan Bingbing, the film is set to make its world premiere on Oct 27, the opening day of the 38th edition of TIFF, which runs until Nov 5 in Tokyo, Japan.

Chong described the selection of the film, which was shot in Bendang Siam, Kedah, as a great honour and recognition of Malaysia’s local stories and cultural heritage.

“It has been a long time since a Malaysian film was chosen for the main competition at this prestigious festival,” he told Bernama.

Chong, who won the Best New Director award at the 57th Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei, added that the film is expected to compete in six categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography.

He said the multilingual film, which reflects the diversity of Malaysian communities, is the result of a collaboration among Malaysia, Hong Kong, Italy and Saudi Arabia. It highlights stories of local communities, including the Siamese ethnic group in Malaysia.

“This film is entirely about local stories – stories of Malaysians. What’s even more interesting is that Fan plays a local woman. Usually, when foreign actors are cast, they portray outsiders,” Chong noted.

“Mother Bhumi”, which received eight nominations at the 2025 Golden Horse Awards, is set in the late 1990s and tells of a woman who works in the padi fields by day and serves as a traditional healer by night.

The film also stars Natalie Hsu, Bai Run-yin, and Pearlly Chua.