Though Roh has not made it onto the Oscars’ long-list yet, it earned festival nominations in the United States, Italy, Singapore and Indonesia and it has joined the list of films inspired by Southeast Asian nightmares that are turning heads of industry players and horror fans around the world and bringing the region’s grassroots film industry recognition.
The haunting story of demonic possession, which is set in a tropical rainforest, is about a strange girl visits a vulnerable mother and her two children, the forest comes alive with terrors in this indie horror arthouse film.
The film stands out from the pack thanks to its mix of Islamic folklore and Malay black magic, the atmospheric rainforest setting and old-world Malay costumes.
Edgar Wright, the British director of acclaimed movies including 2004’s Shaun of the Dead praised Roh as “amazing stuff” on Twitter in March.
“The Netflix deal (worldwide except North America) came about thanks to our sales agent, TBA Studios based in the Philippines, which has represented Roh since the European Film Market this year,” said Amir Muhammad, an independent publisher of pulp fiction in Malay and English, film director and the managing director of Kuala Lumpur-based Kuman Films, to Al Jazeera.
