The BURO Impact Awards celebrates the creativity, originality, passion, and accomplishments of Malaysia’s trailblazing talents. Ahead, find our conversation with our Artist of the Year, Ananth Subramaniam.
A quiet revolution is underway in Malaysian cinema, and filmmaker Ananth Subramaniam is leading the charge. His work inhabits the spaces where humour brushes up against unease, tradition collides with desire, and identity refuses to be straightforward. Over the years, he has built a career defined by emotional honesty, tonal precision, and a steadfast commitment to telling stories that resonate deeply.
Originally trained in architecture, Ananth brings a meticulous eye for structure and detail to his cinematic storytelling. This combination of analytical thinking and creative curiosity has shaped his signature style: carefully observed, richly layered narratives. Early shorts such as Colourless, winner of the BMW Shorties Grand Prize, and Liar Land, which received a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, demonstrated his valour in exploring human complexity.
This year, he reached a milestone with Bleat!, a Tamil-language short that became the first Malaysian short film selected for competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. Shot in striking black and white, the film turns a surreal premise—a pregnant male goat—into a meditation on faith, duty, and cultural expectations.
Despite international recognition, Ananth remains thoughtful, humble, and perpetually inquisitive, approaching each project as a dialogue with collaborators, audiences, and himself. With his debut feature The Passport on the horizon, he continues to probe heritage and selfhood, solidifying his status as one of Malaysia’s most compelling and essential cinematic voices.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Making a short film and premiering it at the Cannes Film Festival this year, which is a first for Malaysia. I wouldn’t say it’s the effort of just one person. Of course, you make the movie, but you need an entire team to support you and bring your vision all the way there. It took us about eight months to submit, qualify, and finally get to the premiere.
What is your most treasured possession?
My two dogs! I think pets, as a whole, are quite special because they don’t care whether you’re having a bad day or a good day, or whether you’ve succeeded or failed. You just come home, and they’re in this constant happiness.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Sam Shepard, I think. He’s a writer from America who writes about community and being from the urban landscape—how that affects his psyche and all that. He’s been a big influence on my writing, my career, and my artistry.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
It’s probably “you know.” On set, I often use “Alright, that’s great! Can we go for one more?” I think it’s something that all directors often say.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I think it’s a process. Happiness, rather than being a long-term goal, is more of a daily thing. You could be at the top of your game, and then what? You have to come back home. So, I think for me, perfect happiness is home—the place where you feel peace and serenity.
What is your greatest fear?
I think my greatest fear isn’t just for my own art, but art in general because it’s being taken for granted. I hope that doesn’t last long. I think it’s only a temporary thing, because art is quite important to all of us.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I think it’s cinema, because it’s constant. You have to be consistent with it, and it starts from young. You start watching films and you love it so much, you can’t help but want to make one yourself.
When and where were you happiest?
I was pretty happy at Cannes, because it was a big deal and the whole crew was there. We had a really good time. During the premiere especially, it felt really special to see everyone proud, and watching a Malaysian movie get a response from an international audience—that’s a pretty great place to be.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Maybe I should focus less on cinema and more on real life. That’s definitely one thing I need to work on—my workaholic nature as an artist. Being an artist means being constant, but the side effect of that is not having enough time for family, relationships, and fun.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
It’d be nice to come back as Steven Spielberg, wouldn’t it? You know, that would be the greatest of all time. I was four when Jurassic Park came out, so it was one of the films that sort of began my search to understand what cinema is.
What do you value most in your friends?
I like that they don’t care. I could go to Cannes and come back, and it wouldn’t faze them at all. My friends are from my high school days, so they’ve seen me throughout the years. For them, it’s like, “Okay, so what do you want? An award?” I like that they keep my ego in check. They’ll just curse at me and say, “We don’t wanna talk about you,” which is nice.
What are the words you live by?
“Don’t give a f*ck.” It’s a really good, simple, and straightforward motto about just doing your thing.
CREDITS
Editor-In-Chief / JASON LIM. Creative Direction and Styling / SARAH TAI. Text and Interview / STEPHANIE WONG. Styling Assisted by / BENEDICT UNANG. Art Direction Assisted by / EVE LYN LAU. Photography / DAVID ONG | HERRY STUDIO ASSISTED BY SAMANTHA JANE & RICHY CHYE. Videography / DENNIS KHO. Makeup / AYANG KAMELL. Hair / BIBIAN FREDERICKS FOR SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL.
Follow Ananth on Instagram here. Find the full list of BURO Impact Awards winners here.
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