5 Feb - Malaysia's youngest female director, Tan Chui Mui, had not expected to win the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam in The Netherlands, although many people had told her that they liked her entry, "Love Conquers All". "The other nominated movies were definitely very strong contenders," Tan, 28, told Cinema Online after her movie was named as one of the four winners of the main Tiger Award last Friday. She was in Rotterdam to receive the award which came with 10,000 Euros (RM45,000) and a guaranteed screening on the Dutch TV channel VPRO. The Tiger Award is meant for first- or second-time feature film directors and this year saw a field of 15 finalists from all over the world. Traditionally, three films would take the festival's VPRO Tiger Awards. However, four were named in this year's 36th edition, including "The Unpolished" ("Die Unerzogenen") by Pia Marais (Germany), while both Claudio Assis' "Bog of Beasts" ("Baixio Das Bestas", Brazil) and Morten Hartz Kaplers' "AFR" (Denmark) tied for the third Tiger. This is the third major award for "Love Conquers All" after it clinched the main New Currents Award as well as FIPRESCI Prize at the Pusan International Film Festival, which came with a US$30,000 prize. Another Malaysian film, "Dancing Bells" by Deepak Kumaran Menon, received the Special Mention for the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award. "Dancing Bells" made its world premiere in Rotterdam but has yet to screen in Malaysia. Asked what she thought was the 'special ingredient' in her movie that bowled the Rotterdam Festival judges over, Tan said: "I don't know". However, she said that "all these would not have happened if I had not met (producer) Amir Muhammad and James Lee (cinematographer)." And what is she planning to do with the prize money? "Make a new film," she said. "At the moment, I am writing three films: "Living Quietly", "Waiting For Snow In Kuantan" and "A Year Without A Summer"."