Ananth Subramaniam returns to Cannes 2026 with another short, "Holy Crowd"

13 May - Rising Malaysian filmmaker Ananth Subramaniam continues his momentum on the global stage with his latest short film, "Holy Crowd," world premiering at the prestigious 65th edition of Critics' Week, running from 12 to 23 May 2026, alongside the 79th Cannes Film Festival.

Co-directed with Reza Fahriyansyah (Indonesia), the film is part of the Next Step Studio initiative that brings together emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia to develop new work through cross-border collaboration.

This year's edition features four short films produced in Indonesia, each pairing regional directors in a shared creative framework.

The Next Step Studio Indonesia programme is led by a strong network of regional and international producers, spearheaded by Indonesian producer Yulia Evina Bhara and Amerta Kusuma of KawanKawan Media, alongside French producer Dominique Welinski, who is also the creator and curator of the initiative.

The project is part of the Next Step Studio initiative

"Holy Crowd" is a 16-minute, Indonesian-French co-production film that follows a woman who rises from the dead during her own funeral and begins performing miraculous healings, drawing a wave of opportunists and believers alike. As devotion turns to frenzy and manipulation takes hold, the miracle slowly slips from her grasp, revealing a community willing to go to any lengths to sustain its faith.

Ananth Subramaniam first gained international attention with his short film "Bleat!" (2025), the first-ever Malaysian short film selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival. It went on to premiere in over 30 film festivals across the globe including Singapore International Film Festival, SXSW, MoMA's New Directors New Films and winning the youth jury prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival.

With this latest selection, Ananth continues to elevate Malaysia's presence on the international film stage, cementing his position as one of the country's most exciting emerging directors to watch.

Malaysian filmmaker Ananth Subramaniam

The selection of Holy Crowd is especially meaningful for Ananth as he continues to develop his first international co-production feature PRAY TO THE THUNDER, with Sixtymac Pictures, which has already won several prestigious awards including the Grand Prize (Bucheon Award) at BIFAN NAFF Project Market, Grand Prize (SEAPITCH Award) at Bangkok BAFF SEAPITCH, and Southeast Asian Co-Production Prize at the QCinema Project Market.