Sayang Sayang, a Malaysian-Taiwanese drama shot on the coasts of Kelantan and Terengganu, opened in Malaysian cinemas on 5 November 2026 carrying five nominations at Taiwan’s 63rd Golden Horse Awards. With winners due to be named in Taipei on 22 November, this is a good moment to see why a quiet story about deaf teenagers on the East Coast is travelling so far.
What Sayang Sayang is about
The film follows Nancy, played by Jo Kukathas, who returns to her East Coast hometown with her deaf son Ajay and opens a sign language school. Around them are Mina, a deaf Malay teenager who loves Muay Thai, and San San, a deaf Chinese teenager who dreams of the sea. Their stories meet around family, identity and acceptance. Running through all three is a gentle theme of love and acceptance across race, religion and background. At the gala, director Tang said love is a universal feeling shared across cultures and communities, and that idea sits at the heart of the film.
It is directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Tang Hsiang-Chu and produced by Malaysian filmmaker Jin Ong, whose earlier work includes the 2023 hit Abang Adik. According to Malay Mail, the production is by More Entertainment Sdn Bhd and IS Entertainment Co Ltd, scripting began in 2022, and the film premiered in Taiwan in October 2026. Overseas, it is titled simply Sayang.
The 5 Golden Horse nominations
The Golden Horse Awards are among the most closely watched honours in Chinese-language cinema. Sayang Sayang is in the running in five categories:
- Best Supporting Actress: Mhia Firdaus, as Mina
- Best New Performer: Nandagopall Mohan, as Ajay
- Best Original Screenplay: Tang Hsiang-Chu
- Best Sound Effects: Wu Shu-Yao, Hsu Chiao-Han and Liu Pei-Min
- Best Visual Effects: Tomi Kuo, Ivan Lin and Hannah Han
Mhia Firdaus’s nod is a milestone in itself. As The Star reported, she is the first Malay actress to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the awards.
5 reasons to catch it in cinemas now
1. It puts the East Coast on the big screen
The film was shot along the coastlines of Kelantan and Terengganu, places that rarely get this kind of international showcase. “I hope more international audiences will get to know Kelantan and Terengganu,” producer Jin Ong said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
2. It speaks the way Malaysia speaks
Dialogue moves between Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, alongside sign language. The film also brings members of the deaf community into its storytelling, which gives its quieter scenes a texture many viewers will not have seen in a local release before.
3. Young Malaysian talent is getting noticed
Two of the five nominations go to the cast. Nandagopall Mohan, 26, earned a Best New Performer nod for playing Ajay. He told Free Malaysia Today that the biggest challenge was telling Ajay’s story in a truthful and authentic way.
4. A Sheila Majid song to carry home
The theme song, “Sayang”, is performed by Datuk Seri Sheila Majid and composed by Japanese-Malaysian singer-songwriter Ryota Katayama. It marks her first film soundtrack in four years. Speaking at the gala premiere at TGV Suria KLCC, she summed up the story simply: “This is a film about unity.”
5. You can cheer it on before 22 November
Watching now means you will have seen the film before the winners are announced in Taipei. Whatever happens on the night, five nominations already place a Malaysian co-production firmly on one of Asia’s biggest film stages.
Why it matters for Malaysian film
Cross-border co-productions like this one show how Malaysian stories, settings and actors can reach audiences abroad while still feeling local at home. Coming after the success of Abang Adik, Sayang Sayang adds to a growing run of Malaysian-made films earning serious attention in the region, while home-grown titles such as Kudrat 1968 are drawing big crowds at the local box office.
Check your nearest cinema for showtimes, and follow the results on the Golden Horse Awards official website.
