Sayang Disayang (2013)

Sayang Disayang is a loving homage to Singapore Malay cuisine, as the film luxuriates in the sights and sounds of the preparation of sambal goreng, cooked by domestic helper Murni, to gratify her employer, Pak Harun. Their bond develops into something else entirely after the helper introduces a secret ingredient into her dish.

Drawing from a ballad penned by Singapore’s national anthem composer Zubir Said, Sanif Olek’s debut foray into feature-length filmmaking has been recognised as the first Malay-language local production since the mid-1990s and melds cultural resonance with social realism, by looking into the intricate and vulnerable dynamic between a migrant caregiver and their local charge.