Self-Portrait has released its short film Sandiwara, starring Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh plays five different women in the film, all making their living in George Town. While it's written and directed by Oscar-winner Sean Baker, the short film is also a love letter to Penang from Han Chong, the founder and creative director of Self-Portrait.

Han Chong is from Penang but based in London, where he founded his fashion label in 2013. Since then, Self-Portrait has grown into a global success in womenswear.

Following its premiere at the Berlinale International Film Festival a week ago, the film is now available to watch online. That's not all: Self-Portrait has created an interactive website with curated food recipes and a travel guide to George Town. We can only assume that Tourism Malaysia is thrilled; after all, it's the year of Visit Malaysia.

There's even a playlist, including some certified bangers by Sheila Majid and Dato' Sudirman—setting the tone for Sandiwara's nostalgic, slightly kitsch vibe.

In Sandiwara, Yeoh plays a food vlogger, a food critic, a hawker, a waitress and a singer. Through her characters, we see glimpses of George Town, mostly through food locales: hawker stalls, a nasi kandar shop, a nyonya kueh shop (Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Kuih) and the Red Garden karaoke food court.

It's a cheerful vehicle for Yeoh to showcase her talents on home ground, multiverse style. Since her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she seems to make light work of playing multiple characters. But the setting is also a star. The karaoke food court in particular emerges as its own character, with its pitchy live music and neon hawker signs.

As for Sean Baker, he's spoken about the fun he had shooting the film. "It seemed like an adventure," he said, in an interview. He described it as a collaborative process with Chong and Yeoh. "It was shot in two days, we were very 'run and gun.' Michelle had to be down for that style of indie filmmaking, and it was really fun to see her embrace that."

Baker and his crew shot on iPhone, guerrilla style, to allow them to blend in and avoid drawing attention to themselves. Baker also asked Yeoh to improvise some of her lines.

"It’s a beautiful city and Malaysia is a beautiful country," Baker said. He added that he himself had fallen in love with Penang in the process of making the film. "You really feel their love for their incredible cuisine." 

Of course, it's a polished version of Penang, with Yeoh's natural glamour heightened by Self-Portrait's costumes and styling. But the background extras in their shorts and slippers—along with some sporting Uncles dancing to karaoke—keep things somewhat grounded. The film co-stars Reuben Kang and Sunny Lau.

Fashion houses have a precedent of turning to auteur directors to bring their collections to life. In 2025, Gucci produced The Tiger, a surreal family drama directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, starring Demi Moore and Edward Norton. Wes Anderson has directed short films for Prada and Montblanc. Now, Self-Portrait looks set to start its own artistic tradition.

Watch Sandiwara at sandiwarafilm.com