Michelle Yeoh and Sean Baker's 'Sandiwara' Set for World Premiere at Berlin Film Festival

The short film "Sandiwara," directed by Sean Baker and starring Michelle Yeoh, will receive its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 13.

The screening takes place at 11:45 a.m. at the Zoo Palast theater as part of the Berlinale Special program, with a brief conversation between Baker and Yeoh to follow.

Baker, who won the Palme d'Or for "Anora" in 2025, shot "Sandiwara" entirely on an iPhone during production in Penang, Malaysia, with filming wrapping at a local Hawker Center.

Yeoh portrays five distinct characters in the film, which unfolds in a Malaysian night market.

The project marks the inaugural effort from the Residency program of London-based fashion house Self-Portrait, which provides "infrastructure, platforms, resources, teams and distribution network to spotlight and promote external creatives, offering them the freedom to dream and create."

According to the film's official logline, "Sandiwara, set in a Malaysian night market, follows five characters who each tell their own unique story and represent a facet of Malaysian culture rarely explored."

The premiere coincides with Yeoh's receipt of the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement, presented by Baker during the festival's opening ceremony on Feb. 12. The Berlinale runs through Feb. 22.