U-Wei Haji Saari

U-Wei Haji Saari is a Malaysian film director. He first gained international attention with The Arsonist (more known by its Malay name Kaki Bakar), the first Malaysian film to enter the Cannes Film Festival in 1995.^[1]

U-Wei Haji Saari
Born	Zuhir bin Hj Saari (1954-05-13) 13 May 1954 (age 71) Mentakab, Pahang, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Occupation(s)	film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1993 - present

Career

Director

He began his career as a director for television dramas until 1996, when he made his film debut with the highly controversial Perempuan, Isteri dan..., which won him the Best Director award at the 11th Malaysia Film Festival.

In 2014, U-Wei produced a period film titled Hanyut as a co-production between countries Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. The film is based on a Joseph Conrad's novel titled Almayer's Folly, which tells about the life of the Malay community in the 19th century.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Perempuan, Isteri &...?	Director Screenplay Original Story	Best Director FFM 11 Play The Best Screen FFM 11 Best Original Story FFM 11
1994	Black Widow - Wajah Ayu	Director Screenplay
1999	Jogho	Producer Director Screenplay	Best Director FFM 14 Play The Best Screen FFM 14
2001	The Arsonist	Producer Director Screenplay	Best Movie (foreign language category) 17th Brussels International Free Festival, 1995 (Belgium) Special Jury Awards 1st South-East Asian Biennial Film Festival, 1997 (Phonm Pehn, Thailand)
2004	Buai Laju-laju	Director Original Story
2016	Hanyut	Executive Producer Director Screenplay	Play The Best Screen Anugerah Skrin 2017