Ever since Sean Baker‘s historic night at the Academy Awards in 2025 — when he won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Picture for “Anora” — cinephiles have been waiting to see what he would direct next. Now we have our answer, as Baker now takes a new short film to Berlin.
Written and directed by Baker and produced by the London fashion house Self-Portrait, “Sandiwara” stars Michelle Yeoh in a slice of life in the Malaysian city of Penang. Notably, Penang is also the original home of Self-Portrait founder Han Chong.
An official synopsis described the project as “a bold, immersive celebration of womanhood, cultural identity, culinary heritage and the spirit of independent cinema.” Press materials also noted that “named after the Malay word meaning “drama, theatrical performance or play,” the title captures the essence and spirit of the film which is an exploration of Malaysian culture through the lens of food, music and womanhood.”
While Baker has yet to announce his first post-“Anora” feature film, he has stayed quite busy in the year since his Oscars sweep. In addition to working on “Sandiwara,” he co-wrote and edited Taiwan’s official Oscar submission “Left-Handed Girl,” which was directed by his longtime collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou.
Baker has also made it clear that when he is ready to make another feature, it will be on a scale similar to his previous works. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2025, the director explained that he is not interested in giving up his independence to make a larger movie.
“It’s not going to happen,” he said when asked about the prospect of making a franchise blockbuster. “I’m intentionally going to stay in the same wheelhouse and with the approximate same budget. I think that I enjoy working in this space of 100 percent independent.”
Yeoh, who recently concluded a two-film arc playing Madame Morrible in “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good,” will next be seen in Amazon’s “Blade Runner 2099” limited series.
“Sandiwara” will have its world premiere as a special screening at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival. Watch the trailer below.
