In Malaysia, where LGBT identities face legal challenges, a trans man named Faris and his punk band defy norms and build camaraderie.
Choosing the name “Shh…Diam!”, meaning “shut up!” in Malay, this LGBT punk band persists in shouting out its truth in a country that denies queer rights. We’re invited into the lives of band members Faris, Yon and Yoyo, as their momentum as a group grows within the suffocating environment of Malaysia’s state-endorsed monopolies on religion, desire and identity. Their candid conversations explore themes of self-expression, bodily transformation, love, parental expectations, anxiety and political participation. Through hardships, the band perseveres with infectious energy, using rebellious punk music and gigs to vent, flirt and share laughs.
DIRECTOR: Yihwen Chen
MALAYSIA/INDONESIA, 2025
1 HOUR 28 MINUTES
MALAY + ENGLISH SUBTITLE
Preview courtesy of TAPE Collective
