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Award winning director dies
The iconic Yasmin Ahmad has passed away aged 51Â…
08:59 28 July 2009
Award winning film and advertising director Yasmin Ahmad has died aged 51.
The controversial Malaysian director passed away after suffering a brain haemorrhage when undergoing surgery. Ahmad had previously collapsed at her Indonesian home.
Ahmad was best known for the films she directed between 2003 and 2008, some of which caused outrage in her mostly Muslim homeland Malaysia for documenting parental abandonment, religion and inter-racial romances.
Her film 'Mukshin' sparked much criticism from Islamic leaders in 2007, who branded her work "immoral" for encouraging women to behave like men.
The film, however, was internationally honoured with two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2007.
Ahmad also won a string of prizes for 2004 romantic comedy 'Sepet', which told the tale of a teenage Malay girl who falls in love with a Chinese boy.
Other films of hers include 'Rabun' and 'Gubra'.