Ng Ken Kin, 45, has been in the local TV and film industry for almost two decades as a director, sound mixer, writer, and editor.

Best known for his work on 3 Doors of Horrors (2013), Hajat (2015), 5 Jingga (2008), and 28 Hours Later (2005), Ng knew Pendatang was a film he wanted to make the moment he read its script.

The dystopian thriller, set in Malaysia, imagines a scenario where the different races are forcefully segregated by law.

The story will focus on...