Pecah Lobang is a documentary by 24 year old filmmaker Poh Si Teng about Muslim transgender sex workers. Pecah lobang means 'busted', and Malaysian transwomen because of Sharia law increasingly find themselves harassed by fundamentalist adherents to the faith and negative attitudes from Christians as well.
One of the reasons is that crossdressing became a crime under Sharia law with severe penalties to match, but that wasn't always the case.
Teng's award winning documentary not only focuses on Natasha's struggle to honestly live her life, but explores why Malaysian society has turned repressive on transwomen through interview with a religious scholar, a physician who conducted sex change surgeries, a sociologist, three attorneys and an outreach worker.
It's also another reminder for transgender people all over the world that no matter what part of the planet we inhabit, we still fight the same battle for acceptance.
