Nine-year-old Primary 4 pupil Ong Xuan Jing has clinched the Best Actress title at the Malaysia Golden Global Awards, presented during the closing ceremony of the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) on July 25. This is the Primary 4 pupil’s second international accolade in 2026 for her performance in local coming-of-age drama Ah Girl (2026), in which she makes her acting debut in the titular role.
Historic Joint Win at the 9th Malaysia International Film Festival
Xuan Jing, who was just seven during production, also shared the MIFFest Best Actress award with 21-year-old Swiss actress Lila Gueneau, who starred in the historical French drama Silent Rebellion (2025). The annual awards took place at Megastar Arena in Sungei Wang Plaza, Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur last night. The other nominees in their category included Taiwan’s singer-actress 9m88, Sudanese model-actress Buliana Simon and Czech actress Katerina Falbrova. The two-hour MGGA 2026 was hosted by Dr Shaun Stephen, Chrystina Ng and Leong Pei Xian or Ding. It also saw local celebrities Angelica Lee Sinje, Daiyan Trisha, Sharifah Amani, Jack Tan and Steve Yap, Hong Kong veteran actress Maggie Cheung Ho Yee, Thai superstar Ananda Everingham and MGGA founder Joanne Goh serve as award presenters. The guest artistes who entertained audiences at interludes were Kayda Aziz and Geraldine Gan.
Speaking after the award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Xuan Jing expressed surprise at the historic joint win with Gueneau, describing the moment to Zaobao as feeling “like a dream”. She credited her co-stars – Mediacorp artistes Carrie Wong and James Seah, who play her parents in Ah Girl – for their patience and guidance on set.
They shared their acting experience, which helped me get into character,
Xuan Jing said, adding that she maintains discipline to balance her schoolwork and acting career.
International Recognition and Festival Circuit Success
At the 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) in April, she took home the Firebird Award for Best Actress in the Chinese-language Young Cinema Competition, beating other contenders including Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress winner Hao Lei and Taiwanese star Ariel Lin, according to local Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao. She is the youngest Best Actress recipient in HKIFF history.
Ah Girl also emerged as a standout favourite at MIFFest – held from July 18 to 25 – becoming the most-nominated Chinese-language feature across major categories including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Meanwhile, other winners at the awards included Lucky Lu, a moving story about a Taiwanese immigrant in the United States directed by Lloyd Lee Choi which won Best Film. Morad Mostafa of Egypt won Best Director for Aisha Can’t Fly Away, Luis Emilio Guzman won the Best Screenplay award for Chilean historical drama The Red Hangar, and Diego Pequeno won Best Cinematography for The Red Hangar. Sri Lankan actor Mahendra Perera won the Best Actor award for police drama Riverstone, which also won Best Supporting Actor courtesy of his co-star Priyantha Sirikumara. The Best Supporting Actress award went to Audrey Lin for the Taiwanese coming of age film Girl, directed by popular actress Shu Qi and based on her life story. Sirat, a Spanish-French road trip film directed by Oliver Laxe won the Audience Choice Award, South Korean legendary filmmaker Lee Chang Dong won the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Chinese screen legend Jacky Wu Jing won the Award for Excellence Achievement in Film.
Nostalgic Roots and Coming Theatrical Releases
The story centres on seven-year-old Swee Swee, affectionately known as Ah Girl, and her five-year-old sister Ah Tian (Sydney Wong) as they navigate the turmoil of their parents’ painful divorce and separation. Shuttle-cocked between two strained homes, Ah Girl is forced to grow up far too quickly while observing the confusing, broken adult world around her.
Ah Girl is slated to be released in Singapore in 2027.
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