SAYANG (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

SAYANG follows Nancy, a mother who opens a sign language school after returning home, and the children whose lives intersect through questions of identity, faith and freedom. Set across a broad coastline, Tang Shiang-chu’s multilingual drama-romance brings together three families and a story centered on resilience, care and love.

SAYANG is a 2026 drama-romance written and directed by Tang Shiang-chu. The film centers on Nancy, an Indian-descended mother who returns to her hometown and establishes a sign language school while caring for her son, Ajay.

Around Nancy and Ajay, the film brings together Mina, a Malay girl who wants to become a Muay Thai boxer, and Sansan, a Chinese girl with a strong connection to the ocean. Their families and experiences form an interconnected story about faith, identity and freedom.

SAYANG movie details

Story without spoilers

Nancy returns to her hometown and opens a school focused on sign language. At home, she cares for Ajay, who has both a hearing impairment and a neurological condition. Her work introduces her to students whose lives carry their own ambitions and emotional ties to the world around them.

Mina is determined to pursue Muay Thai despite cultural expectations, while Sansan is closely drawn to the ocean. As the lives of these children and their families intersect along the coastline, SAYANG explores how different forms of vulnerability, belonging and independence can connect people without erasing their differences.

What to expect

SAYANG is presented as a character-led drama-romance with a family and community focus. Its premise brings together disability, education, cultural expectations, personal ambition and attachment to place. The film’s multilingual setting and three-family structure suggest a story built around contrasting perspectives rather than a single central experience.

The coastline is an important setting in the supplied synopsis, linking the stories of Nancy, Ajay, Mina and Sansan. Viewers can expect an emotionally serious film concerned with resilience, care, identity and the search for personal freedom. The story remains grounded in relationships and everyday choices rather than a high-concept premise.

Cast and creative team

Tang Shiang-chu writes and directs SAYANG. The cast includes Jo Kukathas, Tang Yung-hsu as San San, Mhia Farhana, Lee Lee-zen, Ong Ai Leng, Khir Rahman, Farah Ahmad, Amir Ahnaf, Jonathan Lee and Tan Li Yang.

• Jo Kukathas
• Tang Yung-hsu as San San
• Mhia Farhana
• Lee Lee-zen
• Ong Ai Leng
• Khir Rahman
• Farah Ahmad
• Amir Ahnaf
• Jonathan Lee
• Tan Li Yang

Release and production context

SAYANG is listed as a 2026 film with a release date of October 16, 2026. It is a Taiwan-Malaysia production, with spoken languages including Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. The production companies are More Entertainment, IS Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), TAICCA, Taipei Film Commission, Astro Shaw, Infinitus Production, Applause Entertainment and HM Entertainment. No runtime is supplied.

Production companies: More Entertainment, IS Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), TAICCA, Taipei Film Commission, Astro Shaw, Infinitus Production, Applause Entertainment, HM Entertainment

SAYANG official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its linked family stories and focus on sign language education, cultural expectations and personal freedom, SAYANG establishes a broad emotional scope within a drama-romance framework. Its multilingual Taiwan-Malaysia production context further reflects the film’s attention to distinct identities and connected lives.

Film data:
TMDB