Anna and the King is a 1999 motion picture loosely based on Anna and the King of Siam, the story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th century. The film is a remake of Anna and the King of Siam, but differs in many respects from that picture and also from the related musical, The King and I. The film was directed by Andy Tennant and stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat. It was mostly shot in Malaysia, particularly in the Penang and Ipoh region. It was an Academy Award nominee in 2000 for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.