Director Yasmin Ahmad, who provoked controversy with films that dealt with subjects like interracial relations and teenage angst in this conservative mostly Muslim country, has died aged 51.

NONE Yasmin won numerous awards for her work which tackled taboo issues in multicultural Malaysia.

She died of a brain haemorrhage on Saturday night after collapsing with a stroke on Thursday.

"We would come across a few great people in our time on Earth.

"Yasmin was one of them," veteran actress Fatimah Abu Bakar told the Star daily.

Movies that made headlines

Yasmin made headlines with her 2004 film "Sepet", about a relationship between an ethnic Chinese boy and a Malay girl.

Race issues are extremely sensitive in Malaysia and the film was nearly banned by the censors, but was finally approved with eight cuts.

sepet poster "Sepet" won numerous awards including the Grand Prix Award at the Creteil International Women's Film Festival.

Her recent movie "Muallaf", on the highly sensitive issue of religious conversion, was approved after a second appeal to the censors with three audio mutings.

It was set for public release last month but was pulled because of a Hollywoood blockbuster opening on the same day.

Yasmin's first movie, "Rabun" in 2003 followed by "Sepet" (2004), "Gubra" (2006), "Mukhsin" (2006), "Muallaf" (2008) and "Talentime" (2009).

She was buried today in accordance with Islamic rites.