There were also more silvers -- 36 -- over last year's 31, while the bronze haul was nearly halved, from 104 to 57. 4A's president Khoo Boo Boon pointed to rising advertising spend by companies in Malaysia as a factor behind the improvement in creative standards.
The night belonged to J. Walter Thompson. Its Cannes Grand Prix winner, 'Missile Car', an outdoor execution created as part of TV channel CH-9's corporate campaign, picked up the best of the best.
The WPP agency also won golds for its CH-9 work -- innovative media, 'open to all', Best Film i(Corporate/ Self-promotion) and Best Multimedia Campaign.
The night's other star was Leo Burnett, with three golds for its work on Malaysia Airlines (Best Illustration in Print), and Kinmokuniya (Best Poster and Best Graphic Design).
McCann scooped two golds, while Lowe, Naga DDB and Saatchi & Saatchi went home with one gold each.
For the first time, this year's jury -- led by Grey ECD Tay Guan Hin -- featured five international judges along with five local judges, who judged 1,800 entries in 65 categories.
JWT Cannes win delivers golds at KL's Kancils fest
Rising advertising spend in Malaysia is giving creativity a boost, with this year's Kancil Awards handing out12 golds, double the number of last year.