Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the media-fuelled creative content practice within the IPG Mediabrands network, has released PETRONAS’ festive film that commemorates the upcoming Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations.
PETRONAS’ new film is anchored on their festive theme of the year, ‘Roots of Our Future’, which highlights and embeds the richness of heritage, customs, and culture into all the festive films of 2023.
The film, titled Rai, honours the many significant things that have progressed in Malaysia since independence. Rai means to celebrate, which is in line with the film celebrating love, legacy, and lagu (song) sudirman for Merdeka and Malaysia Day.
Set with the 70s and 80s as a backdrop, Rai is a love story at heart that will showcase the remarkable journey of PETRONAS through the decades. The interracial storyline follows Amir with his small-town innocence as he joins PETRONAS in the big city, his friendship with Maniam, and his infatuation with Ah Moi, amidst a fast-changing Malaysia.
The film features local actor Faizal Hussein, popular in the 80s, as the older Amir and was directed by Kabir Bhatia in collaboration with Mastermind Group as the production house.
The film also features the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad’s song titled Warisan, meaning legacy, heritage, or bequeath. The concert by the famous Malaysian singer will serve as another central narrative in the film.
Well-known in local history for uniting Malaysians of all races and religions, the icon organized a free mega concert at Chow Kit Street that was attended by over 100,000 fans across Malaysia and featured songs across all local and national languages.
Iskandar Putra, group business director at MBCS, said, “The 70s and 80s was a time of immense transformation in Malaysia. Cities were blossoming with the advent of capitalism, industrialisation and commercialisation, and PETRONAS was at the very heart of our nation’s evolution. We wanted to show the resilience of our people and the strides we’ve made, not just economically, but with our thinking and harmony.”
“Using Sudirman’s concert was significant in our storyline, as music unites, and love transcends all. The song we used was also a special nod to Malaysia and PETRONAS, as all that has come before us is a legacy for future generations. Everyone from an older generation would recognise that cassette tape, and we’ve come a long way from then to now, where our future possibilities are limited only by our imagination,” Iskandar added.
