Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In collaboration with Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the media-fuelled creative content practice within the IPG Mediabrands network, Malaysian oil and gas company PETRONAS has unveiled its new festive short film for Raya.
Titled ‘Dilema Irama (The Rhythm Dilemma)’, the film sees friction ensue between a man, Gambus, a traditional Malay musician, and his son Nadim, a musician of modern-day genres.
When Nadim reluctantly agrees to play the gambus (a lute-type traditional Malay instrument) for his father’s traditional music group, their artistic differences lead to deeply hurt feelings and a conflict of generations.
“In planning for this film, we took a deep look into our local culture to explore different heritage elements that need to be preserved. The traditional arts are slowly diminishing, as interest wanes with each generation, with most moving on to modern instruments and art execution for mass appeal,” said Ahmad Nazril Ibrahim, executive creative director at MBCS.
Ibrahim also mentioned that the film was an opportunity for them to showcase the gambus, a special instrument that is native to the state of Johor, as a juxtaposition of traditional versus modern music
“The sentiment has been very encouraging, with viewers requesting the songs for their Raya playlists. We hope this brings renewed interest in traditional music as we find new spaces to appreciate and preserve our culture, not just over Raya,” he added.
The film anchors on PETRONAS’ 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.
Alongside the film, three songs featured within have been released separately, with the soundtrack playlist for Dilema Irama available on various audio channels. ‘Dilema Irama’ can also be viewed on PETRONAS’ official social media channels.