The Best Films to Watch This Merdeka!

This year hasn’t been the best of years for most industries. With the pandemic happening in and around our lives, businesses around the world have been disrupted and the film industry has not been excused. In fact, apart from the tourism industry, the film industry has been one of the hardest hit!

The closure of movie theatres as a result of the MCO led to a backlog of unreleased films. Most notably, Fast 9 which now sees a 2021 release date.

With cinemas now only recently open and operating with SOPs, Malaysians aren’t exactly rushing to head back into movie theatres. So here are some films you can watch from the comfort of your home that is bound to ignite the spirit of Merdeka!

Sepet
Can you believe the late Yasmin Ahmad’s cult classic film is now 15 years old? This iconic Malaysian film has won local and international accolades including Best Asian Film at the 2005 Tokyo International Film Festival!

Check out this iconic short snippet from the film where Orked puts a bigot in his place!

The Journey
Another film that breaks racial barriers and stereotypes, The Journey centres around Bee who is set on marrying Benji, an Englishman. Her father though, Uncle Chuan, isn’t quite pleased with the arrangement but eventually agrees on the condition that Benji follows him on a nationwide journey, delivering wedding invitations to his childhood friends. The journey they went through built an unassailable bond that lasts a lifetime. They say if you really want to get to know one’s character, travel with them!

Adiwiraku
The trailer itself is already a tear jerker. Released in 2017, it revolves around the story of a rural school teacher in SMK Pinang Tunggal in Kedah and her journey shaping students to become powerful choral speakers and more. Throughout her time teaching there, she meets a host of different characters, widens her horizons and overcomes adversity. What’s more heartwarming is that Adiwiraku which translates to “My Hero” is based on a true story.

Ola Bola
From the director that brought you The Journey, Chiu Keng Guan’s 2016 film was based on the true inspiring story of the National Football Team at its most feared in the 70s when Harimau Malaya was at the peak to qualify for the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Just like the love of food, Malaysians will come together for the love of football!

Photo by Ihsan Aditya from Pexels