Anwar: The Untold Story

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Anwar: The Untold Story
Anwar The Untold Story.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byViva Westi
Screenplay by
  • Zulkiflee Anwar Haque
  • Viva Vesti
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRahmat Syaiful
Music by Andi Rianto
Production
companies
  • Bianglala Entertainment
  • Yusrych Global
  • DMY Creation
Distributed by GSC Movies
Release date
  • May 18, 2023 (2023-05-18)(Malaysia)
Countries
  • Malaysia
  • Indonesia
LanguageMalay
BudgetRM10 million
Box officeRM3.5 million

Anwar: The Untold Story is a 2023 Malaysian-Indonesian biographical drama film directed by Viva Westi. The film revolves on Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim's exploitation as the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 and his struggle to fight corruption. It stars Farid Kamil as Anwar.

Contents

Plot

The film recounts Anwar Ibrahim's tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 1993 to 1998, his subsequent experiences of being falsely accused, dismissed, detained, and appearing in court. It concludes with his court appearance on September 29, 1998.

Cast

Production

Pre-production of the film began in 2011, and the script began to be written in 2021. It was co-produced by Indonesia's Bianglala Entertainment and Malaysia's Rakyat Media. Due to many restrictions in Malaysia, the main filming was completed in Indonesia, and the filming took about 2 years. According to producer Zunar's explanation when he was in Indonesia in 2022, it is usually very difficult to make historical films in Malaysia, and most of the content must be told from the government's perspective. There is also the worry that the film may face strict censorship before it is released in Malaysian theaters. [1] This is why the film chose to be filmed in Indonesia. In addition, due to Anwar Ibrahim's status as the leader of the opposition in Parliament, it took a long time to find an actor willing to play the role of Anwar. It was not until two months before filming that Farid Kamil was found to be willing to play the role of Anwar. He was the fifth actor who met the criteria. [2] [3]

Zulkiflee, also known as Zunar had the idea of producing a film about Anwar since 1998. Then, after watching Rayya, Cahaya di Atas Cahaya, written and directed by Indonesian filmmaker Viva Westi in 2012, he hoped to get her to direct the film, but he had no contact information so it didn't happen until he contacted Viva in August 2021. [4] Viva decided to contact Zunar after reading the report about Anwar Ibrahim published by the Indonesian media Times Weekly. [5]

The film script underwent extensive research and over seven revisions. The film included interviews with Anwar's relatives and his lawyers, as well as obtaining more information about his mistreatment in prison from government sources such as the National Archives of Malaysia and the Royal Commission of Inquiry, in order to refine the film as much as possible through Anwar's own personal experience. [1] The film's original Malay title, announced in November 2022, was Jalan Masih Panjang (The Road is Still Long). [6] The title was later changed to Anwar: The Untold Story on the official poster released in March 2023. [7]

Music

The film's soundtrack, "Menjaga Cintamu" (Taking Care of Your Love), was composed by Andi Rianto and lyrics by Sekar Ayu Asmara, and performed by Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza. [8] The recording was completed at the Cranky Music studio owned by Malaysian musician Aubrey Suwito. [9]

Release and reception

The film was launched at the W Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on March 1, 2023. It was later released on May 11 at over 100 cinemas including Dadi Cinema, GSC, TGV Cinemas and MBO Cinemas. [10] On May 8, the film premiered at Dadi Cinema in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. The film was released nationwide on May 18. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 "存档副本". Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  2. ↑ "Filem Anwar The Untold Story kongsi 70 peratus kisah benar Perdana Menteri ke-10". Majoriti.com.my (in Malay). 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23.
  3. ↑ "耗时2年4演员拒演"安华" 男主曾拒500万贿赂". 中國報 China Press. 2023-03-01. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24.
  4. ↑ "'Anwar, The Untold Story' to hit cinemas nationwide in May". www.thesundaily.my. 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23.
  5. ↑ Sathiabalan, Alyaa Alhadjri & Indra (2023-01-18). "Filmmakers behind 'Anwar, the Untold Story' share their experiences". Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23.
  6. ↑ "Filem 'Jalan Masih Panjang' Berkisar Tentang Kisah Anwar Ibrahim Bakal Ditayangkan 1 Malaysia". 2022-11-14. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23.
  7. ↑ "#Showbiz: Indonesian actor first choice to play Anwar". New Straits Times. 2023-03-07. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  8. ↑ Syahirah, Afifa (2023-04-04). "Siti Nurhaliza Teruja Dipilih Nyanyi Lagu 'Menjaga Cintamu' Untuk OST Filem Anwar: The Untold Story". www.buzzkini.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07.
  9. ↑ ISA, MOHD HAIKAL (2023-04-09). "Kagumi kesetiaan Wan Azizah, Siti nyanyi lagu filem Anwar". Kosmo Digital (in Malay). Archived from the original on 2023-04-25.
  10. ↑ "以1993至1998年事迹改编 电影《安华》 料5月上映". 星洲网 Sin Chew Daily Malaysia Latest News and Headlines (in Simplified Chinese). 2023-03-01. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23.
  11. ↑ "PM attends premiere of 'Anwar, The Untold Story' | Malay Mail". PM attends premiere of ‘Anwar, The Untold Story’. 2023-05-08.
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