05/02/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | FEB 5, 2026

25 Local silent film sees global success

The film was made without external funding and shot almost entirely using personal equipment, including two smartphones. Production relied mainly on an iPhone 12 Pro and an iPhone 14 Pro Max, with editing completed using home tools. The project was created by a two-person team, with Franz handling writing, directing and producing duties, while Suran Hassan served as director of photography. There was no extended crew involved during any stage of production. Despite its minimal resources, the film has received official selections at multiple festivals, including Toronto Global Film Festival in Canada. It was also selected for screening at the Southeast Asia International Film Festival in Pattaya, Thailand, where it went on to win Best Dramatic Short Film and Outstanding Performancein a Short Film for actor Max Gauduchon. In India, the film won Best Debut Filmmaker for Justin at the Golden Lion International Film Festival in Kolkata, an IMDb-accredited festival. Earlier in its run, Life – Living In Fear Everyday was also selected for the Lift-Off Sessions Global Network in the UK, an online showcase affiliated with Pinewood Studios that focuses on first-time and independent filmmakers. The film is silent and structured around a social theme that the filmmakers have chosen not to fully disclose, citing narrative reasons tied to its ending. The story from High Council and a striking early glimpse of the rebooted Keluang Man , signaling a bold reimagining of one of Malaysia’s most beloved cultural icons for a new generation. This First Look is not tied to any single film or series. Instead, it serves as a universe-level introduction, offering audiences a curated preview of how individual stories will continue to thrive independently while simultaneously contributing to a larger, evolving mythology. It reflects Astro Shaw’s ambition to build a cinematic platform capable of travelling beyond borders, taking Malaysian storytelling confidently onto the regional and global stage.

A Malaysian silent short film produced on a budget of less than RM1,000 has begun screening and winning awards at international film festivals, marking a rare global run for an independently made local project. Life – Living In Fear Everyday , a 40-minute-plus silent film by Ipoh-born filmmaker Justin Frances Gnanapragasam, also known as Justin Franz, has been selected and awarded across festivals in the UK, US, Canada, India and Thailand. o Low-budget short reaches international festivals in UK, US, Canada, India, Thailand

Its 40-plus-minute runtime places the film in a grey area between short and feature categories on the festival circuit.

The project marks Justin’s first feature-length work to screen at multiple international festivals.

radio and sports. Music for the film was composed by Silent Revolt, a band co-founded by Justin and Suran, with the entire soundtrack created specifically for the project. The short is continuing its festival circuit, with submissions to several international festivals, including Academy Awards-linked events, still under consideration. to explore interconnected narratives, allows actors to develop character arcs across multiple titles, empowers writers and showrunners to build expansive story worlds and creates new opportunities for brands and strategic partners to align with culturally resonant, large-scale storytelling. Astro Shaw Cinematic Universe: The Beginning is now streaming across all Astro Shaw social media platforms. Audiences can look forward to ongoing updates, future character reveals and the next phase of a cinematic journey designed to position Malaysian stories firmly on the regional and global map.

centres on marginalised voices and is designed to be understood without dialogue, allowing it to travel across language barriers. Its cast is made up of first-time and non-professional actors, including local Malaysian talents and a French expatriate based in Malaysia. Several performers come from non-acting backgrounds, including broadcast It is conceptualised by Astro Shaw creative director Alfie Palermo and directed by digital VFX visionary Sofyank alongside Mshaffuan, with cinematography by Nicholas Chin, winner of Best Cinematography at FFM34. Together, their collaboration delivers a piece of work that reflects international-scale ambition, cinematic craft and visual sophistication, setting a new quality benchmark for Malaysian-made content. Through ASCU , Astro Shaw is establishing a multi-year, multi-platform creative ecosystem that enables filmmakers and directors

The film’s pacing is structured around musical cues rather than dialogue beats, with scenes timed to shifts in the score.

Bold First Look signals new era for Malaysian storytelling A long-term, interconnected

More than a conventional trailer, the First Look – Astro Shaw Cinematic Universe: The Beginning is a statement of intent. Released across Astro Shaw’s digital platforms, it marks a shift in the platform’s content approach – moving from standalone titles to a shared universe where characters, worlds and narratives intersect, evolve and expand over time. The nearly four-minute Astro Shaw Cinematic Universe: The Beginning introduces the earliest connective threads between some of Astro Shaw’s most iconic characters, including Inspektor Sani and Inspektor Khai from Polis Evo , Kahar

cinematic designed to elevate local stories onto a regional and global stage, the Astro Shaw Cinematic Universe (ASCU) has been unveiled by Astro Shaw. Built on characters already embedded in Malaysian popular culture, ASCU represents an evolution in how these stories are told. Drawing inspiration from global cinematic universes while remaining firmly rooted in familiar worlds and characters, ASCU is designed to grow organically over time, allowing individual stories to stand on their own while contributing to a larger shared mythology.

Amir Ahnaf as Kahar from Projek: High Council .

Zizan Razak as Inspektor Sani from Polis Evo .

Shaheizy Sam as Inspektor Khai from Polis Evo .