Leading content and consumer company in Southeast Asia, Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) continues to broaden its network of alliances to add to its portfolio of Asian-themed content. During the year, the company entered into several strategic content creation partnerships with renowned producers and filmmakers across several countries to produce and distribute original, premium miniseries, namely DO[S]A in Indonesia, 3 A.M. Bangkok Ghost Stories in Thailand & Door in the Philippines for the ASEAN markets.
Datuk Khairul Salleh Anwar, Vice President of Malay Business, Astro said, “As a leading content creator, Astro is constantly pushing the boundaries to satisfy a growing demand from audiences across the region for compelling story telling at high production values differentiated from content currently available. These strategic partnerships enable us to effectively leverage on diverse talent, cost and distribution territories allowing us to monetise and extract value from developing new IPs that resonate with regional audiences.”
Astro is pleased to announce the latest of such strategic partnerships, DO[S]A, a collaboration with renowned Indonesian director, Ifa Isfansyah and acclaimed screenwriter, Salman Aristo. The director behind Laskar Pelangi, Garuda Di Dadaku and Sang Penari, Ifa is a multiple award winner. Salman needs no introduction with a string of successful hits including Laskar Pelangi, Ayat Ayat Cinta, Sang Pemimpi and his latest, Athirah won him Best Screenplay at the 2016 Indonesian Film Festival.
Khairul continued, “We are confident that DO[S]A, our Astro original series, will cross over to audiences beyond Malaysia as there has been much interest from both the broadcast and OTT worlds around the region.
DO[S]A is a Malaysia-Indonesia collaboration featuring a star-studded cast of Datuk M Nasir, Roy Marten, Ashraf Sinclair, Reuben Elishama, Remy Ishak and Hisham Hamid whose chemistry on-screen combined with the action sequences more often seen in movies will have audiences at the edge of their seats. Astro original series is the new marquee content of ground breaking stories and regional talent both behind and in front of the camera at production values more associated with film.”
DO[S]A will debut on 14 February first in Malaysia and Brunei on:
- Astro Channel 480
- Astro ‘on demand’
- Astro GO
- NJOI NOW
Khairul further added that next in the pipeline of Astro Original Series is ‘Sembilan’ which is also scheduled to be released in 2018. ‘Sembilan’, is an original horror-thriller mini-series and another Malaysia-Indonesia collaboration with an ‘A-List’ cast.
Astro’s other regional content partnerships include: -
- Polis Evo 2, a collaboration with Indonesia’s Screenplay Films which follows an anti-narcotics squad and is due for cinema release this year in Indonesia and Malaysia featuring Zizan, Shaheizy Sam and Raelene Shah and the sequel to the hugely successful Polis Evo in 2016.
- ‘3 A.M. Bangkok Ghost Stories’, a co-production with the renowned Thailand’s Five Star Production released in 2017.
- ‘Door’ with Manila's Epicmedia Productions in 2018.
- Adaptation and remake of ‘The Journey’ by China's mm2 Entertainment and India's Wee Folk Entertainment.
- Collaboration with CJ E&M of South Korea to distribute Korean content to multiple territories and co-produce content with regional appeal.
DETAILS ON “DO[S]A”
- Ifa Isfansyah ‘director of Laskar Pelangi (2008)’, ‘Garuda Di Dadaku (2009)’ and ‘Pendekar Tongkat Emas (2014)’. He has also won numerous awards for his work, such as ‘Best Director’ at the Indonesian Film Festival 2011.
- Salman Aristo, Executive Producer and script writer for DO[S]A, best known for his work on ‘Ayat-Ayat Cinta (2008)’ and ‘Sang Penari’ (2011). He recently bagged the ‘Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay’ at the Citra Award 2016 for the film, ‘Mother (emma)’.
- Cecep Arif Rahman, the Choreographer Master and a respected Pencak Silat master in Indonesia whose talents feature in ‘The Raid – Berandal’ and has toured Europe to teach Silat. He also made a cameo along with Iko Uwais of The Raid in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
- DO[S]A was shot mainly in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur over a total of 58 days.
SYNOPSIS
The story tells of three older brothers, Fuad (Ashraf Sinclair), Farid (Remy Ishak) and Fahad (Hisham Hamid) raised through religion and martial arts, try to protect their headstrong sister, Fara (Shenty Feliziana) who has fallen for a man, Arian (Reuben Elishama) escaping the same underground organisation ‘Gerbang Utara’ that their father, Latif (Dato’ M. Nasir) had previously abandoned.
Upon arriving in Jakarta, the group find their lives turned upside down as their paths collide with their father’s sworn enemy – Marco (Roy Marten). The ‘newly-ascended-to-power’ Marco puts a bounty on their heads, while holding Fara as a hostage in the process. Action, drama and history unfolds as they attempt to destroy ‘Gerbang Utara’ and bring Fara to safety.
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