Media Prima and Astro co-produce MMA film Sangkar

For the first time, Malaysian media giants Media Prima and Astro – through their respective film production studios Primeworks Studio and Astro Shaw – together with Infinitus Gold and mm2 Entertainment, are collaborating to co-produce Malaysia’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) film, Sangkar.

Set to premiere in Malaysian cinemas starting August 2019, this collaboration is anticipated to boost the local film industry by bringing together the vision and creativity of the four leading partners.

Directed by multiple award-winner Kabir Bhatia, Sangkar was shot in 2018 with Kabir spearheading its high-quality screenplay.

As Kabir’s first action movie, he is eager to raise the standards of the local film industry and inspire other filmmakers to continue to venture into unchartered territory.

Kabir is also known for his previous projects with Astro Shaw and Primeworks Studios, including ‘Bisik Pada Langit’ and ‘Pulang’ respectively.

Sangkar features a popular cast line-up including Zul Ariffin, Remy Ishak, Mira Filzah, Fadlan Hazim, Ray, Aman Graseka, Carliff Carleel, Andy Teh and James “Sledgehammer” McSweeney, an actual professional MMA athlete.

The synopsis of Sangkar is as follows: Adam and Johan get into a fight outside the ring, which seriously injures Johan. Filled with guilt, Adam attempts to redeem himself by resorting to underground fights to collect rewards which he chooses to share with Johan’s family.

Johan faces his own struggles and continues to fight for his life, for the sake of his family. One day, Adam decides to take on a well-known English MMA athlete for a large reward.

Will Adam and Johan manage to conquer their circumstances and demons of their past to succeed in their challenges?

Malaysians can catch the Sangkar teaser here, also shown at the Anugerah Drama Festival Kuala Lumpur 2019 (DFKL) TV3 and Anugerah MeleTOP ERA 2019, Astro Ria.

Datuk Kamal Khalid, Director of Operations, Media Prima, said, “Besides showcasing the best Malaysian talents such as Remy Ishak, Zul Ariffin, Mira Filzah, as well as MMA star James “Slegehammer” McSweeny, SANGKAR sees the collaboration between four of the biggest production companies in the country.

This collaboration has successfully made an epic film which we are confident will continue the success achieved by Malaysian films in the local and overseas market in 2018.”

Henry Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Astro, said, “Astro is committed to work with like-minded partners to advocate high quality, compelling Malaysian movies with good directors and supported by a strong cast of artistes that can appeal to audiences in Malaysia and the region.”

TP Lim, Managing Director, Infinitus Gold, said that these partnerships provide opportunities for new productions to have a solid standing in the local film industry.

“Previously, we collaborated with both companies through ‘Hantu Kak Limah’ (Astro Shaw) and ‘JRevolusi’ (Primeworks Studios).

Our partnerships continue again through SANGKAR. We are proud to be part of this collaboration with two leading media organisations in Malaysia, as well as mm2, a prolific producer of local and international films.

We hope that through these partnerships, we can harness our combined experience and abilities to produce this film strategically, and create a positive impact on our film industry.”

Chang Long Jong, Chief Executive Officer, mm2 Asia Ltd, said, “Sangkar marks one of our biggest film collaborations in Malaysia for 2019. mm2 is proud to be a partner and is confident that this powerful story about redemption will resonate with audiences in Malaysia and abroad.”