Who could possibly forget the nostalgic moments of sitting in front of the television with the entire family, binge-watching television shows across all languages? Those moments of laughter and joy are definitely still fresh in our minds, all thanks to Astro, of course! With 25 years of entertaining us with our favourite movies and shows, Astro is back this year, with their National Day and 25 years of Serving Malaysians Campaign; an initiative to encourage all Malaysians to come together to stay strong with the introduction of the #KitaTeguhBersama tag line! It even coincides with the company’s 25th year of serving Malaysians.
As an ode to all Malaysians, this time, Astro has launched Astro 25 on Channel 100 which features the best of Malaysian and Asian entertainment, premieres, blockbuster hits and new documentaries from 16th August until 3rd October 2021, exclusively on Astro TV, On Demand and Astro GO. Catch new premiering titles on Channel 100 such as “Tanya Tumpahnya Darah Kita”, “We Are No Different” and “Journey To Stardom”.
Here is the synopsis of each of these latest titles:
Tanah Tumpahnya Darah Kita
This is a documentary that originally started off with the story of one man who detailed his sacrifice in the army through letters to his wife and young family and which grew to include stories of other veterans whose valour in defending our country transcended race, creed, language and culture. In retracing the steps and trials of these brave men we recruited a group of young Malaysian artists including Red Hong Yi who was all keen to be involved in the interpretation of the sacrifice of our brave soldiers.
In correlation to this documentary Red Hong Yi said, “Tanah Tumpahnya Darah Kita is significant for me because I realise how little I knew about the veterans before this. Through meeting the veterans, I learned how Malaysia was fought for by people of all kinds of backgrounds who love the country. I hope my artworks will tell the story of the veterans – they deserve much more recognition, honour and respect for the sacrifices they have made for the country.”
We Are No Different
This is the first-ever documentary about interracial adoption amongst Malaysian families whose stories are often overlooked by society but treated as the norm. We meet Hero, Sarah, Lavinya and Kamala to uncover their stories about acceptance and the bonds of love that go beyond blood ties.
Journey To Stardom
This chronicles the lives of much loved local celebrities in realising their dreams.
Besides these new releases, viewers can also watch an array of critically-acclaimed local movies such as “Ola Bola”, “The Journey”, “Paskal”, “Polis Evo” and “Hantu Kak Limah”!
To add on to this campaign, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro, Henry Tan said, “It’s a very special Merdeka and National Day for us this year and our theme, #KitaTeguhBersama means we’re stronger and better together. It is a reflection of the best of what we have seen in Malaysians and continues to be the common value we need for us to unite, recover and grow through these times. Astro is 25 years young this year and we will continue to provide the best mix of content including aggregating the best streaming services i.e. Astro GO, Disney+ Hotstar, HBO Go, iQIYI and soon Netflix. We will also raise the bar for local original content, and live signatures to further delight Malaysians.”
Adding on, he said, “As we look back on the 25 years of serving our customers that included the achievement of many first such as the first HD, 3D and 4K UHD broadcast, first cinema in your home, Astro First, the region’s first 24/7 local sports channel and much more, we are honoured to have played a part in the lives of so many. We championed education, put local sports and athletes on the global stage, raised the bar for local content, discovered and made stars and provided opportunities for Malaysians to shine and realise their dreams and potential. Our talent like Nabil, Aznil, Zizan, Remy, Hui Min, Denesh, Ean and Arnold, Chiu Keng Guan to name a few have gone beyond and achieved their dreams. As they say, dreams are made together and none of these could have been possible without our customers.”
Not only that, Director Chiu Keng Guan’s maiden film in China, “On Your Mark” would debut directly on Astro First (CH 480) on 26th August 2021. This movie features the emotional journey of a father accompanying his physically challenged son in a marathon. Moreover, this film has garnered a cumulative box office collection of close to RM100 million in China.
In the spirit of Astro’s campaign, they have also equally invested their resources in carrying out various other initiatives. This includes supporting the National Blood Bank’s blood donation drive, supporting the nation’s Covid-19 Immunisation drive with Public Service Announcements, volunteering at PPVs and providing TV’s and Astro Services at quarantine centres nationwide and uniting Malaysians in their support and pride for our athletes at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
In a nutshell, these initiatives by Astro would definitely put a smile on everyone’s faces throughout these trying times. Both spiritually, and emotionally, it could be seen that Astro is trying its best to keep the spirits of Malaysians nationwide high.
