Netflix will stream “The Ghost and the Gun” (“Peluru Senja“), a Bahasa Malaysia-language war drama set in Malaya in the years after World War II, around the world.
The film is the third feature from Indian filmmaker Anshul Tiwari, who is based in Singapore and previously directed “Before Life After Death” and “Bayaar.” Abhi Kumar wrote the screenplay.
The story unfolds in 1948. When British forces pull out of Malaya, two soldiers are left behind – one Malay, one British. The pair have to come to terms with their pasts in the war while defending a village targeted by armed rebels.
“While movies have explored World War II from every Western angle, the human cost paid across Malaya and Singapore remains largely unseen,” Tiwari said. “I was drawn to this story because the volatility of the Malayan Emergency feels painfully urgent today: the timeless tragedy of ordinary people caught in the crossfire of empires fighting for power.”
Malaysian actor Fabian Loo, an award winner known for “Rain Town” and “One Cent Thief,” heads the ensemble. He is joined by Hazman Al-Idrus, Asmara Abigail (“Impetigore,” “Stone Turtle”) and American actor Brett Tutor (“Monsters of Man”).
“Siti carries the weight of a whole region’s history in a very quiet way, and playing her in the Pahang dialect pushed me somewhere new,” Abigail said of her character. “I’m proud that such a Southeast Asian story can now reach audiences everywhere.”
The producers planned the film as an international collaboration from day one. Shooting took place at Viking Sunset Studios in Bali, where 14 sets were built to stand in for 1940s Malaya. The cinematographer came from India, a Malaysian team in Kuala Lumpur handled all of the film’s sound and color work, and a British composer wrote the score. Cast and crew members hailed from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
“Bringing seven countries together on one production was never the easy route, but it was the right one,” said producer Debasmita Dasgupta of FilmsPositive. “Every department brought something of their own film culture to create a deeply rooted Southeast Asian story. What you see on screen is the result of seamless cross-border collaboration, proof that authentic regional stories have the power to command a global stage.”
Fellow producer Mikail Chowdhury of LDNO said films like this one rarely get made. “A Malay soldier in 1948 Malaya isn’t the story a traditional studio would back, but it’s one which audiences in this region have been waiting to see on screen and should be told,” Chowdhury said. “Independent film is where these stories survive and it is a privilege to have been part of it.”
Dasgupta and Chowdhury produce alongside Tim Willrich of Limbo Pictures and Bo H. Holmgreen, CEO of Viking Sunset Studios. Jessie White of Misfit Studios is executive producer with Mohsen Ashraf of Friendly Felix Studios, Tanveer Ali, Amreen Bashir of Amra Bangladeshi and Tahmid Khan of Auras.
White said Misfit enjoys supporting people who take creative chances on stories they believe in. “We’re proud to have helped make this film happen, and excited for audiences to discover it on Netflix,” White said.
After a nationwide cinema release in Malaysia and a smaller theatrical run in Indonesia, “The Ghost and the Gun” will launch on Netflix worldwide on Nov. 28.
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