'Terbaik Dari Langit' cast's virtual screenplay fundraisers gather feelgood momentum

The cast of 'Terbaik Dari Langit' are helping to help raise funds for backstage crew members and veteran artists who have been badly affected by the pandemic. Photo: Handout

The virtual cast reunion of Nik Amir Mustapha’s gorgeously-shot Terbaik Dari Langit film might have been a spontaneous affair.

But the two-part script reading session via Facebook Live on July 25 and Aug 8, which brought together the original cast of the award-winning 2014 film, has so far raised RM11,011 (at press time) for its community donation drive, exceeding the initial RM10,000 target.

Bront Palarae, Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin, Amerul Affendi, Nadiya Nisaa, Megat Shahrizal, Sharifah Amani, Siti Saleha, Nik Amir, Tapai Faisal, Zharif Sallehuding, Alif Azeman and Anip Latip reunited once again over two Sundays for the aptly named Terbaik Dari Langit: A Screenplay Reading to help raise funds for backstage crew members and veteran artists who have been badly affected by the pandemic.

In these difficult times, these film and theatre stars coming out to participate in "low-key" events can make a big difference.

“The purpose is simple. Spread love and joy and touch enough people so that they’d spare some money for the unsung heroes, the people who make such joy happen through dramas and films,” shares the film’s producer Tapai Faisal.

“Last month, the Apa Khabar Anak Seni movement by Delegasi Anak Seni was shining light on some people within the creative industry who may not have enough money to buy necessities while some had to move out because they couldn't make rent.

“So we thought that we’d raise some funds to do our part, and spread some positivity while we are at it,” adds Tapai.

And how the fans have turned up for these virtual sessions. Nearly 380 viewers tuned in on July 25 and another 200 viewers on Aug 8, staying up till almost midnight to catch their favourite actors read out scenes from the film.

To keep things interesting, Part 1 of the reunion was a combination of script reading and a catch-up session with the cast while during Part 2, the cast read deleted scenes from the movie.

But the virtual bonus was when Pitahati's main man Ilham Nasir made an appearance and sang the film's tune Sahabat live during the Aug 8 session.

Tapai says a final virtual reading is being planned now and viewers can expect more deleted scenes and other surprises. He says the team aims to raise RM5,000 during this session.

This award-winning road movie about the quest to make an experimental sci-fi film was released on Christmas day in 2014 and even after seven years since the movie’s release, the cast (of film and theatre friends) showed how tight-knit they still are.

“What prompted this whole initiative was when Nadiya Nisaa suddenly shared in our Whatsapp group - yes, we still have the chat group after seven years - that she donated money to an initiative that helps crews from the creative industry and said that the donation came from Terbaik Dari Langit gang.

“And this sparked a conversation of asking how everyone was and how we missed each other, which led to how everyone was doing in the industry, where things are very uncertain for most people.

“So we decided to do something. What came naturally was something to do with online streaming. Iedil shared what the 'Community' cast did and everyone was on board.

“We wanted to have it impromptu, but due to the technical complexity of running such a performance, we had to plan a bit,” says Tapai.

If you’d like to contribute to the collection, you could either purchase Terbaik Dari Langit merchandise or make a direct donation.

More info here.