33 classic Malay films recognised by Unesco to be made available to Malaysians

One of the classic Malay films to catch is 'Mat Bond', a 1967 film starring Mat Sentul. Photo: Cathay-Keris Films

Classic Malay films from the late 1950s to early 1970s will be made available on Astro Citra and Astro Prima linear channels, including On Demand, Astro GO and OTT platforms, from September 2021.

The 33 films are from the Cathay-Keris Studio archives, which produced many iconic Malay-language features from 1953 to 1973.

Titles include Pontianak Gua Musang, Sumpah Pontianak, Jula Juli Bintang Tiga, Tunang Pak Dukun, Dang Anom and Chuchu Datuk Merah.

In 2014, these films were recognised by the United Nation’s cultural body as an important part of Malay heritage.

Thus, they were officially listed with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) Memory Of The World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.

The 33 movies to be shown on Astro is a third of the 91 surviving titles representing a portion of Malay movies made in Singapore.

Astro acquired these films through partnership with I.E. Entertainment, which has the exclusive licensing rights to the Cathay-Keris Films library.

In a press statement, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, vice president, Malay Nusantara Business and Head of Astro Shaw, said: “We believe the 33 movies will definitely bring the audience back to the time the movies were popular and at the same introduce the new generation to classic Malay films.”