FIGHTING valiantly despite the odds, never giving up and making sure no one is left behind.
Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa, which opened yesterday in cinemas, presents these values with gusto as a way to lift the spirits of viewers, and to honour the men and women in uniform who keep Malaysia safe.
Supported by the Malaysian Armed Forces, the epic military action-drama features realistic portrayals of various personnel from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
The special release, in conjunction with the upcoming Merdeka Day celebrations, follows the story of a Paskau (the RMAF's special operations force) team tasked with protecting humanitarians serving in the fictional war-torn country of Namburi.
After their plane gets shot down by militants, the survivors which include three civilians are trapped in dangerous territory.
Back in Malaysia, upon discovery of the news, the air force prepares to mount a daring rescue while the survivors have to fight for their lives to make it to the rendezvous point.
Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa features an ensemble cast made up of Aiman Hakim Ridza, Datuk Adi Putra, Nas-T, Sara Ali, Pablo Amirul, Johan As'ari, Luqman Hafidz, Anas Ridzuan, Iman Corinne, Jack Tan, Azira Syafinaz, Scha Alyahya, Carmen Soo and more.
The ambitious project involving over 500 extras and military personnel was a labour of love for directors Zulkarnain Azhar (of J Revolusi fame) and Frank See (who wrote the screenplay for Paskal The Movie).
"The initial idea was mooted to RMAF in 2018 and they worked very closely with us to refine the script. It took about 18 to 20 drafts before an actual shooting script was produced.
"We started filming in March 2020 and then the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order happened," says Zulkarnain during a press conference after a media screening in Kuala Lumpur.
Filming resumed from October to December 2020 over 76 days in Johor, Penang, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Shah Alam, Alor Star and Kota Belud.
The movie got pushed back from its initial release date in August 2021 as well.
"Although rain was also a big challenge during filming, the support from RMAF and access to its locations and assets were priceless," adds See.
Zulkarnain explains that most of the action scenes were shot live, including the dogfights involving the jet planes.
"We minimised the use of computer-generated images except for scenes that were too dangerous to film live.
"Interestingly, most of the flight scenes were shot live. Special pods were designed and custom built by Puspeka (RMAF's Aerospace Engineering Services Centre) and attached to the missile pylons of the Sukhoi jets in order to film as real as possible in the air.
RESPECT FOR UNIFORMED PERSONNEL
Adi, who plays the stranded team leader Major Adnan, says his biggest challenge was to don the military garb.
"Acting aside, this was a challenge and a great honour, a big responsibility to undertake. I respectfully salute the many service people out there," he says.
Fellow Paskau team member Nas-T who portrays Captain Adib says the actors had to use authentic gear in order to look the part.
"It was all real and heavy being in full gear and carrying the firearms, heaving all that even before makeup every day," he says.
The actors also gained a new found respect for uniformed personnel after undergoing a month of basic military training at an army camp in Banting, Selangor.
"It was quite bad initially but I was trained well and learnt a lot, from how to move to using the weapons and all that like a real military personnel. So I had no issues when we got to the filming locations," says Johan who plays Corporal Fakrul.
Scha, who is Captain Nur Liyana in the movie, says she is the total opposite of the uniform personnel she plays onscreen.
"But I feel proud to play the pilot of the latest Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft, that alone is amazing for myself, but it was also empowering. For me to undergo the training and the experience is something I will remember for the rest of my life," she says.
Soo who plays a senior RMAF engineer relates her experience of training for the role with the other actors playing pilots.
"I got to experience pulling Gs in a centrifuge loop where I passed the first level but failed the second one after passing out," she says of the machine that simulates forces of acceleration equivalent to many times the force of gravity that a pilot would feel in a jet aircraft.
"For me, all these things I went through during training were important to know since I play a senior engineer who works on jet planes.
"It was a privilege to meet the real pilots and engineers, talk to them and to represent them onscreen in an authentic way.
"There are not many female engineers and it would be great to inspire the young through movies like this," she says.
FIGHTING SPIRIT
Talking about the main characters, Zulkarnain explains that he adds flaws to them in order to make them human.
"The movie is not just about action and how macho the characters are. They are not robots. They have issues just like everyone else and everyone has shortcomings, so I put some of mine and certain experiences in all of them.
"For example, I have an autistic child so Major Adnan has one as well," he says.
Zulkarnain adds the fighting spirit encapsulated in the theme "selagi bernyawa" (while still breathing) of the military is also applicable to the masses, especially during these challenging times.
"I feel that we Malaysians are fighters. We fight every day for tomorrow and the future.
"So, I hope that this movie that is for everybody will also move and touch people, and give them hope and inspiration," he says.
Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa, produced by Multimedia Entertainment, Golden Screen Cinemas, Astro, FXHammer Films and SixFun Media and supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia, is being shown in 170 cinemas across Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.