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A video showcasing Malaysians from different backgrounds dancing across the country has caught attention online, as AI-generated videos of Malaysia continue to trend on social media
Directed by Sarawakian filmmaker Danish Busmah of 21 Ways Film, the video features people, cultures, and landscapes from across the country.
It is part of Ritma Malaysia, a project commissioned by TVS and the Sarawak Government for the Hari Malaysia celebration on 16 September.
While the video has since caught attention amid the viral AI trend, it was actually created independently of it.
"It actually started as a commissioned project rather than a trend," Danish told SAYS
Danish and his team created their own music and choreography specifically for the video, rather than using existing footage or an off-the-shelf concept.
The result is a series of scenes featuring people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds dancing in locations across Malaysia, celebrating the things that bring Malaysians together.
And they really did travel across the country to film it.
The team visited nine locations: Kuching, Kota Belud, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Banting, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu, Bachok, and George Town
In total, the production took 13 days, with the team moving from one location to another to capture the footage.
"Every location meant a new crew call, new faces, new weather, and even risks of navigating with haze to make sure we get nice lighting and a clear day," Danish said.
Rather than pointing to one particular scene as the most memorable part of the production, Danish said the entire journey stood out.
"Somehow it all held together and we were so grateful for it," he said.
For Danish, filming everything for real also gave the project something that could not be recreated digitally: the experience of actually being there
"Doing it for real for us as filmmakers meant we felt it all. You can't generate the feeling of actually being in those places with those people," he said.
While the video may have landed at a time when AI-generated recreations of Malaysia were trending online, Danish hopes viewers will look beyond the comparison and appreciate what local filmmakers and talent can create themselves.
"Malaysia has so much more to show," he said
"The talent is here and the filmmakers are here, they just need to be given the chance, and hopefully more people can appreciate the difference of a human touch compared to AI."
