MY's Komet and SG's mm2 Asia join hands to amplify SEA films

Malaysian production house, Komet, and Singaporean media and entertainment company, mm2 Asia, have announced a strategic joint venture to create original Southeast Asian content under a new production label, Komet Studios.

Komet Studios will focus on the investment, production, and distribution of creative content, leveraging mm2 Asia’s expertise in film production, according to a statement. This will extend mm2 Asia’s film slate in non-Chinese language content as it features new and progressive content creators and filmmakers across Southeast Asia (SEA).

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The collaboration was announced by Ahmad Izham Omar, chief explorer at Komet, who will lead the new venture. Omar was chief executive officer of Primeworks Studios, a subsidiary of Malaysian media giant Media Prima, for over ten years. In this time, he spearheaded commercial hits such as the Ejen Ali franchise, which spawned a top-grossing Malaysian movie of the same name as well as a television series syndicated in over 50 territories globally.

Omar was also credited as the executive producer and screenwriter for the award-winning Netflix original film, Pulang. More recently, as the executive director of content and creative at Disney+, he was responsible for overseeing the slate of originals at Indian streaming service, Disney+ Hotstar, for Southeast Asia.

“Southeast Asia is emerging as a hotbed of exceptional content creators, producing high calibre works that captivate audiences,” said Omar.

He expressed confidence that Southeast Asia is poised to become the next frontier of compelling content for global consumption.

“Our partnership with the esteemed team at mm2, a company I have long admired, supercharges this vision and propels us forward with an unwavering commitment to our shared goals,” he added.

“We are proud to be partnering with Komet and Omar to expand our core business offerings to non-Chinese content for the Southeast Asian market,” said Melvin Ang, executive chairman for mm2 Asia.

He cited how recent years have seen films in Malaysia and Indonesia break pre-pandemic box office records, which indicates a significant growth in the popularity of the medium.

“The plan is to start with these territories and quickly expand to other non-Chinese language markets in the region,” he added.

In response to queries by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, mm2 Asia stated that new appointments and upcoming projects under the venture will be announced soon.

This collaboration comes as Southeast Asian talent in the film industry is increasingly being spotlighted on the international stage. Most recently, Amazon Prime Video released its first Malaysian Amazon Original, Budak Flat, in a tribute to its Malaysian director, Eugene Lim’s childhood.

This was the first full length feature film debut for Lim, centering on the brotherhood of gang life at the public housing areas in Kuala Lumpur. It follows the story of two brothers, Aman and Riz, who find themselves pitted against each other.

Earlier in October 2023, Amazon Prime Video also reportedly released its first series from Malaysia, titled That Cover Girl. The drama series followed the story of a young Muslim entrepreneur, Sofi Safwan, whose fashion business is beset with scandalous problems and a hostile work environment. It starred industry names such as Alicia Amin, Aiman Hakim, Hisyam Hamid, and Siti Saleha.

These projects come in the wake of Amazon Prime Video’s increased investment in its local Malaysian content slate in May 2023, as it seeks to elevate the localised user experience for customers in Malaysia.

This is not the only streaming platform to extend its creative efforts in the region. Netflix also recently released a short film set in Kuala Lumpur’s historical Pudu Prison, titled PuduExtraction. Featuring Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargave, Aaron Aziz, Iedil Dzuhrie and Fify Azmi, the action-packed short film references a scene in Netflix’s action blockbuster Extraction 2. The project aimed to give Malaysian views the thrill of a localised extraction mission.

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