Petronas produces short film to celebrate Hari Raya, National Day

As a continuation of the ‘reimagining energy’ theme, this year’s TV commercial tells a broader Petronas story and the role it plays across the globe.

Mohammad Medan Abdullah, senior general manager of group corporate affairs at Petronas, noted that this year’s campaign marks a new chapter, moving away from the previous campaigns that celebrated stories from within the country, representing the voice of Malaysians.

The TV commercial, entitled 'A Letter Home', begins and ends with interviews of actual Petronas staff stationed away from home. It then follows the story of a young Petronas engineer named Erman, who is based in Central Asia. His struggle begins when he is unable to return home to spend Hari Raya with his family, but the true journey begins when his path crosses that of a local boy, Jeyhun.

The story was narrated through a letter Erman wrote to his parents, telling them of his experience in a foreign country and how it leads him to discover the true meaning of Hari Raya. The film production took place in Uzbekistan across Tashkent, Bukhara, Nukus, and Navoiy.

The final outcome was a 60-second TV commercial and two 30-second trailers that led viewers to the short film—Strangers—on YouTube. The clip, which was released on 6 August, has since garnered more than half a million views and more than 6,000 “likes”.

The two 30-second spots have different focuses on Hari Raya and National Day. The Hari Raya trailer follows the protagonists on a ride home. Driving through cotton fields, Erman notices his young friend looking bored and to cheer him up, plays the iconic “Selamat Hari Raya”, a charming twist on the familiar “balik kampung” [literally going back to hometown] ritual.

The Merdeka trailer, meanwhile, takes a different approach, seeing Malaysia through the eyes of someone who has never stepped foot there – the little boy Jeyhun. Relying on stories from Erman, Jeyhun pieces together parallel images as a means of trying to understand this strange and wonderful place Erman calls home.

Eric Cruz, executive creative director at Leo Burnett, said the story of Erman and Jeyhun parallels the collaboration of Petronas and the countries it operates in.

“While the two start out as strangers, every step brings them closer to realising their true potential," he said.  "To reimagining their energy by contributing to the world they live in, to discovering their inner strength and making a difference to those around them.” 

Quek Shio Chuan of Reservoir Production was tasked to bring the films to life.