Ensemble Worldwide Malaysia and PETRONAS reignite the fading tradition of handmade history in a CNY spot
Ensemble Worldwide Malaysia has collaborated with PETRONAS on a Chinese New Year film to commemorate the upcoming festive season.
The film titled ‘Bao Bei’, loosely translates to mean ‘precious blanket’, and symbolises a fresh start and the beginning of PETRONAS’ journey into a new realm of storytelling for the year.
Didi Pirinyuang, Creative Director of Ensemble Worldwide commented, “‘Bai Jia Bei’ which directly translates to ‘hundred home blanket’, is traditionally handsewn by the elders of the family and is made of old clothing collected from various family members, neighbours and friends. Gifted to the young, it’s a history lesson of family bonds. This film is crafted to reignite the fading tradition of handmade history, before it is lost for future generations.
Unlike previous festive films, the story is told through pieces of fabric, each one representing a family member who brings joy to the festivities – from the nosy aunt, to the cousin who is constantly late for family gatherings. The film aims to reflect universal joy through the familiarity of families and reflect the fabric of different, yet close-knit, cultures.
Pirinyuang said, “The film shows a quilt, patchworked with pieces of old fabric, each holding a strong meaning or memory for various family members. The final scene sees the quilt being presented to a new born baby, along with a special red packet and ends with the tagline: ‘A piece of you. A piece of me. We bring joy to the family’.”
This marks the start of a new theme for PETRONAS’ festive films in 2020 – ‘Our Unique Family’.
“The theme represents every individual as joy-makers, joy-bringers and joy-sharers, and is meant to demonstrate that joy is the biggest gift we can give each other. Last year, we built our festive film narratives around the ‘Anugerah Kita’ cinematic universe. Each step brought us closer to each other and to other Malaysians as they shared in the journey with us. This togetherness felt like family. We realised that family is more than just flesh and blood, it’s the bonds we create. We are so excited begin this new journey,” she added.
The film was directed by Ismail Kamarul and produced by his team at Reservoir World. It launched on 18th January and runs through the CNY period. It is available for viewing on PETRONAS’ official Facebook and YouTube channel, with the TVC running on TV and in selected cinemas.
Credits –
Film Director: Ismail Kamarul
Producer: Sabrina Wong
DOP: Eric Yeong
Editor: Ismail Kamarul
Colourist: Kwok Yong
Online Artist: Soon Foon
Post Production: Asia-Pacific Videolab Sdn Bhd
Composer: Raof Zamirdin
Audio Production: Kena Sound @ Reservoir World