This week, a new war drama is opening in cinemas across Malaysia and Brunei, and Viking Sunset Studios is proud to have played a part in bringing it to the screen. Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun premiered in Kuala Lumpur ahead of its nationwide release on 28 August 2026, timed deliberately to coincide with Malaysia’s Merdeka (National Day) week. The film was shot on location in Bali, with production support from our studio, and stands as a strong example of what cross border, Southeast Asia rooted filmmaking can look like when a story with real historical weight meets world class production facilities.
Quick Facts
Title : Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun
Genre : Historical war drama
Setting : 1948 Malaya, post World War II
Director : Anshul Tiwari
Screenplay : Abhi Kumar
Starring : Hazman Al-Idrus, Fabian Loo, Asmara Abigail, Brett Tutor
Filmed in : Bali, Indonesia, entirely on location
Production support : Viking Sunset Studios, Tabanan, Bali
Distributor : MSK Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia and Brunei)
Release date : 28 August 2026, nationwide
A Forgotten Corner of WWII History
Set in Malaya in 1948, Peluru Senja follows a Malayan soldier and a British soldier who are left behind as British forces withdraw from the region. Stranded and at odds with one another, the two men are forced to put their differences aside when a nearby village comes under threat from an armed insurgent group. What begins as a story of survival becomes a study of trust, loyalty and the human cost of war.
Director Anshul Tiwari, an India born filmmaker based in Singapore, developed the project over roughly four years after receiving the story from screenwriter Abhi Kumar, before production was finally realised in 2025. Speaking after the premiere, Tiwari explained the motivation behind the film: the story of what happened in Malaya during and after WWII is one that far fewer people know compared to the more widely told narratives of Japan, Britain and Germany during the war. His background in documentary filmmaking shaped a production process where historical accuracy was treated as a non negotiable priority, with the team drawing on war museums, national archives and period artefacts to inform everything from costumes to set design, alongside custom built village and rebel camp sets constructed specifically for the film.
An International Cast and Crew
True to its themes, Peluru Senja was built by a genuinely international team, with cast and crew drawn from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom and the United States. Leading the cast are Malaysian actors Hazman Al-Idrus as Ishraq Wan (“Iz”) and Fabian Loo as Chin Liu, alongside Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail as Siti and American actor Brett Tutor as Abe. The supporting cast includes Zidan El Hafiz, Lupeng Rashid, Nobuyuki Suzuki and Indra Pacique.
Fabian Loo described working alongside collaborators from so many different cultural backgrounds as one of the most rewarding parts of the project, noting that the cast and crew had to find common ground every day, an experience he felt taught them far more than filming locally ever could. Asmara Abigail echoed that sentiment, framing cross border co productions like this one as an important direction for the future of Asian cinema, one that gives actors the chance to grow through international collaboration even as it raises the bar in terms of challenge and craft.
History with the Pulse of a Modern Thriller
One of the more deliberate creative choices behind Peluru Senja was resisting the instinct to make a war set film feel like a slow moving history lesson. As Asmara Abigail put it, the production never wanted the film to feel like a dull history lesson; even set in 1948, the story is driven by the pacing of a modern action thriller. That same instinct shaped how the film treats its characters: rather than dividing the cast neatly into heroes and villains, the film presents individuals shaped by fear, circumstance and the instinct to survive, a choice that lends the conflict a more mature, morally complex texture.
For Hazman Al-Idrus, releasing the film during National Day week carries particular weight. He described the timing as a chance to move the conversation about independence beyond dates memorised from a textbook, inviting a younger generation to engage with the human side of history and to remember what freedom actually cost the people who lived through it.
Shot on Location in Bali
Bringing 1948 Malaya to the screen was not a small physical undertaking. Filming took place across a number of demanding locations in Bali, with cast and crew contending with unpredictable weather, rugged terrain, and physically intensive action sequences involving props, weapons handling, special effects makeup and safety coordination. Far from being a limitation, that unpredictability gave the film a rawer, more organic visual texture, one that is difficult to replicate on a studio soundstage alone. The result is a production that feels grounded in a real place, with Bali’s natural landscape doing as much storytelling work as the sets and costumes built specifically for the film.
Bo H. Holmgreen, producer and CEO of Viking Sunset Studios, noted that Peluru Senja is among the earliest war films to complete its entire shoot in Bali, with the production building fourteen custom sets to recreate 1940s Malaya on Indonesian soil, using Bali’s natural locations to achieve a visual richness that would have been far harder to stage elsewhere.
Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun was produced through a collaboration between FilmsPositive, LDNO Productions, Limbo Pictures and Viking Sunset Studios, and is distributed in Malaysia and Brunei by MSK Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. The film opens in cinemas nationwide on 28 August 2026.
In the Press
Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun has been covered widely across Malaysian entertainment and news media in the lead-up to its release. Other articles about Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun include:
- Peluru Senja Angkat Kisah Tanah Melayu 1948 ke Layar Perak, TVS
- Hidupkan Era Tanah Melayu 1948, ‘Peluru Senja’ Mula Menerjah Pawagam 28 Ogos Ini, MDaily
- Filem Peluru Senja Hidupkan Kembali Pergolakan Tanah Melayu Tahun 1948, Budiey Channel
- Hijrah Demi Peluang: Hazman Al-Idrus Kini Cipta Nama di Layar Filem Indonesia, MyMNT News
- War Drama ‘Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun’ Locks Malaysia Theatrical Date, Drops Trailer (EXCLUSIVE), Variety
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun about?
It is a historical war drama set in 1948 Malaya, following a Malay soldier and a British soldier left behind after British forces withdraw. The two must put aside their differences to defend a village from an armed insurgent group.
When does Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun release in cinemas?
The film opens in cinemas nationwide in Malaysia and Brunei on 28 August 2026, timed to coincide with Malaysia’s Merdeka (National Day) week.
Where was Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun filmed?
The film was shot entirely on location in Bali, Indonesia, with fourteen custom sets built to recreate 1940s Malaya, and production support provided by Viking Sunset Studios in Tabanan, Bali.
Who stars in Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun?
The film stars Hazman Al-Idrus as Ishraq “Iz” Wan, Fabian Loo as Chin Liu, Asmara Abigail as Siti, and Brett Tutor as Abe, with a supporting cast including Zidan El Hafiz, Lupeng Rashid, Nobuyuki Suzuki and Indra Pacique.
Who directed Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun?
The film was directed by Anshul Tiwari, an India-born, Singapore-based filmmaker, from a screenplay by Abhi Kumar.
Who distributes Peluru Senja: The Ghost & the Gun?
MSK Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. handles distribution in Malaysia and Brunei.
Bring Your Next Production to Bali
Located in Tabanan, Bali, Viking Sunset Studios is an international creative production hub offering world-class facilities for film, commercial, and content production. From our soundproof green screen studio and professional equipment to stunning natural backdrops including beach, rice terraces, jungle, cave and temple, everything you need is in one place.
Whether you are scouting for a film studio in Bali, looking for a production partner in Southeast Asia, or searching for locations for movies filmed in Bali, we would love to hear about your project.
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