Write a short summary of what happens in the film

We created a film that was essentially an ad within an ad. We featured the shoot of a “traditional” Hari Raya ad, with a twist. During the shoot of this fictional ad, the actresses questioned the director about the nature of their stereotypical roles and challenged him to allow them to break out of these stereotypes and give them the opportunity to showcase more of what women really bring to society.

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

In Malaysia, Hari Raya ads are a big deal. It’s a time for ads about family, tradition and coming together. We went a totally different route. We needed to stand out, so we took the opportunity to talk about gender roles in advertising. Our film challenged these stereotypes directly by literally getting its actresses to ask for bigger and better roles that better represented the contributions women make to society. The film immediately captured people’s attention and went viral during the Ramadan period.