#SHOWBIZ: Sun bear Itam's story of survival and hope

New Straits Times

16-05-2025

A TINY bear with an extraordinary story is set to capture hearts across Malaysia.
Meet Itam, the sun bear whose journey from trauma to freedom proves that the "bear" necessities of life include more than just forgetting about your worries and strife.
The 90-minute film is a collaboration that would make even Baloo proud.
Brainchild Pictures and Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), with support from the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac), have created Malaysia's first big-screen wildlife documentary, 'Itam: A Sun Bear Story'.
The documentary highlights the endangered sun bear and its disappearing habitat.
Unveiled at APU's Bukit Jalil campus on May 7, the launch was officiated by Motac's Deputy Tourism Minister Khairul Firdaus, who also announced sun bears as the official mascot for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
"This initiative represents a milestone for Malaysia's creative arts, conservation, and ecotourism," he said. "Through Itam's story, we witness a moving journey of survival, hope and shared responsibility."
ZERO-CARBON FILMMAKING
Filmmaker Raymond Tan, who hails from Penang and has been active in the film industry for over a decade, worked alongside Hollywood cinematographer David Stump (known for his work on 'X-Men' and 'Deep Blue Sea' among others) for the documentary.
With two feature films under his belt ('Wayang Boy' and 'The Wayang Kids'), Tan was inspired by Dr Wong Siew Te's conservation story.
The team was also making deliberate choices to minimise their carbon footprint.
"This is not common in Malaysia because we try to promote zero-carbon filmmaking," said Tan.
The team flew to Sandakan only twice, once for reconnaissance and once for filming.
Even catering followed green guidelines: "When we have our lunches and all that, we try not to use disposable utensils. So everything is recyclable."
THE CUB WHO COULDN'T 'BEAR' HUMANS
Rescued in 2020 after poachers killed her mother, Itam's fear of humans became her ticket to freedom.
"She is not habituated to anybody. We couldn't bond with her, and that's why she became a good candidate for our release programme," said wildlife biologist Wong, founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.
Although filming itself took less than a month, preparations spanned years with scripts constantly revised to follow the unpredictable animal behaviour.
"You can't direct wildlife like actors," said Tan.
"This was my first documentary, and I was learning every day."
He added that local wildlife fixers, or "bear whisperers", helped the team capture footage without disrupting the animals' routines.
The cameras captured one of the emotional moments — Itam's release into the wild in March this year.
Now tracked via collar, she's thriving in her natural habitat, a success story in a world where fewer than 600 sun bears remain in Malaysia's forests.
STUDENTSʼ INVOLVEMENT
What many viewers might not realise is that this journey also involved students from APU's School of Media, Arts and Design (SoMAD).
Abilash Kanagaratnam, Chai Jia Rong and Kotaro Yamasaki joined the film crew in Sabah, contributing creative proposals, including graphic designs, motion graphics, visual effects and awareness campaigns.
The students had to put up with unpredictable tropical downpours, humidity, and the stubborn reality that the bears operated on their own schedule, not the production team's.
"We learnt that nature doesn't follow our script," Chia said.
"Sometimes the bears wouldn't come out for hours. Still, the experience was unforgettable.
"To be able to observe the sun bear's behaviour was great and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us," Abilash reflected, his eyes lighting up.
Debbie Liew, head of SoMAD in APU, links the project to Sustainable Development Goals 15: Life on Land (one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015).
"It's not just because they are fluffy and cute. They contribute to a much broader goal of preserving biodiversity.
"They help maintain tropical forests by dispersing seeds with their foraging skills," said Liew.
BEARING WITNESS TO RECOVERY
Sun bears face extinction due to habitat loss, poaching and the exotic pet trade.
Tan hopes the story of Itam raises awareness and appreciation for this overlooked species.
"You need to see this on the big screen," he urged, describing how filming Itam's release was one of the production's most emotionally charged moments.
For Tan, Itam marks a major shift and a personal revelation.
"Sun bears are a keystone species," he said.
"They're forest architects and doctors. They dig, climb, eat termites and keep the rainforest ecosystem in check. Yet few Malaysians even know they exist."
Determined to change that, Tan made it his mission to give sun bears the spotlight.
"We've had documentaries on tigers and orangutans, but almost nothing on sun bears. So I decided to be the first," he said.
'Itam: A Sun Bear Story' is set for release in late 2025 in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English.