National climbers rejoice as success story of 1997 Malaysia-Everest expedition to come to life after 25 years

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — In 1997, a team of ten Malaysians made history after they planted the ‘Jalur Gemilang’ on top of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.

Braving through harsh and extreme weather, they were the first ever Malaysians to have reached the summit of the world, becoming the pioneering team who has inspired many young Malaysians to achieve the impossible.

As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the historical expedition, local producers, Fullmoon Pictures Sdn Bhd have launched a RM150 million media franchise to commemorate the 1997 expedition.

‘The SUMMIT-97’, the media franchise will indulge in the arduous journey that the national climbers had to face during the expedition, all of which will be highlighted through several mediums.

It includes books, documentaries, animation films, original soundtracks, behind-the-scenes footage, a virtual reality game application along with a feature film titled Peak of Heaven’

The news was welcomed with open arms by the Malaysia-Everest 97 team who was present at the launching.

One of the climbers, Aimi Zairin Mohamed, said that he’s grateful that their efforts were being recognised once again and shared that the expedition holds a dear place in his heart.

“May 23 is always on my calendar. It is the anniversary of when we planted the Jalur Gemilang on top of Mount Everest.

“So, in May every year, I would have a small celebration over dinner with my wife and son and I would share the stories over and over again to the point I think they’ve memorised it,” Aimi said.

Recollecting his memories during the expedition, he said that he was among the youngest in the team and he had just finished his studies at that time.

Aimi also credited their success to the whole team behind the Malaysia-Everest 1997 expedition including the additional ten supporting crew who accompanied the climbers along with the local Sherpas there.

He added that the supporting crew has helped them a lot in reaching the top of the summit and he doesn’t want their efforts to be forgotten as well.

Meanwhile, according to the first Malaysian to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Datuk M. Magendran, although initially they had planned to release a book to commemorate the silver jubilee of the 1997 expedition, a feature film had never crossed his mind.

“I was overwhelmed because before this, the most we could do is come up with a book for our 25th anniversary but never did I imagine there’s a team working towards making a movie out of the 1997 Malaysia-Everest Expedition.

“I think it’s something out of the box and looking at the current condition of our nation, I think a multiracial success story is what Malaysia needs at the moment,” he said.

Magendran was the first Malaysian to step on the majestic Mount Everest peak at 11.55am local time, 15 minutes before he was joined by the rest of his teammates.

He also said that following their success, he’s proud to be part of the pioneering team who has inspired many young Malaysians to go above and beyond.

Just two years after their success, the nation was in celebration once again following the achievement of Datuk Azhar Mansor who broke the record of being the first Malaysian to sail solo across the world in 1999.

This was then followed by the achievement of Datuk Abdul Malik Mydin, the first Malaysian and South-East Asian swimmer to swim across the English Channel in 2003.

Talking about The SUMMIT-97 campaign, Fullmoon Picture co-founder, Izzat Hazim said that the campaign was established to enable viewers to grasp the challenges and struggles faced by the national climbers during the climb.

“Make no mistake, the climb to Mount Everest in 1997 is as deadly as its reputation. We were only able to fully understand their struggles during our research on this heroic story which includes interviews, articles, and documentaries, it was truly an eye-opener to us.

“The concept of climbing the tallest mountain in the world while facing horrendous weather is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Not many understand the whole training process, the cost behind it, mental preparation, and the level of synergy that is involved in this whole journey,” he said.

Izzat added that the film Peak of Heaven will also be bringing in international talents such as legendary composer, AR Rahman and Australian singer, Guy Sebastian along with Malaysian actor, Henry Golding.

Also joining them at the helm of the film is award-winning cinematographer, Phedon Papamichael who has worked on films such as Ford vs Ferrari and Nebraska.

The film, which is expected to release mid-next year, also aims to set a few Guinness World Records including the first film in South-East Asia to use Stagecraft technology in visualising a hyper-realistic atmosphere of Mount Everest in real-time.

Although dates for the release of the media franchise are yet to be announced, Izzat said that they will be releasing a book commemorating the 1997 Expedition on Merdeka Day this year.

Also present at the launching was the Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Zakaria Abdul Hamid along with the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Sri Ti Lian Ker.

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