KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — As Malaysia’s creative industry continues to step into the international spotlight, the year marked another chapter of achievements, putting its homegrown stories, talent and productions firmly on the regional map.
The latest recognition came from the 2026 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), which announced its National Winners on September 30, with several Malaysian titles across film, television and animation among those recognised.
The AACA is a regional awards programme recognising excellence in film, television and digital content across the Asia-Pacific.
The awards follow a two-stage process.
Entries first compete at the national level, with the winners advancing to the Grand Awards to compete against winners from across the region.
Malaysia’s 2026 National Winners will represent the country at the Grand Awards Gala on December 3 at Capitol Theatre in Singapore where the overall winners will be announced.
The spotlight on Astro film and television
This year’s Astro productions featured prominently among the Malaysian winners, led by Astro Shaw’s feature film Malam Terlarang, which secured four awards.
The film won Best Feature Film, Best Direction (Feature Film) for the late Nurhanisham Muhammad, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for actress Sofia Jane, and Best Promo or Trailer.
Astro Originals series Good Boys Go To Heaven also picked up five awards, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Beto Kusyairy, Best Cinematography (Fiction), Best Editing and Best Screenplay.
Meanwhile, Bad Cop won Best Adaptation of an Existing Format (Scripted).
Datuk Aznil Haji Nawawi secured two awards — Best Non-Scripted Entertainment and Best Entertainment Host/Presenter as part of Talk To My Manager programme.
Other Astro-linked winners included Astro KUDADA CNY Countdown Gala 2026, which won Best General Entertainment, Game or Quiz Programme; and Astro Star Quest 2025, which won Best Music or Dance Programme.
Other Malaysian productions also picked up awards, with Life In A Loop winning Best Short-Form Content, Kerikil Depan Pintu taking Best Single Drama/Telemovie/Anthology Episode, and Sujud Terakhir Encik Norman winning Best Visual or Special FX in a TV Series or Feature Film.
Viu Malaysia achievements
Viu Malaysia secured five National Wins through its Viu Original productions, covering acting, directing, music, and short-form storytelling.
Seadanya Kita earned two awards: Emma Maembong won Best Actress in a Leading Role and its official theme song Berakhir Kita, took Best Theme Song or Title Theme.
Kelas Belakang contributed another two wins, with Nurhanisham winning Best Scripted Direction and Farihin Arnia taking Best Supporting Actor for the character of Johan.
Meanwhile, Viu Micro Drama Cinta Ori, produced in collaboration with Creative Stew and Mi Sedaap Malaysia, won Best Micro Drama — a new category introduced at this year’s AACA — making it the first Malaysian micro drama win.
More Malaysian wins
Malaysia’s animation industry continued its strong regional presence, with Monsta Studio’s Papa Zola The Movie winning Best Animation.
Upin & Ipin – Wira Minyak Sawit was named Best Children’s Programme, further highlighting the continued reach of locally produced animation.
The country’s comedy and streaming sectors also received recognition, with Kavin Jay: Nobody Asked winning Best Comedy, while Namamu Cinta took home Best Original Production by a Streamer.
On the television front, TV3’s Majalah 3: Merintis Horizon was named Malaysia’s National Winner for Best Documentary (One-Off).
Irwan Rauf won Best Direction (Non-Scripted) for Fattah Amira Setulus Takdir, while 8TV’s Jasmine Project Love Season 3 was recognised as Best Lifestyle Programme.
National winners to the Grand Awards
With this year’s National Winners confirmed, attention now turns to the AACA Grand Awards Gala in December.
Malaysia’s winning productions will compete with entries from across the Asia-Pacific, putting local talent and productions in contention for regional honours.
The wins, spanning film, drama, animation, documentary, entertainment and micro drama, reflect the growing regional presence of Malaysia’s creative industry.
