The opening shot of Itam: A Sun Bear Story puts you inside a Bornean rainforest so dense you can almost smell the humidity. Somewhere in that canopy, a sun bear the size of a large dog is learning to climb again. And the 80 minutes that follow are unlike anything Malaysian cinema has produced before.
Released nationwide on 23 July 2026, Itam: A Sun Bear Story is Malaysia’s first feature-length wildlife documentary. It was three years in the making, filmed entirely in Sabah, and produced in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia as part of Visit Malaysia 2026.
But beyond the milestone, the film does something no Malaysian production has attempted on this scale: it forces an audience to sit with the reality that one of the country’s most iconic animals is running out of time.
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First Feature-Length Wildlife Documentary in Malaysia
No Malaysian filmmaker has put a wildlife documentary on the big screen before this. Itam: A Sun Bear Story is the first, produced by Brainchild Pictures and directed by Raymond Tan. The film is classified U (universal) and runs for 1 hour and 20 minutes. It opened in cinemas nationwide on 23 July 2026 through GSC and other major chains.
Brainchild Pictures is a creative media company with offices in Malaysia and Singapore, previously known for award-winning multicultural productions like Wayang Boy and The Wayang Kids. Itam: A Sun Bear Story marks the company’s first move into wildlife conservation filmmaking.
Real Rescued Sun Bear Named Itam
Itam is a Bornean sun bear who was rescued after being orphaned by poachers and brought to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok, Sandakan. The documentary follows her full journey: rescue, veterinary treatment, rehabilitation in the centre’s forest enclosures, and her eventual return to the wild.
The production was granted rare access to BSBCC’s archival records, veterinary logs, field operations, and the complete rewilding process. This access allowed the filmmakers to go beyond surface-level observation into detailed, character-driven storytelling built around a single bear’s life.
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Filmed Entirely in Sabah Over Three Years
Every frame of Itam: A Sun Bear Story was shot in Sabah, showcasing the state’s rainforests, rivers, and wildlife sanctuaries. The production took three years to complete, covering the full arc of Itam’s rehabilitation and release.
Sabah is home to some of the oldest tropical rainforest on earth and is one of the last strongholds for wild sun bear populations in Southeast Asia. The cinematography doubles as a visual case for Sabah’s forests: if the film makes you want to book a flight to Kota Kinabalu, that is by design.
Narrated in Three Languages by One Voice
Itam: A Sun Bear Story is the first Malaysian documentary released simultaneously in Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Mandarin. All three versions are narrated by TV personality Baki Zainal, maintaining a consistent emotional tone across languages.
The Mandarin version is not incidental. Raymond Tan has stated publicly that the production hopes to bring the film to Chinese audiences, using the language version as a bridge to promote Malaysia’s biodiversity and ecotourism in the Chinese market.
World’s Smallest and Least-Studied Bears
The Malayan sun bear or Helarctos malayanus, known locally as beruang matahari, is the smallest bear species on the planet. Adults stand between 120 and 150 centimetres in length and are identifiable by a U-shaped golden chest patch, which is unique to each individual, like a fingerprint.
Sun bears are found across Southeast Asia, from Bangladesh and Myanmar through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and into Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. They are regionally extinct in Singapore. Despite this wide historical range, their population has declined by more than 30 percent over the past three decades.
The IUCN classifies them as Vulnerable to Extinction, one step below Endangered, and some estimates suggest fewer than 1,000 may remain in the wild. They are among the least-studied bear species on earth, and reliable population data remains scarce.
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BSBCC Is the Only Sun Bear Conservation Centre on Earth
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sepilok, Sandakan, is the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Malayan sun bears. It was founded in 2008 by Malaysian wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te after a nationwide survey revealed that most captive sun bears in Malaysia were being kept in poor and unsuitable conditions.
As of 2025, the centre houses 42 rescued sun bears across a 2.5-hectare site located next to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. BSBCC operates with five core aims: providing care for rescued bears, running rehabilitation projects, conducting research on wild and captive populations, increasing international awareness through education, and promoting ecotourism to support local communities.
On 12 March 2025, Sabah introduced a 10-year Bornean Sun Bear Action Plan (2025 to 2034), coordinated between the Sabah Wildlife Department, BSBCC, and the Danau Girang Field Centre, targeting habitat loss and poaching as the two primary threats.
Tied to Visit Malaysia 2026
The sun bear was chosen as the official icon for Visit Malaysia 2026 through two mascots: Wira and Manja. The collaboration between Brainchild Pictures and Tourism Malaysia positions Itam: A Sun Bear Story as a vehicle for promoting Malaysia’s ecotourism credentials internationally.
Deputy Director-General of Tourism Malaysia, Samuel Lee, attended the film’s launch events alongside the VM2026 mascots. The partnership includes screenings, festivals, educational projects, and tourism campaigns designed to link the film’s conservation message to Malaysia’s broader tourism identity.
Bask Bear Coffee and the Sun Bear Connection
Bask Bear Coffee & Toasties, Malaysia’s fastest-growing coffee chain with 138 outlets nationwide, is the official food and beverage sponsor of Itam: A Sun Bear Story. The brand has described the sponsorship as a full-circle moment, and founder Bryan Loo has called it “deeply personal,” noting that Bask Bear was inspired by the Malayan sun bear from day one.
The company previously supported the BSBCC in 2023 through a sun bear adoption and awareness initiative. For the film’s release, Bask Bear rolled out a limited-time menu inspired by the sun bear and Malaysia’s tropical forests, including its first-ever charcoal toasties and beverages made with Aren palm sugar sourced from local farmers in Borneo.
Why Are Malayan Sun Bears Vulnerable to Extinction?
The Malayan sun bear faces three overlapping threats, all of them driven by human activity.
Habitat Loss
Large-scale deforestation for palm oil plantations, logging, and agricultural expansion has destroyed vast stretches of tropical forest across Southeast Asia over the past 30 years.
Sun bears depend entirely on dense lowland tropical forest for food and shelter. When the forest goes, they have nowhere to move. In Borneo, where Itam’s story takes place, the rate of deforestation has been among the highest in the world.
Poaching and the Bile Trade
Sun bears are hunted for their gallbladders, which are used in traditional medicine across parts of East and Southeast Asia. The bear bile trade, which also targets moon bears and brown bears, keeps an estimated 10,000 bears in bile farms across China, with around 2,400 in Vietnam.
Sun bears are also killed for their paws and meat. Killing sun bears is prohibited under national and international wildlife protection laws, but enforcement across their range is weak and inconsistent.
The Illegal Pet Trade
Sun bear cubs are captured and sold as exotic pets, often after their mothers are killed. As the smallest bear species, cubs are particularly vulnerable to the pet trade. Many spend their lives in small cages where they cannot stand or turn around. Itam herself was rescued from exactly this kind of captivity.
Where to Watch Itam: A Sun Bear Story
Itam: A Sun Bear Story is in cinemas nationwide across Malaysia from 23 July 2026. It is screening at GSC and other major cinema chains in three language versions: English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin.
It has also screened in Singapore. The production team has expressed plans to bring the film to China and to international film festivals. Check GSC, TGV, or MBO for current showtimes.
How to Support Sun Bear Conservation
Visiting the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sepilok, Sandakan, is open to visitors. Entry fees go directly toward the care and rehabilitation of rescued sun bears.
It is located next to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, making a combined visit one of the strongest wildlife tourism experiences in Sabah.
Adopt a Sun Bear
BSBCC runs an adoption and sponsorship scheme through its website (bsbcc.org.my). Funds raised through adoptions support food, veterinary care, and enclosure maintenance for the centre’s 42 bears.
Watch the Film
The simplest thing you can do is buy a ticket. Box office numbers for Itam: A Sun Bear Story send a signal to distributors, sponsors, and policymakers that Malaysian audiences care about conservation storytelling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Itam: A Sun Bear Story
What Is Itam: A Sun Bear Story About?
Itam: A Sun Bear Story is a feature-length documentary following Itam, a rescued Bornean sun bear, through her rehabilitation at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sepilok, Sandakan, and her eventual release back into the Sabah rainforest.
It documents the full rewilding process and highlights the conservation crisis facing the Malayan sun bear.
When Was Itam: A Sun Bear Story Released?
The film opened in Malaysian cinemas nationwide on 23 July 2026. It has also screened in Singapore. Plans for wider international distribution are in progress.
Who Directed Itam: A Sun Bear Story?
Raymond Tan, director and founder of Brainchild Pictures Malaysia. The film is narrated in all three language versions by Malaysian TV personality Baki Zainal.
Is Itam: A Sun Bear Story Suitable for Children?
Yes. The film is classified U (universal) by the Malaysian film censorship board. It is 1 hour and 20 minutes long. The content is educational and emotionally engaging without graphic imagery.
Are Sun Bears Endangered?
The IUCN classifies the Malayan sun bear or Helarctos malayanus as Vulnerable to Extinction, one classification level below Endangered.
Their global population has declined by more than 30 percent in the last three decades. Some conservation groups estimate fewer than 1,000 may remain in the wild, though reliable population data is limited.
What Is the BSBCC?
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sepilok, Sandakan, Sabah. Founded in 2008 by wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te, it is the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing Malayan sun bears. As of 2025, it houses 42 bears.
Where Is the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre Located?
Sepilok, approximately 25 kilometres west of Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. It is located next to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre within the Sepilok-Kabili Forest Reserve.
How Can I Support Sun Bear Conservation?
Visit the BSBCC in Sepilok, adopt a sun bear through bsbcc.org.my, watch Itam: A Sun Bear Story in cinemas, or donate to organisations working on habitat protection in Borneo. Box office support for the film also strengthens the case for future conservation storytelling in Malaysia.
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