Masterpieces usually stand the test of time, and the same can be said for one Malaysian film.

Talentime, which was directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad, is all set to screen in Japan for the first time - eight years after its release in Malaysia.

According to a report by The New Straits Times, Talentime will open in cinemas in Tokyo and Osaka beginning 25 March.

This marks the first time the movie - which was originally released locally on 26 March 2009 - is being shown on international screens, other than in Brunei, Singapore and film festivals.

“We are proud to have this gem of a movie screened in Japan.

“The world was a better place when the late Yasmin made her movies. Her influence on Malaysian cinema is still felt after all these years," Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar, CEO of Primeworks Studios, was quoted by the daily as saying.

The movie starred Jaclyn Victor, Adibah Noor and Mahesh Jugal Kishor, and tells the story of how a high school talent search competition brings two people together — a Malay-British girl, Melur, and an Indian male student, Mahesh.

Talentime was the last film Yasmin Ahmad directed before her untimely passing in 2009.

We hope Japan will enjoy the film as much as we did back in the day.