While most of us are deciding what to eat for dinner, one Malaysian is quietly making cinematic history. Meet Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known online as Sofyank, the Kelantan-born VFX wizard who has just pulled off the unimaginable: collaborating with Tom Cruise in Tokyo.
Yes, that Tom Cruise.
After teasing fans with a cryptic post, “God willing, the next mission is to Tokyo to shoot a video with him,” the 28-year-old finally confirmed what many had hoped: the mystery man was none other than Hollywood’s legendary Ethan Hunt himself.
But this moment didn’t come out of nowhere. It was built over more than a decade of quiet, relentless effort.
From Wakaf Bharu to the World Stage
Sofyank’s journey reads like something out of a film script, except every scene is real.
Born in Wakaf Bharu, Kelantan in November 1996, Sofyank began experimenting with video editing at the age of 14. Unlike many digital creators, he didn’t even own a computer.
As a teenager, Sofyank would spend his RM2 allowance at the cybercafe just to download YouTube tutorials. On 25 March 2015, he uploaded his first video on Instagram, marking the beginning of a journey that saw him build a loyal following through his uniquely crafted videos, all without any formal training.
“I recorded my content using the laptop camera,” he recalls in a Twitter post. “I could only use the laptop twice a month because I had to borrow it from my sister who was studying at the university at that time.”
Armed with a webcam, Adobe After Effects, and a boundless imagination, he created illusion-filled videos using whatever he had. Sound effects? He made them with his own voice, manually adjusting the pitch and speed.
“If I didn’t have time to go to the cyber café, I’d just do the sound effects myself using my mouth and change the speed to make it sound like a chipmunk,” he once shared.
“If You Keep Trying, You’ll Succeed”
That simple belief became his guiding light. While others laughed or doubted, he kept learning, refining, and posting. He was especially inspired by VFX illusionist Zach King, whose techniques he studied frame by frame.
In 2019, all that practice paid off, Zach King himself noticed Sofyank’s work and invited him to meet in Indonesia. Later, Sofyank even travelled to Los Angeles to visit King’s studio and eventually collaborated with his idol.
Hollywood Came Calling
With each viral video, Sofyank’s skills leveled up. And soon, it wasn’t just followers who were watching, it was Hollywood.
Here’s a snapshot of his jaw-dropping collabs:
- Ryan Reynolds – For The Adam Project, Sofyank turned 16 seconds of Zoom footage into a sci-fi VFX short complete with spaceships, hoverboards, and a believable back-and-forth with Reynolds himself.
- Will Smith – Brought in for a creative teaser for Gemini Man, where Sofyank’s signature editing style blended seamlessly with the movie’s techy themes.
- Paul Rudd & Jonathan Majors – Featured in promotional content for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, showing off his Marvel-worthy editing chops.
- John Cena – Played with Cena’s “You can’t see me” meme and turned it into a clever, funny piece.
And now, Tom Cruise. In person.
A Beacon of Creative Hope
Sofyank’s story isn’t just about tech skills. It’s about how far relentless curiosity, passion, and grit can take you, even when you don’t have the right tools, support, or environment at the start.
He didn’t go to film school. He didn’t have a studio. He had a dream, a secondhand laptop, and a belief that he could learn anything.
Today, he stands as a symbol of possibility, a living testament for thousands of young Malaysians that no matter how small your beginnings, your ideas are valid, your dreams are worth chasing, and your work can go global.
What’s Next?
The big question remains: what does the Tom Cruise video actually look like?
Will Sofyank teleport into a rooftop chase? Will a Proton Saga morph into a helicopter mid-air? Will he jump out of a Tokyo tower wearing Cruise’s famous harness?
We don’t know yet. But one thing is certain; it will be epic!
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