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Local film industry moving ahead
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Wednesday, 03 March 2010 15:24
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KUALA LUMPUR – The local film industry though can be best described as minnows when compared with our neighbours', Thailand and Indonesia, which have made significant strides over the last decade.
In retrospect, exactly a decade ago only seven films were produced within the year with the ticket sales amounting to RM10mil. However, by 2009 the number of releases increased to 26 with the collection amounting to RM50mil.
This year the outlook is even better with 30 releases on the cards and the box office collection is expected to reach RM55mil, starting with the highly successful Adnan Sempit produced by Metrowealth that has raked in RM7.5mil since screening started in January.
These figures indicate that the local film industry is finally seeing the light of the day, though its market maybe restricted within Malaysia at present.
"We admit that Malaysian films, especially fictional films, are yet to make an impact," said the Director-General of the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Mohd Mahyidin Mustakim to Bernama.
"This problem is not only peculiar to Malaysia but also to other nations. Only real good productions can go far," noted Mahyidin.
Encouraging response
Nonetheless, he pointed out some exceptions namely the documentary and animation that received encouraging response from overseas and thanks to the collaborative efforts engaged by Finas with several renowned international broadcasters.
Mahyidin elaborated further that Finas had collaborated with the National Geographic Channel, Discovery and History Channel to produce several documentaries on  Malaysia that was broadcast worldwide through these channels.
"This not only helped to highlight Malaysia at the international stage but also helped to train local industry players as the programmes were produced under the supervision of the renowned broadcasters," he said.
A total of 14 documentaries have been produced through this collaboration last year alone – five by Finas and Discovery Networks Asia, two by National Geographic Channels and seven by AETN All Asia Networks.
In 2008, among the documentaries produced were The Lion Dance King, Restoring Merdeka, Malaysia Special Smart Tunnel and Becoming A King, while among the documentaries produced last year were Fight Master Silat and Among The Great Apes With Michelle Yeoh.
As the collaborative effort was fruitful, BBC and National Geographic met up with Finas and expressed their interest in the film industry here and this provided optimism to Mahyidin on Malaysian films' potential in the overseas market.
Big helping hand
Finas has given the local film industry a big helping hand right from the start but the outcome could have been better. 
Before the National Film Policy (DFN) came into effect in 2005, Finas provided several basic facilities apart from the Compulsory Screening Scheme and the entertainment duty refund to help local film makers.
The compulsory two week screening pre-requisite throws a lifeline for local film producers who otherwise have no chance of competing with foreign productions.
Producers too can now complete almost the whole film production process at the Digital Mix Stage Studio worth RM53mil, located in Jalan Ulu Klang, that started operations last year. Only the print copy of the films needs to be done overseas.
And to promote the fictional, animation and documentary films, Finas has identified annual film markets - American Filem Market, Cannes, Hong Kong and Busan in South Korea.
"Between 10 and 14 film makers will be sent to attend the film markets with Finas sponsoring the exhibition booth and the fees for the participants," said Mahyidin adding that other costs involved have to be borne by the film producers.
Touching on the Key Performance Indicators for Finas this year, Mahyidin stated that Finas has plans to approve 10 films under Fictional Films Loan Fund with a revolving capital of RM50mil.
Developing human resources
Under the Film Arts and Multimedia Fund, Finas plans to approve 20 projects involving an allocation of RM500,000 and another three nationalistic films this year.
"We also want to see at least six films processed at the Digital Mix Stage Studio," said Mahyidin adding that in developing human resources in this field a total of 38 workshops and six "master class" programmes would be held at the same time.
In promoting these films, the corporation has plans to extend film enthusiasts club network from 40 to 60 clubs by the year end.
"The network now has 5,000 members and they gather every week to watch Malaysian films using screening equipment supplied by Finas, like the home theatre system and digital projectors," said Mahyidin.
These efforts taken by Finas are to create a conducive environment for the development of the local film industry, and to encourage the opening up of more theatres in the future. Currently, there are more than 90 theatres with 500 screens nationwide.
These efforts are also to entice foreign investors in the long term in line with Finas' latest vision as the leading proponent and catalyst of the Malaysian film industry.
Yet, said Mahyidin, Finas' mission to see the national film industry contributing to the national economy would only materialise with the concerted support of the film makers and viewers.bern
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 March 2010 17:31 |
