COMMENT | The importance of indie films

COMMENT | I am attending the Global Media Makers film residency programme organised by Film Independent in Los Angeles. It’s a three-week residency sponsored by the US State Department. Five countries are participating: Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia. I am one of nine Malaysians here.

We are exposed to many things and are learning a lot here. Networking is also an opportunity. There’s still another week to go, but one of the biggest takeaways (among several) is the fact that even in Hollywood, the struggle to have a diverse film culture is a big thing. The fact of the matter is that big commercial, mass appeal films still rule the roost.

In Malaysia, this year has seen mainstream local films surpass the ticket sales of Hollywood or international films. This is great, and something that shows our industry is growing. However, there are only a handful that are contributing to this achievement, and they also tend to be formulaic mainstream narratives, like Hollywood.

Again, I want to stress that having mainstream and commercial films is not a problem. We need these films. However, a film industry also needs an independent side that is edgier and rougher because that is what will breed experimentation and exploration in the industry. Basically, the avant-garde today will grow into the conventional in the future.

In the US, there are organisations like Film Independent, and many others, that champion and advocate for producers, directors and writers who work on the fringes and are not part of the mainstream or the big studios. Usually, these filmmakers work on films that are a bit different from the mainstream. They are experimenting and exploring different methods and topics.

If a film industry, for example, like in Malaysia, focuses only on the mainstream, the danger is that the industry will grow stagnant and formulaic, or what is known as creative homogenisation.

After a certain period, every film produced and released is going to be the same, predictable and, honestly, boring, something that can already be happening.

Think about it. If a certain type of film is successful, producers and distributors would want to emulate it so that they can achieve the same success. That is logical and makes good business sense.

Progression and evolution

But, aside from being a business, film is also an art, and that means that it needs to constantly evolve and progress or else it would be stagnant. And that won’t be good for business in the long run.

This is where our National Film Development Board (Finas) comes in. They need to play a very active role in encouraging a strong and vibrant independent scene so that there will constantly be progression and evolution.

At the moment, they do a decent job in encouraging the commercial side of the industry. Now, that is all well and good, but there needs to be a plan for the indies too.

For example, my wife and I recently produced a feature documentary titled “Jom Kita Ke Laut”. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Malaysia does not have a culture of watching documentary films in the cinema. So, when we wanted to release the film in the cinemas, it was quite a challenge, even when we turned towards Finas for assistance.

Malaysia has a great scheme to help the local film industry known as the Compulsory Screening Scheme (Skim Wajib Tayang). If a local film successfully applies for the scheme, the cinemas are required to screen the film in theatres for a minimum of 14 days and to give tax rebates. It’s a good scheme to help local films get out there and be seen.

We applied for the scheme, but it was only granted half a year later. We had also applied for 28 screens but were only given 10.

Now, understand that our film is small, with a small budget. It also deals with a topic that would probably appeal to a niche audience. In Malaysia, that would be considered indie and “avant-garde”, if I do say so myself.

By not being a mainstream and commercial film, logically, our film is the ideal type of film to receive the support of the scheme. We need all the help and assistance we can get from Finas to get the film out there so we can compete, or at least stand among the bigger, mainstream and commercial films (like “Tarung”, “Ejen Ali” and “Polis Evo”).

Better grant evaluations

Finas is a government body, and commercialisation should not be the one and only thing that they look at. They are also responsible for growing the industry from every aspect, such as creativity, methods, style and maturity, other than just box office success.

We are thankful that we eventually received approval for our film to come under the scheme, but I still believe that more can be done.

We need a body that encourages everything. The industry needs commercial films to produce box-office hits to pay the bills, but we need a multi-pronged engine as well.

We also need an independent side that will experiment and explore to build the country’s cinematic progress and create a film identity. Without diverse and boundary-pushing stories, the industry won’t grow.

Aside from the Compulsory Screening Scheme, we also need better grant evaluations that consider less commercial projects, a more flexible censorship structure to allow more creativity, etc.

Also, not everything should fall on the shoulders of the authorities. Larger production companies, distributors and cinema exhibitors also need to have a sense of social responsibility.

Being independent doesn’t necessarily mean being controversial. It just means creative experimentation, social commentary and giving opportunities for diversity and new types of narratives in film. Although there are varying degrees of struggle, almost every country with a mature film industry sees the importance of this. So, let’s do it, Malaysia.

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. Visit his website to view his work.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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