MALAYSIANS KINI One night, a couple decided to watch a local film called ‘Jagat’ (‘Bad’). At a casual glance, the boy in the movie poster outside the theatre looked as if he was about to light a cigarette. This intrigued them.

Almost 91 minutes later, they stared at the closing credits, gasping for breath. They were in shock, their pulse rates were raging, and their blood pressure had shot up.

The couple had just seen a great Malaysian movie.

Its aftershocks are not fatal. But like any great film, it was impactful. ‘Jagat’ had imprinted its snarling saga of the 1990s post-rubber estate, Malaysian Indian life, deep in the hearts and minds of its audience.

Though the film characters converse in Tamil, the themes dealt with are, as writer-director Shanjhey Kumar Perumal (photo) put it, “universal and relatable to all Malaysians, and even foreigners.”

‘Jagat’ garnered rave reviews and cinema operator Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), after allegations that it had shortchanged the compulsory screening scheme, ended up screening the movie for nine consecutive weeks since its December launch, in response to audience demand.

It brought in an estimated RM224,370 in ticket sales. Not to mention the interest showed by TV, DVD, and online content companies for distribution rights.

More importantly, ‘Jagat’ joined a recent crop of Malaysian-made movies that had whetted the appetite of cinemagoers.

What recent crop of movies?

Step right up, ‘Bunohan’ (‘Return to Murder’), you sinewy kickboxing action-drama of a movie you.

And you too, ‘Lelaki Harapan Dunia’ (‘Men Who Save the World’), for you made the viewers laugh and tear up and laugh some more with your satirical take on local culture.

And who can forget the ‘The Journey’? Yes, you, the one that featured an European son-in-law who tried so hard to win over his Malaysian wife’s father.

These are examples of recent quality local fare. They were well-received by viewers and raked in respectable revenue.

So, are local viewers interested in Malaysian-made films again?

“To continue attracting viewers, the local film industry needs to constantly produce a steady stream of quality movies first,” Shanjhey opined.

“After ‘Bunohan’ (released in 2012), there was a hiatus until ‘Lelaki Harapan Dunia’ came along (two years later).

"The industry needs to have a proper plan like Marvel Studios - they have the next five years sorted out, with two or three critically acclaimed superhero films being launched yearly.

“I’m not suggesting we should all make superhero films, but the industry needs to be able to produce quality films on a yearly basis,” the ‘Jagat’ director said.

Industry support

Maintaining a steady flow of local flicks that are worth viewers’ time is not easy. But there is an industry authority with the resources to pull this off: the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas).

Established in 1981 by the government to facilitate the development of Malaysia’s film industry, it seems that Finas has recently become every filmmaker’s best buddy.

Malaysiakini spoke to a few filmmakers, who all had nothing but effusive praise for Finas director-general Kamil Othman who took over his current position in November 2014.

“Local filmmakers have never had it this good. To the people that have taken over and are running Finas now, like Kamil, I take my hat off to you… I have a lot of respect for them,” Dain Iskandar Said, the director-writer of ‘Bunohan’, said.

When asked if there was currently a Malaysian film revival, Dain nodded.

“Yes. Because Kamil has opened up the ‘doors’ (for filmmakers) and it’s encouraging to know he genuinely loves films,” the filmmaker said.

Finas provides filmmakers with technical services and the usage of equipment and facilities such as cameras, accessories, and production studios. Also listed on their website is the Content Malaysia Pitching Centre, which offers filmmaking workshops and classes, as well as industry events where filmmakers can interact with film distributors.

If the people responsible for the development of the film industry are genuine film lovers - as described by Dain - then indeed, Finas has laid a fertile ground for local filmmakers to develop their cinematic projects.

Recent revival

“I wish Kamil (had been in the film industry) 10 years ago; there was a ‘new wave’ of interesting Malaysian films arriving at the cinemas then

“One of the reasons I decided to return to Malaysia - instead of staying in Beijing or Paris - was because I had seen the changes in Finas after Kamil Othman became the director-general,” Kuantan-born filmmaker Tan Chui Mui said.

By ‘New Wave’, Tan (photo) was referring to a deluge of refreshing, acclaimed local films sweeping through cinemas in Malaysia about a decade ago.

“Now, it’s easier for filmmakers to (attain funding support) from Finas. I wish I was just starting to make films now,” she added.

A decade ago, Tan’s feature-length directorial debut ‘Love Conquers All’ was being screened at GSC’s International Screens, theatres dedicated to screening foreign language films.

‘Love Conquers All’ fared well at film festivals worldwide, winning awards at the Rotterdam and Pusan International Film Festivals.

Speaking of love, ‘Lelaki Harapan Dunia’ writer-director Liew Seng Tat also shared Dain and Tan’s views regarding the Finas chief’s love for films.

“Kamil is a godsend (to the local film industry). Now, this film buff is in a position to fix and develop the industry,” Liew said.

Cautious optimism

The man of the hour Kamil Othman expressed cautious optimism when asked if there was a revival in the Malaysian film scene.

“There are already positive signs that Malaysian filmmakers are moving away from (formulaic films) [...] and we (Finas) have to make sure the revival is not a flash in the pan.

“We are guiding these filmmakers - who now see the world (and not just Malaysia) as their market - by helping to make their stories stronger and more universally acceptable.

“There are good films in the pipeline, including scripts which we have funded and if things go well, I can anticipate a sort of ‘new wave’ coming,” Kamil (photo) said.

So, the filmmakers say they have never had it this good, with Finas’ help, but what is attracting larger numbers to watch local films?

Liew believes social media plays a large part in promoting the films, citing Shanjhey’s ‘Jagat’ as an example.

“'Jagat' got so much hype - thanks to Facebook - and word of mouth is so strong too,” he said.

Similar films were made in the early 2000s, he added, but because there was a lack of social media, the films “weren’t heard, distributed, and didn’t get the hype”.

The Malaysian audience tends to be rather unadventurous when it comes to movies, he lamented, though it was through no fault of their own.

“You can’t blame the audience because if you’re being fed the same thing over and over again, then it starts to define your expectations,” he explained.

But now, he said, Malaysians are becoming more open-minded to local films.

However, the filmmakers Malaysiakini spoke to also noted that things are not quite all a bed of roses in the film industry yet, with many areas that could be improved.

Tomorrow: Long way to go before local film scene is truly revived

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