Two local movies were among 10 films that failed to get the approval from the Film Censorship Board (LPF) last year.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the two films, "Syndicate" and "Bite", were banned from being aired to the public as they contained elements that sullied the government and insulted the country, respectively.

According to him, LPF censored a total of 1,874 local and foreign films last year, and out of that, the 10 films were slapped with outright bans as they went against film censorship guidelines.

Zahid said this in a parliamentary written reply to Ahmad Fauzi Zahari (BN-Setiawangsa).

Zahid, who is also the home minister, said "Syndicate" disputed the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into illegal immigrants in Sabah, while "Bite" portrayed a character playing a civil servant, molesting and even murdering minors.

"It (Bite) insulted Malaysia as though (we) do not defend children and allowed persecution to happen," said Zahid.

Malaysiakini, however, could not find any information related to the two films online.

Singaporean film "Fundamentally Happy" failed to make it to the cinema for "going against Islam, culture, custom and had touched on the sensitivity of the Malay community in Malaysia," said Zahid.

"The script of the film could be interpreted by Malays here as an effort to portray the attitude of the Muslim community as satisfying their desires by taking advantage of weaker people.

"It hints that the Malays cannot be trusted as friends and neighbours," he added.

"Should the movie be allowed to air in Malaysia, there is concern that some might exploit the elements of the film and make it into an issue that might anger local Malays," he claimed.

Meanwhile, India's "Tharai Thappattai", Hong Kong's "Duck King 2" (preview) and US' "Sausage Party 2" and "Hardcore Henry" were banned due to sexual elements and violence.

"Tere Bin Laden - Dead or Alive", an Indian film distributed by Shivantika Productions & Walkwater Media, was disapproved as it "exploited history by making a joke out of the murder of Osama Laden", said Zahid.

"It mocked the personalities of both Osama and former US president Barack Obama," he added.

Meanwhile, France's "Timbuktu" contained scenes that went against Islam and touched the sensitivity of politics, he said further.

India's "Raman Raghav 2.0" was disapproved by the LPF as the film portrays evil prevailing over justice and shows investigators involved in a criminal cover-up.