Two films in limbo after falling short on crowdfunding goal

Two films relying on crowdfunding to get made have fallen short of their target amount.

On Aug 2, Malaysiakini ran a story about efforts to get crowdfunding for a movie on segregation called ‘Pendatang’, directed by Ng Ken Kin from a screenplay by Lim Boon Siang and film company Kuman Pictures.

Kuman Pictures managing director and filmmaker Amir Muhammad said their target was RM300,000.

‘Pendatang’ is a dystopian thriller set in Malaysia and imagines a scenario where different races are forcefully segregated by law.

The story will focus on an ethnic Chinese family who is moving into their new home. They find a scared Malay girl hiding in it. The family is faced with the dilemma of what to do with this “pendatang” (migrant/outsider) in their house.

Amir had explained that they were depending on crowdfunding to make this movie because it’s meant to be a free release and it’s a Malaysian story for Malaysians.

However, he said it will be shelved if they did not raise enough funds.

As of Sept 28, ‘Pendatang’ had only managed to raise RM161,637.

Their deadline is Oct 6 and it is becoming apparent that, short of a miracle, ‘Pendatang’ will be cancelled.

The second film, ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’, is a documentary by filmmaker Mogan Selvakannu that aims to start conversations about Indian Malaysians and their sense of belonging in 21st-century Malaysia. 

This project needs RM15,000 and crowdfunding will end on Oct 15. As of Sept 26, Mogan has so far raised RM6,300.

Holding on to hope

“We are hoping that the Malaysian stereotype of being ‘last-minute’ is true. But yes, I am in touch with some who said they would donate but have yet to do so, for whatever reason,” Amir said when asked if they are going to make any last-ditch efforts to save the movie.

They are going to throw in the towel only on the last day.

“What we are trying to do is unprecedented, so there were always risks. We did get some offers from people to sponsor the whole thing, but they would have their branding agenda, and some saw it as means to make a profit, which would distort our initial idea of making the movie available for free for everyone to watch,” he explained.

When queried on why people may not be keen to crowdfund a movie, Amir said: “Probably because no one has tried it before, so they may think it’s a scam, or that movie-making is frivolous anyway.

“The economy is also expected to get worse, so we fully understand if people have other priorities in their lives. But if people can spare a bit, that would be appreciated.

“If we succeed, we will proceed with the movie and keep all the backers continually updated. We look forward to getting the cast and locations. If we fail, I will give some funding to other movies that may try the same route in crowdfunding. But for us as a company, we will focus next on a few more conventional projects.”

Using own funds

Mogan, on the other hand, is starting work on ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ despite not having collected the money he needs.

“So far, the crowdfunding campaign has raised RM6,300 within 10 weeks. That is 42 percent of the crowdfunding campaign’s goal of RM15,000.

“I have spent about RM8,000 of my own money. These were mainly channelled to conceptualisation, production equipment, and initial investment to produce a showreel and promote the crowdfunding campaign,” he said.

Mogan has not researched why people are reluctant to fund his documentary.

“But I have taken into account that there are common factors that would make people reluctant to fund the documentary.

“This could be the standard of living crisis, the financial power of the Indian community who are the subject matter for the documentary, lack of promotion budget to reach more people, unable to relate to the goals of the documentary, and simply no interest in funding the documentary,” he surmised.

Mogan has neither been approached nor has he reached out to any organisations to make the documentary.

“As for individuals, there have been many who have contributed to the crowdfunding campaign via word of mouth and social media, but these are solely individuals who have contributed based on their willingness to do so.

“No individuals or organisations have approached or contributed to the campaign with vested interests, or as investors expecting monetary or any kind of returns.

“I treat every donor as an investor in the project. They receive monthly newsletters exclusive to donors with updates on the production journey and input from me as the director,” he added.

Mogan believes his initial plan to release ‘Don't Rock the Boat’ in April 2023 is still achievable. Should there be any delays, he thinks the end of 2023 will be the next possible target date.

“Either way, the documentary should be released in 2023.

“Since this is an independent project and I am the sole producer and director, I have the opportunity to shape and mould the production based on time, costs, and production value.

“The crowdfunding campaign’s budget allocation was designed in a way that the bulk of the donations goes to the most costly part of the production, which is outstation travel for filming,” he said.

The amount allocated for this part of the budget has almost been achieved, however, the rest of the cost of post-production and screening might suffer, he added.

“I plan to follow the independent project concept of funding as much as I possibly can to finish the project and get it out there for people to watch. Hopefully, this can be achieved,” Mogan said.

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