The Festival Filem Malaysia 2016 panel has reportedly disqualified fan favourites ‘OlaBola’ and ‘Jagat’ from the Best Picture category.
According to a report by Malaysiakini, the films were reportedly out of the running because the dialogue was not fully in Bahasa Malaysia. As a result, both films were moved to the ‘Best Non-Bahasa Melayu Film’ category instead.
‘Mat Moto – Kami Mat Moto Bukan Mat Rempit’ was reportedly nominated to take over the films’ slot in the category.
The decision to disqualify ‘OlaBola’ and ‘Jagat’ — two of the best-reviewed local movies this year — has angered Malaysian screenwriters.
“We’re annoyed and concerned that this ‘Non-Bahasa Melayu Film’ category exists and that quality films we should be proud of like ‘Ola Bola’ and ‘Jagat’, are lumped here.
“Why must the Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and Film Producers Association Malaysia (PFM) create a racist category like ‘Non-Bahasa Melayu Films’?
“How are Finas and PFM instilling unity in Malaysian cinema? Where is the 1Malaysia advocated by the government? This is Festival Film Malaysia (Malaysian Film Festival), not Festival Filem Melayu (Malay Film Festival),” Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Screenwriters Association (Penulis) Alfian Palermo said in a statement quoted by the news portal.
Alfian added that nominating films like ‘Mat Moto’ for best picture proves that the annual list is “a national embarassment”.
‘Jagat’, Shanjhey Kumar Perumal’s directorial debut, starred a real-life orphan and received strong reviews from critics and movie-goers alike. The film grossed more than RM220,000 at the box office.
‘OlaBola’, meanwhile, was director Chiu Keng Guan‘s highly-anticipated follow-up to his record-breaking 2014 film ‘The Journey’. ‘OlaBola’ raked in a massive RM15.85 million at the box office.
