The National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia’s (FINAS) new chairperson is of the opinion that local filmmakers should feature elements of “national issues” in their movies if they’re seeking federal funding for their projects.
Chairperson Azalina Othman, who formerly served as Minister of Youth and Sports and Minister of Tourism under the Badawi administration and is still the UMNO MP for Pengerang, said the Federal Government had the right to ask filmmakers to inject nationalistic themes and elements into their movie projects, as these filmmakers often come to FINAS to ask for government grants.
“It doesn’t matter if the movie is a romance film, a comedy, or horror – it should have elements of nationalism,” she said, as quoted by Syafique Shuib of Astro Awani.
She added that inserting nationalist themes into modern Malaysian films would contribute to the country’s youth deepening their love an appreciation for their homeland.
“This new generation gets their information along with their entertainment, so shouldn’t we inject facts about Malaysia into our films?”
Azalina also said there was no shortage of nationalist topics that could be addressed in local cinema.
“There are a lot of nationalist elements that could be turned into compelling content. For example, the independence of Malaya in 1957; the formation of Malaysia in 1963; or the May 13 incident. Can you imagine the youth of today knowing nothing of the May 13 riots?”
Azalina was appointed to head FINAS on June 1 by Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek. Among her stated priorities coming is conducting housekeeping on the national film development agency, including reviewing the scope and quality of local film content.
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