Voting to segregate itself in a referendum, the Malaysians of Pendatang live under martial law, with a 25-year jail penalty for engaging in any interracial contact.
Acid attacks, death threats: Malaysian filmmakers in trouble with conservatives
Acid attacks, death threats: Malaysian filmmakers in trouble with conservatives
With more than 408,000 views on YouTube in just four days after its release, the film has gripped the public, eclipsing cinema releases including police action flick War On Terror: KL Anarki, which has been watched by 235,000 viewers.
“Its measure of success will be its reach and the conversations it encourages, not profit,” said producer Amir Muhammad, welcoming the interest in his low-budget film.
The film raised more than 400,000 ringgit (US$86,000) from 600 Malaysians – more than the 300,000 ringgit sought by the studio.
Race, the central theme of the film, has been a sharp point in Malaysian politics since its inception in 1957. Having freed itself from the clutches of British colonisation, Malays begrudgingly accepted Chinese and Indian communities – many of whom were brought in by the British – as citizens in the newborn nation.
Communal tension, coupled with ethnocentric politics, led to the May 1969 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur between the Malays and the Chinese, the scars of which continue to haunt the country. They remain a pretext behind government control of racial narratives, for fear of offending sensitivities and inciting similar incidences.
All too aware of its touchy subject matter, Kuman Productions, the studio behind the film, decided to skip the rigmarole of a Malaysian cinema release, instead publishing straight to YouTube and bypassing the censors.
“As our promise to the backers right from the beginning, we are making the movie free to watch on YouTube worldwide with no ads,” the studio explained on X.
It has sparked a conversation among the public, with Kamil Othman, the chairman of Malaysia’s National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) calling for it to be “screened at schools”.
“[The film] should be screened at schools to invite discussions, and dismantle deep-seated perceptions and prejudices,” Kamil said on X, adding that it was a small step “towards a desired destination”.
He recently proclaimed 2023 as a breakthrough year for Malaysian films after many Malaysian-produced works received international accolades, such as Amanda Nell Eu’s horror film Tiger Stripes which won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Censorship rises in Malaysia under Anwar despite his pro-reform pledge: report
Censorship rises in Malaysia under Anwar despite his pro-reform pledge: report
A receptive and supportive film development board, however, is only half of the equation as Malaysian films have to pass through the country’s strict Film Censorship Board (LPF), whose heavy hands often snip out scenes and shots deemed inappropriate for Malaysian audiences, including love scenes and issues which touch on race and religion.
Finas is an agency under the communications ministry, while LPF is parked under the home ministry.
When pressed about how Pendatang, with its heavy, controversial and sensitive commentary on Malaysian society would fare against the censors, Kamil said “looking at the film objectively, some leeway might be possible”.
The YouTube comments section is similarly buzzing with discussion from viewers, many applauding its exploration of the fragile racial unity that exists in Malaysia.
“We must not allow politics and extremism be it using religion, race, social class or economy to break us apart and create the animosity that seems to grow and fester each passing day,” one commentator said.
Others said they had warmed to the film principally because of the lack of government control over the content.
“Great to see a Malaysian movie where the producers and the audience don’t have to bow down to the censors,” another commentator said.
Producer Amir Muhammad is no stranger to controversy, nor is this the first time his films have sought the refuge of YouTube.
Amir’s “semi-musical documentary” on Malaysian communist guerilla leader Chin Peng, The Last Communist, was uploaded on YouTube after it was banned by the censorship board despite premiering at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival and being shown at several other international film festivals.
In 2018, an attempt by the Cooler Lumpur Festival to screen the film was scrapped after the censors sent them a notice informing them that the original ban from 12 years ago still stood.