Actor, director and producer Aziz M Osman said the changes made were in line with the changing times but manages to retain similar concepts of community sensibilities, especially to protect the underaged, from unhealthy elements.
On Feb 1, the Home Ministry through the censorship board set five categories under the new classification system - U for viewers of all ages; P12 for viewers of all ages with parental guidance needed for those under 12; 13 for viewers 13 years and above; 16 for viewers 16 and above, and 18 for viewers 10 and above.
“But with certain limitations, we need to find alternatives, which can be more original and better,” he said, citing the film industry in Iran that is tightly regulated, but managed to get global attention and win various international awards. The Skop Productions Sdn Bhd owner also thought that the censorship board has become more receptive towards local creative industry players’ views.
Meanwhile, Film Censorship Board chairman Datuk Mohd Dusuki Ya’acob said a study on the film classification was made from 2019, after getting input from local industry players, as well as referring to the global film industry.