KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — There have been many changes to the local film industry over the years, but not all of them have been good or welcome, said award-winning Malaysian actor Datin Sofia Jane.
"You always end up with good intentions but there's only so much you can do because you don't have the last say in whether things can get done or not,” she said. Despite the effort, director and writer Badrul Hisham Ismail said he finds it bizarre that in the country, the film industry falls under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, rather than the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
"One thing any filmmaker should understand is that there are different kinds of audiences for different kinds of films. There will be films that can have a huge audience, but there will also be films that will only cater to a small group and require a smaller setting and smaller independent distributions.
Sofia Jane's film 'Maryam Dari Pagi Ke Malam' is directed by Badrul Hisham Ismail and produced by Anomalous Films' Kye Syed Fariz . — Picture by Choo Choy May
This is Malaysia. The kind of mentality of the people in power, it's never gonna happen. Sad, but no surprise.