As outrage grows, minister says will look into FFM nominations
The federal lawmaker confirmed he had been contacted by Opposition MP Anthony Loke who requested Salleh to intervene and hold fresh nominations for the main Best Picture award, following public outrage that the cream of the crop should be segregated according to language use.
“YB Loke did call me regarding this matter and I will look into it when I am back in KL on Monday,” Salleh, who is in his Sabah home state, told Malay Mail Online when contacted for verification.
Loke had issued a press statement earlier urging Salleh to reprimand the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) — the country’s leading film development authority established in 1981 — for the uproar over the language segregation policy.
“I urge the communications and multimedia minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak to order FINAS to cancel the nominations which have been announced and have a renomination which takes into consideration several films like Ola Bola and Jagat,” the Seremban MP said in his statement.
The nominations of the two critically acclaimed movies — Chiu Keng Guan’s Ola Bola and Shanjhey Kumar Perumal’s Jagat — for Best Picture (non-Bahasa Malaysia) at the 28th FFM this year, instead of the main Best Picture category, had sparked public outrage as well as within the industry.
Popular actor-producer Afdlin Shauki and award-winning cinematographer and this year’s nominee Mohd Noor Kassim, both said they would boycott FFM28, which is to be held from September 1 to 3.
Their vocal criticism against the segregation, claiming it was a form of racialism, resonated with ordinary Malaysians and found support among prominent public personalities like CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak and airline tycoon Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
Loke said the segregation policy was unfair as both Ola Bola and Jagat were Malaysian movies that also highlighted important messages like unity.
“Films that bring the message of unity and integration like Ola Bola should be encouraged and celebrated as it is an approach to instil positive messages and the spirit of togetherness among the multiracial community in our country,” the DAP national organising secretary added.
Finas and the Malaysian Film Producers Association have said that the separation of award categories in the FFM was meant to uphold the national language in local films.
Finas director-general Datuk Kamil Othman told Malay Mail Online yesterday that the national film agency has made it a policy for locally-made films to emphasise at least “70 per cent” Bahasa Malaysia usage in their scripts, but he also admitted it would be ideal if the Best Picture category in FFM was open to all films regardless of language.
from Malay Mail Online | All http://ift.tt/2aYoRmu
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