This Malaysian Film Is Premiering For Free On YouTube To Avoid Censorship
Watch it this Thursday, 21 December!
By May Vin Ang — 18 Dec 2023, 04:07 PM
A locally-made film, about a dystopian, racially-segregated Malaysia, is premiering for free on YouTube worldwide on Thursday, 21 December
The movie, which the director said would not have passed screening by the national Film Censorship Board (LPF), is called Pendatang.
The film is set in a dark fictional future Malaysia, where a Segregation Act divides Malaysians of different races into designated areas, with armed patrols enforcing the separation
The story follows a Chinese-Malaysian family of four, the Wongs, who are relocated to an assigned Malay wooden house in the countryside to their dismay.
The family faces a dilemma when they discover a Malay girl hiding in their new home.
The Cantonese-language thriller is produced by local film studio Kuman Pictures, and is the first fully crowdfunded film in the country
The script was written by Lim Boon Siang, who won a script writing competition by Kuman Pictures in 2019.
In 2022, the independent company managed to raise USD70,700 (approximately RM330,000) on crowdfunding website, Indiegogo, to make the film.
Kuman Pictures managing director Amir Muhammad said Pendatang was conceived from the beginning to be distributed freely online, where the country's censors have no authority.
Amir told New Straits Times that Pendatang was not made for commercial gain, and its success would be measured by its reach and the conversations it would encourage among viewers.
From left: Kuman Pictures managing director Amir Muhammad, director Ng Ken Kin, and scriptwriter Lim Boon Siang at a media briefing for 'Pendatang' in July 2022.
Image via Yusof Mat Isa/Malay MailMeawnhile, director Ng Ken Kin told SCMP that the film would not have passed LPF’s screening for national cinematic release given the subject matter of the film, which is why they turned to YouTube.
"YouTube is a ubiquitous platform for video content and most people can access it as long as there is an Internet connection," said Ng.
"We also [want] those outside the country to watch it. Basically we want to reach as many people as possible," he added.
The film will be released on YouTube at 9pm on Thursday.
