Local film crew shooting the Hollywood hit, 'Crazy Rich Asians', in Langkawi, Kedah in 2017. — Biscuit Films
Malaysia is on its way to becoming one of the leading regional hubs for film production. The country has successfully attracted foreign creative investments through the Film in Malaysia Incentive (Fimi), which is creating jobs and upskilling the local workforce.
National Film Development Corporation (Finas) chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib revealed that among the latest international productions set to benefit from Fimi is the upcoming television series Lord Of The Flies, produced by Sony Pictures and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The series was filmed in Langkawi, Kedah, at the end of last year.
“The production brought in more than 30 child actors from overseas, accompanied by parents and tutors. A major hotel in Langkawi was rented for nearly five months for this purpose.
“In accordance with Fimi’s requirements, the production also employed a significant number of local crew members,” said Azmir in a recent interview.
He said the initiative was made possible through a partnership between Finas and the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada), which provided basic film production courses to workers in the tourism sector.
To further enhance local participation, Azmir announced that starting next year the minimum quota for local crew involvement in foreign productions will increase from 30% to 40%.
“This move will not only create more job opportunities for Malaysians, but also accelerate skills development by exposing local talent to international production standards,” he said.
Since the introduction of Fimi in 2013, a total of 128 productions have been approved, including 76 local and 52 international projects, with over RM419mil in rebates disbursed and direct investments totalling RM2.71bil.
Despite regional competition from countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, Azmir remains confident in Malaysia’s unique advantages.
“A skilled English-speaking workforce, economic stability, and an efficient permit approval process via the Central Agency for Application of Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) are among the valued- added factors for the country being the preferred filming destination.
“Malaysia offers attractive locations, cost-efficiency, and a production-friendly environment.
“More importantly, we are building a complete ecosystem – from talent training and modern tech usage to post-production,” he said.
To amplify Fimi’s global visibility, Azmir said Finas is also preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with Tourism Malaysia, which, among others, aims to position film not just as an entertainment product but also as a tourism promotion tool.
“This partnership will promote Malaysia as a filming destination while showcasing our tourism offerings to global audiences through movies shot here.
“Upcoming efforts include organising a Malaysia Film Week overseas, with one slated to be held in Beijing, China this August, led by Finas chairman Datuk Hans Isaac,” he said.
Azmir said Finas is also expanding international cooperation, including recent initiatives with China in conjunction with the Chinese president Xi Jinping’s official visit to Malaysia recently. Similar talks are underway with India and Indonesia.
“Our vision is for Malaysia to evolve into a regional hub not only for filming locations but also for film education and technology in the next five years.
“We want Malaysian crew to go international, local post- production companies to create content for South-East Asia markets, and more local universities to become professional training centres for the industry,” he added. – Bernama
