‘Pendatang’ should be screened in schools, says Finas chairman

PETALING JAYA: The nation’s first crowdfunded movie, Pendatang should be screened in schools, says National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Datuk Kamil Othman.

Kamil said screening of the dystopian thriller which resolves around topics of race would create meaningful discussions in schools.

“(The movie) should be screened at schools to invite discussions, and dismantle deep seated perceptions and prejudices.

“Small steps towards a desired destination,” he said in a tweet on X platform.

Kamil tweeted the post along with the Pendatang movie poster on Monday (Dec 25).

ALSO READ: ‘Pendatang’ film racks up views, wows audiences

However, an X-user, @tontonfilem replied to his post asking if the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (LPF) would approve the screening of the movie.

“Datuk yakin LPF boleh lepas? (Are you confident LPD would approve?),” the tweet said.

"Can't speak on behalf of LPF but looking at the film objectively, some leeway might be possible," Kamil said.

Pendatang, which premiered on YouTube on Dec 21, has garnered over 100,000 views during the weekend and received rave reviews from viewers.

ALSO READ: Crowdfunded movie 'Pendatang' premiers, garners 100,000 views in 17 hours

The Cantonese-language movie by Kuman Pictures, is set in a dystopian Malaysia in which the different races are forbidden to mix.

It features an ethnic Chinese family that finds a scared Malay girl hiding in their new house after they had been relocated to a Chinese-only settlement.

Pendatang director Ng Ken Kin said the movie premiered on YouTube to prevent any censorship from LPF.