KUALA LUMPUR: The new Film Censorship Guidelines launched by the Home Ministry have been given the thumbs up by the Film Producers' Association of Malaysia (PFM).
Its chief executive officer Zahrin Aris said they were "fully supportive" of the new guidelines as they gave filmmakers a much clearer picture of what to avoid when coming up with new movies.
"We are happy that the Film Censorship Board (LPF) has stated things a lot clearer than before with these new guidelines.
"LPF is a lot more open now and its support of the bestselling local movie 'Sheriff' shows," he said.
Citing 'Sheriff' as an example, Zahrin said the board had allowed the topic of corruption in the police force to take centrestage in a local movie for the first time.
"This topic used to be a big 'no go' for we filmmakers in the past decades, and we are happy that the board has finally relaxed such restrictions," he said.
Zahrin added that the dialogue in that film also pointed out to the fact that VVIPs found guilty of corruption could land in jail and this was unthinkable in the past.
"The new guidelines point to censorship that moves with the times, that is a lot more flexible and rational, and that meets the needs of a more mature and discerning audience."
Zahrin expressed optimism that the new censorship guidelines would help filmmakers boost their creativity and come up with productions that did well in the local box office.
On another note, Zahrin said PFM had requested the Home Ministry to exempt local filmmakers from paying location fees for the first 40 locations where their films were screened.
"This is to lighten the burden on filmmakers, as only six to seven out of 60 film titles screened in cinemas will be successful in terms of collections," he said.
KRU Studios chief executive officer Datuk Norman Abdul Halim described the new guidelines as a "positive move by LPF."
"I strongly believe that the new Film Censorship Guidelines will spur the growth of the creative industry as they are a more progressive approach that takes contemporary viewers' feedback into consideration," he said.
Filmmaker Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri welcomed the new guidelines, but hoped that the board would be consistent in implementing them.
"It is always good to have guidelines that evolve with changing times. However, my concern is that such guidelines must be implemented without fear or favour, and they should apply to all parties involved in the industry," he said.
Filmmaker Datuk Yusof Haslam said that the guidelines were "very necessary" to ensure that filmmakers adhered to the principles of Rukunegara and avoided sensitive topics.
"We must always preserve national unity in our multi-cultural nation, and for that reason clear guidelines are a must for filmmaking," he said.
The Home Ministry today launched new Film Censorship Guidelines, involving three core areas to help filmmakers come up with quality films without resulting in negative impacts on public order.
The core areas are security and public order, religion and morality, and social-economic issues.
The guidelines aim to raise standards of assessment of films by the board and minimise change to films in order to preserve their aesthetic value and support creativity.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the new guidelines covered a more comprehensive spectrum of dos and don'ts for filmmakers.
He said they would help filmmakers come up with better quality films and not restrict their creativity.
