Syerleena Abdul Rashid of DAP said eight out of 10 movies shown at South Korean cinemas were locally-produced films, a result of increased competition among Korean filmmakers.

“While there might be some opposition by certain parties, (the restriction) is something that needs to be done to improve our film industry,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat during the budget debate.

Syerleena, who is MP for Bukit Bendera, suggested that Finas, the national film development corporation, improve on an initiative to make it compulsory for cinemas to screen locally-produced films for two weeks.

She also criticised the off-peak showtimes for local movies which “did not make sense”. She said some films were scheduled to be shown either early in the morning or late at night. “Even worse, the showtimes for some local films were scheduled very close to the prayer times, as if they were attempting to discourage moviegoers from watching these films.”

She cited two films, “Walid” and “Pagari Bulan”, were screened for only one week and even then only one cinema had screenings at night.

“The government should not allow such treatment by cinemas to persist as the film industry has the potential to contribute to the nation’s economy,” she said.

Syerleena also urged the people to support the local film industry. “Watch it legally and don’t download them illegally,” she said.

She said films from Hollywood and Korea were dominating the market. If Malaysia wanted to flourish in the international movie scene, the local market needed to be supported first.