Finas chairman Kamil Othman said the situation is of great concern as more people choose to watch the latest films through digital platforms, leading to a significant shift in viewing patterns.
“Many people no longer go to cinemas because online streaming services like Netflix have become an alternative cinema at home for users, More so, when these OTT platforms offer many movie titles that can be watched at any time.
“In the past, films shown on television were limited to specific times, that is, if a film was slotted for 3pm, it could only be watched at 3pm. However, online streaming has changed the way people watch (films). These platforms offer a wider choice (of movies which viewers can watch anytime they want),” he told Bernama recently.
Kamil said one of Finas’ main functions is to encourage more people to go to the cinema to watch movies. He added that to ensure this goal is met, filmmakers must first study the preferences of audiences across all generations so that marketing strategies can be meticulously planned.
“As a policy, we want people to make films that sell well globally, regardless of whether they are screened in cinemas or on Netflix,” he said.
He also cited the success of the Thai film “How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”, which was a hit not only in Thailand but also in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“If we want to make films, we have to look at genres that are marketable. Digital streaming companies will surely buy those movies to include them on their platforms.
“Once a (local) film is screened on a digital streaming platform, people from all over Southeast Asia can watch it. That’s the way to expand the market for our films. If we rely only on cinema screenings, the opportunity to generate profit is limited,” he said.
Film censorship
However, Kamil noted that another challenge faced by the national film industry is content censorship, which does not apply to OTT streaming.
“Most filmmakers who want to create controversial content know the film censorship board (LPF) will not give the green light, so they make films specifically for online platforms.
“So, our (Finas’) challenge is that Malaysians have gotten used to watching uncensored content, such as films featuring LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) themes on digital platforms, especially since the pandemic and movement control order, when many people shifted to these (OTT) platforms,” he added.
Film directors’ association of Malaysia chairman Afdlin Shauki echoed this sentiment, saying it has indirectly created “double standards” in the film world.
“Censorship is not a new issue but it simplifies (a filmmaker’s) work when no censorship is needed. It’s just that the issue of a double standard will arise as prohibited scenes are allowed on digital streaming services but not in cinemas,” he said.
However, Afdlin, who is also an actor and director, said censorship should not be a hindrance to producing quality work.
“The censorship issue is not an excuse for not producing good work. For instance, Iran has very strict censorship, but they produce great films that attract international attention, so having censorship does not mean our work cannot be good,” he said.