KUALA LUMPUR: Since last year, the Cinema Censorship Council (LPF) has not approved seven films to be screened in local theaters, with six films last year and one this year, says Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed Said.
The Deputy Interior Minister said that the only film that was not approved for screening in local theaters this year was the Chinese war film The Battle at Lake Changjin.
He was speaking in Parliament during Question Time on Monday (November 29th).
Ismail said the council did not approve six films last year, which were Bollywood Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Paliu Padama Paathuka, White Eye from Israel, Boluomi from Taiwan, Real Love from France and locally produced Daulat, which eventually released on iFlix.
Ishmael said the council evaluates films for local screening based on four factors: security and public order. religion; sociocultural; as well as manners and decency.
“It is clear that security and public order are the council’s priority in evaluating the content of a film before it is shown in public,” Ishmael said.
Ishmael also said that the council was only responsible for censoring the films for public screening.
“He is not involved in filmmaking,” he added.
He said that the council falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior and that film production in Malaysia is regulated by the National Film Development Company (Finas) under Law 244 (Finas Act 1981).
Ismail responded to Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong), who asked how many films had not been approved by the council since last year.
Daulat, released in April last year, tells the fantastic story of a Machiavellian politician plotting a return after losing the general election.
It was reported that the producers initially opted for a movie release, but it was eventually released on the iFlix streaming platform due to difficulties in obtaining board approval.
The three-hour The Battle at Lake Changjin tells the story of a 1950 battle on the lake of the same name, also known as the Chosin Reservoir, during the Korean War.
The local distributor of the film, Mega Film Distribution, said in a statement on November 23 that it was considering submitting the film for review.
He also denied that the film promoted communism and regretted the board’s decision, as the film has grossed $ 890 million (RM 3.7 billion) in China.
The film was released in China on September 30, the eve of China’s national holiday.
It was reported that the council did not approve the film following an online outrage that claimed it was promoting communism, which is banned in Malaysia.
