Malaysian filmmakers must cater for global audience when making movies - FINAS

In order to capture the hearts of international audience, Malaysian filmmakers have been urged to think more

universally rather than playing the safe card of producing movies that will only target the local audience.

In stressing this, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) director-general Datuk Kamil Othman said Malaysia had the potential to produce movies that will entice audiences across the world, if they start thinking differently.

"We need people who can see things from a varied perspective and could write stories that are creative because at this point of time Malaysian films try hard to be universal in nature but in actual fact our movies are only restricted to this country.

"Most of all what we want them to do now is to try and capture the environment of what others have done outside Malaysia in order to create the Malaysian new wave of having movies that are recognised globally," he said after attending the Forum of Experiential Learning on the International Festival Demystified, here on Thursday.

The forum was conducted by French filmmaker Pierre Risseint and the founder of the Festival of the Three Continents, Alain Jalledeau, who shared their in-depth knowledge and experience with about 100 local filmmakers.

The forum was also attended by Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, former Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) general manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong and local filmmaker Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba.

Festival of the Three Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France and devoted to cinemas of Asia, Africa and Latin America.