Gua Matsoorat: Finas to review filming license issue- Chairman

IPOH: The National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) will re-evaluate the issuance of the Certificate of Filming (SPP) following allegations of damage to fossils that are millions of years old after filming was done by a production company at Gua Matsoorat (Matsoorat Cave) recently.

FINAS chairman Zakaria Abdul Hamid said re-evaluation of the SPP would be made if a production team wanted to shoot at a location that has national treasures to ensure that the issue would not arise again.

"I have advised the FINAS enforcement division to re-evaluate all the SPPs that we have issued. We have to see which areas they want to do filming in.

"If the areas are sensitive ones such as sites with prehistoric treasures and so on, we should re-evaluate the issuance of the SPP to ensure that such things do not recur."

He said this after officiating at the closing ceremony of the Music Video Production and Copyright Workshop at the Ipoh Town Hall. The event was jointly organised by Luncai Emas Sdn Bhd, Ipoh City Council (MBI), FINAS and Consortium of the Malaysian Music Recording Industry, here.

Reportedly, a Facebook posting had gone viral on social media following damage to the site after the filming of a popular drama, with claims that the production crew threw garbage everywhere with some pictures showing the damage and the engraving of the drama's title on the cave wall.

Zakaria said his team was disappointed with the incidents of intrusion that occurred and would suggest some measures to be taken after they received a full report on the incident.

He said FINAS was still investigating the matter and was waiting for a full report from the production team to obtain a clearer explanation.

"I was also asked by the minister to get the real story on this matter. This is an encroachment on national treasures which the production crew should have been careful about," he added.

The Copyright and Music Video Making Workshop is a human development programme conducted by FINAS to provide exposure and ideas to participants, especially young people on the making of music videos, on publishing, editing and the importance of copyright.

-- BERNAMA