16 Oct – National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) Director-General Datuk Kamil Othman has urged local filmmakers to venture out of their comfort zones, to not depend merely on the fund and Compulsory Screening Scheme provided by the government. He believes that the scheme, though helpful, has pampered some filmmakers to the point that they no longer care about producing movies of good quality. "This is not a good scenario. Only a few movies are able to make record-breaking box office sales. What's worse is, some of the movies that fail are made by productions funded by the government," said Kamil, as quoted by BH Online. When a movie fails, he added, the government will suffer the loss as the producers are not able to pay back their loan. Hoping to put an end to the situation, he said that only movies of good quality will be eligible for funding and screening. He also suggested that local filmmakers look for overseas investors in order to lessen the production cost, as well as give their movies higher chances to be screened in other countries. He then advises directors to be smart in using symbolism in their movies so as to avoid excessive cuts by the Film Censorship Board (LPF). Referring to "Titanic", he said it is a perfect example of how a movie can have many layers that each has its own value such as the elements of love, cultural differences and history all assimilated in a way that is attractively presented to the audiences. He also stressed on the importance of educating the masses so that they may be able to differentiate between facts and fiction, especially when it comes to current issues. He said that if the audiences were easily influenced by the information spoon-fed to them without being able to separate facts from fiction, then the industry will never move forward. (Photo Source: The Star)