15 Dec – It's one spectacular news for the local film industry as it was revealed that 11 new local films are set to be released in 2022. This piece of news was shared by the head of FINAS' Compulsory Screening Scheme committee Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof, stating that a lot of producers have begun applying for the Mandatory Screening Scheme slots ever since theatres began to reopen back in September. "For us, this is a good sign for the cinema industry and we very much welcome it. But with the number of COVID cases going up and up, we can't predict what will happen in the future, so we will use this opportunity to screen the movies that have been shelved for a long time," he said. It is noted that there have been several local movies being released in the past couple of months, including "Budak Kripto" in November, as well as "Dendam Kesuma," "Rumah Maduku Berhantu" and "Mr Peyii" earlier this month.
On the other hand, the 11 local films to be released until next March include "Gila Gusti", "Kongsi Raya", "Rumah" and "Bintang Hatiku". Meanwhile, "Prebet Sapu", which is representing Malaysia for the 93rd Academy Awards' Best International Picture category, will be shown in cinemas beginning 16 December. At the same time, Eizlan stated that they are also giving flexibility to movies that have been screened on the digital platforms or OTT to be released in theatres as well - as a way to help local producers, and giving audiences who didn't have a digital platform to watch those films.