The fugitive businessman remains on the run

19 Oct - The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal was one of the events that truly shocked Malaysia, and it received worldwide attention.

This piqued the interest of director Cassius Michael Kim to produce a documentary film called "Man On The Run" ("MOTR"), which tells the story of 1MDB that involved former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and a businessman who is still at large, Jho Low - being the titular character of the film.

"Although the scandal received extensive coverage, many still do not know about the in-depth details of the scandal. So hopefully, this film will shed light on what happened," said Cassius at the film's gala premiere at GSC Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur.

He added "I think the recent changes in the government here have made more welcoming conditions for the film. I don't know if this would've been possible without the change of government .... we are telling the story of the past ten years and more since 1MDB, but also the very recent past when we filmed the film last year."

Producer Fabian W. Joseph, director Cassius Michael Kim, and former Member of Parliament for Damansara, Tony Pua

The director also shared about the challenges faced in making the film. He explained "I think the biggest challenge was producing the best global story and how to condense all the elements in a digestable amount of time on the big screen"

"So we try to find the essence of the story and what our focus would be. We decided to make sure the story about the people. It's a story about the people who committed the crimes, the people who suffered and the people who uncovered the scandal. So if you could tell about the people, then hopefully you will have some kind of emotional resonance with the audience."

Several individuals allegedly involved, which include some Hollywood celebrities, refused to be interviewed or be involved in the making of the film.

Among others who were interviewed include the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; former Member of Parliament for Damansara, Tony Pua; Editor of Sarawak Report, Clare Rewcastle-Brown; producer and CEO of The Edge Media Group, Ho Kay Tat; former PetroSaudi International Ltd official, Xavier Andre Justo; as well as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, Charles W O'Neal and David Smith who played key roles in the investigation of the 1MDB scandal.

The film has a segment that includes an interview with Datuk Seri Najib Razak before he was imprisoned after being convicted in relation to the scandal.

Also present at the gala premiere was former Member of Parliament Tony Pua, who hopes that "MOTR" would "open the eyes of the audience, especially the younger generation, about the corruption crimes that occur in the country. As we can see in this documentary film, many people think that the 1MDB story is old and need to move on. .. but this is a story that needs to be told, a story of greed and corruption in our country. This is something that cannot be allowed to happen again in our country."

Producer Fabian W. Joseph expressed his relief that the making of the documentary film went smoothly and that all the parties interviewed gave their cooperation.

"MOTR" reveals the shocking true story of corruption and betrayal that shook the financial stability of an entire country. It also involves Jho Low, a mysterious businessman who plans to exploit Malaysia's wealth fund through what is widely known as 1MDB.

Jho Low financed "The Wolf Of Wall Street"

With the cooperation of the Prime Minister at the time, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Jho Low is believed to have channeled billions of dollars into global bank accounts to cultivate his luxurious lifestyle, and he even financed the making of the Hollywood movie "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that starred Leonardo DiCaprio.

The research carried out by Cassius Michael Kim uncovered the network of corruption and revealed the deep impact of this huge financial scandal.

The documentary film "MOTR" will be shown in cinemas across Malaysia on 19 October.