SHAH ALAM, Sept 23 — Malaysia’s creative industry must be given more space and openness to produce films so it can develop on a par with global markets, said KRU Entertainment group chief executive officer Dato’ Norman Abdul Halim.
He said this openness is important to inject more daring narrative and creative diversity, in line with the rapid development of the nation’s creative industry, especially in film and animation.
“Malaysia has shown many positive developments in the orange economy sector. We are among the earliest nations in Asia that are focusing on developing the creative industry, especially animation.
“Production values for concerts and local works are now way higher than before. This shows the confidence of investors and audiences in the quality of locals’ work,” he said when met after guesting on Media Selangor’s Borak Kaypoh programme last night.
Norman said the creation and trade of local intellectual property has proven Malaysia’s creative talent capabilities to penetrate the global market, in addition to the successful organisation of local artistes’ concerts that have recorded encouraging returns.
“However, I hope policies and guidelines that control film content are reviewed so they don’t limit local filmmakers’ creativity.
“If we want to produce world-class works, our approach must be more global and open, including by daring to highlight current realities in film so the narratives are more relevant, honest, and acceptable globally,” he added.
Previously, University Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Malay Civilisation and Environment Institute research fellow Mohd Faizal Musa said the national orange economy must be protected from political instability to ensure the creative industry can grow without disruption.
Faizal also suggested reinstating the Arts and Culture Ministry, separate from a Tourism Ministry, to ensure the sector can be given special attention without being sidelined.
