What is FINAS’ strategy for growth?
Dato Jailani: From the beginning, the objective is to promote locally produced content and facilitate film production in Malaysia wholesomely. We want to be a prominent global player in this industry.
This will lead to collaborations, co-production and partnership with foreign companies. All these have equipped us with a pretty broad range of great product: top-quality Malaysian movies, drama series, documentaries and other genres. What’s more, we have enlarged our original catalogue by co-producing award-winning shows such as FrienZoo – a co-pro by Malaysia’s award-winning animation studio, Lil Critter Workshop and Korea’s top animation studio, Grafizix Co.
We have 1,600 hrs of diverse creative content across various genres yearly for the global market. At MIPCOM 2015, 25 Malaysian exhibitors came with FINAS to promote their services and products. Over the years, we have systematically enlarged our original catalogue with programmes from other sources, in particular, highprofile international co-productions and licensing of our original products to the world such as ABC Monsters. Malaysia’s Animation Studio has successfully licensed its animated series ABC Monsters to NCircle Entertainment, a Texasbased company that specialises in the sales, marketing and distribution of quality pre-school and family entertainment content into major retailers in North America. We achieved that goal because international partners trust our quality production and working policies.
Is Malaysian content ready for the world?
Dato Jailani: Malaysia has contributed to a number of world-class animations such as Supa Strikas, BoBoiBoy, Upin & Ipin, Chuck Chicken, Rimba Racer, Hogie the Globehopper and many more. Revenue from creative content exports has seen growth from RM608 million at the end of 2014 from approximately RM200 million in 2009.
In line with the country’s objective to produce world-class content and function as a regional hub for development and distribution of creative content, three government agencies led by FINAS have come together lately to set-up the Content Malaysia Pitching Centre in Kuala Lumpur in April 2015. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) funded the centre with an initial US$25 million to kick-start the monthly pitching to international key players. A recent script development pitching at the centre received 200 applications. Selected pitch will be open for funding or commission by respective authorities.
The centre consolidates resources provided by the government agencies to help ease industry players’ access to funding and commercialisation. The funding will support a wide range of content from development funding, production, co-production, pre-seed, VFX, commercialisation, R&D, tax breaks, cash rebates, marketing, promotion and others.
It is important for us to focus efforts in creative content to explore markets beyond Malaysia as the creative industry is one of the driving forces to our economy. Hence, the government is taking an initiative to embark on improving the creative industry’s development agencies with the introduction of FINAS’ Content Malaysia Pitching Centre, a centralised agency to manage pitching for government funds.
The Malaysian government is very supportive towards our plans. FINAS is confidence that its content industry will rise to become a global player with spin-off opportunities where local IP content producers are able to expand and monetise their successful television programmes and films into licensing and merchandising, games, theme parks etc. Malaysia is keen to be the ‘Country of Honour’ at MIPCOM in two years. We will be ready by then.
What else is FINAS doing in this tough economy?
Dato Jailani: It is wise to spend during the slow economy. The low Malaysian currency is a good time to take advantage of productions and other development work in the country. The drop in Malaysian currency has coincidentally attracted many foreign players to look at us for quality deals at a more affordable level.
For the last few years, many foreign players have looked at Malaysia as a possible solution for high quality production at low cost and funding. The continuation of Film in Malaysia Incentive (FIMI) in 2014 has retained the momentum of estimated production spend in the country from approximately RM140 million in 2013 to approximately RM335 million in 2014. FIMI’s success includes attracting 21 productions (including 16 foreign ones), and boosting Malaysia’s reputation as a destination where its infrastructure and talent can support international-quality productions. The launch of Pinewoods Iskandar Studios Malaysia indicated the country’s ambition and capacity to attract international productions such as The Weinstein Co. and Netflix series, Marco Polo, and upcoming Hollywood film, Lost in the Pacific.
