Michelle (left), Nazrul (right) and Zairul during the “Shoot in Sabah” talk.
KOTA KINABALU (March 9): Aspiring filmmakers in Sabah are reminded to obtain the necessary licence from the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) as well as permits from the state government before they start their film production.
Finas Borneo director Mohammad Rizal Mohamed Yunus explained that the reason is to legitimize their filmmaking endeavours as it covers the production, distribution and exhibition-related matters of their works.
“Filmmakers who wish to apply for funding from Finas are also required to have the licence. In addition, if they want to pitch their works to Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) or other government agencies for example, they would also need to have it,” he said during the Kupi-Kupi Borneo 2023 program at the Le Meridien Hotel here on Thursday.
Rizal said aside from the licence, filmmakers planning to shoot their productions in Sabah will also need to apply for a permit from the state government to ensure that they are authorized to film in areas that require it.
He said this is an added layer that they have to go through as part of the state government’s efforts to regulate the content of films made by production companies, especially if they plan to shoot at tourist attractions.
“Besides that, they also need to apply and procure the Filming Authentication Certificate (SPP) from Finas. Applications must be made seven days before they start their production shooting,” he added.
The Kupi-Kupi Borneo 2023 program was a one-day program hosted by Finas to disperse information and communicate with industry players through a series of talks on various topics.
Moderated by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Academy of Creative Arts and Technology (ASTiF) dean Prof Madya Dr Zairul Anwar Dawam, the first topic “Shoot in Sabah” was held with Finas licencing and enforcement director Mohd Nazrul Shah Hamid and breakthrough filmmaker Michelle Xin.
The second topic, “From Sabah to International”, was with ‘Craze Below the Wind’ director Chester Pang and Malaysia’s representative for the Asian Project Market for Busan International Film Festival 2022, Putri Purnama Sugua, while the last topic was an engagement session by Finas industrial development director Muhammad Ar-Riyyan Mohamad Roslan.