KUALA LUMPUR – A government backbencher has claimed that screening international movies in cinemas here has negatively impacted the local film industry.
PKR MP Yuneswaran Ramaraj (Segamat-PH) highlighted movies from India, in particular, in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the locally-produced Tamil movie Adai Mazhai Kaalam, which premiered in cinemas nationwide earlier this year, was only screened in theatres for “two to three days a week.”
“Adai Mazhai Kaalam is a movie produced by a local talent who is very popular and it’s also available on Netflix. Unfortunately, it was only screened in cinemas for two to three days a week.
“Movies brought in from India are disrupting the production or ticket sales of local movies, which has affected local artists and producers,” Yuneswaran said during his debate on the Supply Bill 2024 at the committee level for the Communications and Digital Ministry.
The lawmaker also expressed his concern over how the screening of another local movie, Naam Katra Isai, on November 23 might be “disturbed” by the screening of another foreign film scheduled to hit local screens around the same time.
It is believed that Yuneswaran was referring to Indian Tamil-language spy action film Dhruva Natchathiram, which will be screened in cinemas here on November 24.
He also called on the Communications and Digital Ministry to keep an eye on film distributors to ensure that adequate space is given for the screening of films produced by local talents.
The first-time MP did not provide figures to substantiate his claims on how international movies are supposedly detracting viewers from watching local productions. – November 22, 2023