Harith slams move to nominate films under non-Malay category
THE STAR
Conflicting views: While Harith (above) believes the films should not be put on a different category, Fernandez feels otherwise.
PETALING JAYA: “Would you dance by language?” asks comedian and television host Harith Iskander, in making a point on the universality of art, when commenting on the controversy surrounding the upcoming 28th Malaysian Film Festival (FMM28).
Harith said that the decision by the organisers of FFM28 to move films such as OlaBola and Jagatfrom being nominated for Best Film to Best Film (non-Malay language) did not make sense.
“Categories should not be separated by language. Film is art. The art is the unifying language,” he told The Star yesterday.
He said the two films should be included in the Best Film category regardless of the language.
“A country is not defined by its national language,” he said, adding that in his opinion, the two films did not deserve to be segregated.
“I support anything that unifies us as Malaysians rather than divides us,” he added.
Yayasan 1Malaysia executive Ishak Sairozi said that the arts industry should aim to unite rather than divide, which has been done by the decision to disqualify Jagata nd OlaBola from the Best Film category.
“The Malaysian arts industry is the most popular medium in creating unity in society,” said Ishak, adding that if such issues were not resolved, Malaysians would continue living as a divided society.
Ishak said the exclusion of the two films should not be taken lightly as there should not be such division in today’s society.
He added that it was sad that a high-quality film such as OlaBola, which served to unite Malaysians, was excluded just because it featured an English-heavy dialogue.
In a move applauded by many including banker Datuk Seri Nazir Razak and AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, comedian and filmmaker Afdlin Shauki announced that he would boycott the upcoming FFM, while Md Nor Kassim, a nominee for the Best Cinematography for the film Bravo 5, withdrew himself from the festival in protest.
Malaysian Artistes’ Association (Karyawan) president Datuk Freddie Fernandez, however, defended the decision to place the films in a separate category.
“The FFM is meant to support Malay language films as that is our identity and it reflects our country,” said Fernandez, adding that the Malay-language film industry had a legacy.
Fernandez said that having films such as OlaBola and Jagat in separate categories did not denote that the films were less qualified.
Following the public outcry, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said he would discuss the segregation of categories based on language for the FMM 28 Awards with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas).
Salleh, who is in Tawau for the launching of this year’s National Month, said he would look into the matter when he is back in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.
“I have communicated with Finas director-general and will discuss with him when I am back,” said Salleh.
DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke contacted Salleh yesterday to urge him to intervene in the growing Best Picture award controversy following outrage over the segregation in categories based on language.
Finas director-general Datuk Kamil Othman explained that the decision to separate the categories based on language was simply a transitory compromise to reflect the diversity in the local film industry.
Tony Fernandes: I say it again, enough segregation
PETALING JAYA: It’s time for Malaysians to embrace diversity, says AirAsia founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes in expressing his support for actor Afdlin Shauki’s boycott of the Malaysian Film Festival 2016 (FMM).
"Kudos to @afdlinshauki for standing up for what he believed," he wrote on Facebook after Afdlin described the exclusion of the two critically-acclaimed films as racially divisive.
Fernandes said that movies should not be excluded for being multi-lingual.
"Having come form the entertainment industry, music media is an art, freedom of expression.
"Airasia is what and won world’s best airline because of our diversity.
"Come on Malaysia it's time to embrace diversity not find ways to further segregate it," he wrote on Friday.
He added that he and his fellow artistes did not look at race.
"I met Din my brother through music, Malaysia's greatest producer who made great music that we all listened to. Zainal (Abidin), Sheila (Majid) and Afdlin himself, we didn't look at our race.
"Together with Datuk Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar, Datuk Pahamin A Rajab and Conor Maccarthy, we created a wonder of Malaysia, Airasia that has changed many lives.
"I say again, enough segregation more inclusiveness. Celebrate our diversity," he added.
Following the call by Afdlin for the boycott, CIMB Bank chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak had also backed the local comedian.In his Instagram, Nazir said that change “will only happen when influential people like Afdlin made a principled stand.”
