The Reflection of 'Filem Kita Wajah Kita'

        We tend to believe that creativity should not have any boundaries and the society, in the name of democracy, have the license to express their imagination, emotion and everything. Perhaps, the freedom enables them to think ‘out of the box’ and pierce beyond the common. Luckily the government has given those opportunities, though there are still some acts and laws that prevent the society to go beyond the limitation.

           

            The film industry has evolved in so many ways. The technology changed the atmosphere and brought up the prestige of our films globally. Just to mention some of our best products; Bunohan, Puteri Gunung Ledang, Merong Mahawangsa, Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam, Sepet and Talentime, those films have uplifted the industry by receiving a number of awards on the international level.

            However, our film industry has been tarnished with the production of ‘non-standard’ film or known, too, as junk films that only fills the show time slots in the cinemas without contributing to the development of the country or the education of the society. The producers, directors and scriptwriters bring their contaminated ideologies through their films by portraying negative examples more than positive ones.

            Some maverick kinds of people in the industry have indirectly created ‘chaos and mayhem’ by producing films that portrays nothing but just to entertain the viewers. They loaded their storyline with too much irrelevant things; gengsterism action, sexual scenes, slapstick comedy, and erasing the root of our own culture with the uses of wrong language, taboo, customs and blacken the mind of the society with superstitious plot. Well, by using the excuse to nurture the society with current issues and problems, they own the license to produce those kind of films to be released to the public.

            In the end, our industry is full with films that damages the unity and harmony of the society, instill the teenagers and youngsters with the ideologies of negativity and inculcate their mind with western cultures such as sex, crimes and savages. The medieval time is coming back, where there is no tolerance towards religion, culture and civilization.

Fortunately today, most of the audiences are rejecting those kinds of films by choosing not to watch it. It is a good harbinger to the industry and nation itself because finally, the society has shown that they are not the third-class-minded people who are easily fooled by the film industry’s practitioners. Statistically, the data provided by the Perbadanan Filem Nasional Malaysia (FINAS) shows a drastic decline of viewers and profits for films these past few years.

YEAR	2011	2012	2013 (Jan-Sept)
Admission (mil)	59.90	56.90	39.95
Gross takings (mil)	RM 601.91	RM 607.73	RM 450.79
No. of cinema	107	121	124
No. of screens	639	754	774
No. of seats	120,941	138,838	141,471

(Source: Perbadanan Filem Nasional Malaysia)

            Though the amount of movie theaters, cinema screens and seats have been increasing every year, the total grossing decreased in a big amount especially this year. According to FINAS, the industry has produced a total of 76 films last year in comparison to only 49 films the previous year. Until September this year, a total of 50 films had been shown in the cinemas. But, the data shows that in 2011, the ticket selling is much profitable if to compare to the year 2012 and also this year. Producers lost millions due to the insipid nature of their own products and there is no one to be blamed for the situation other than themselves.

            We are too proud in telling the world that our nation is rich with culture, heritage and civilization since hundreds of years ago. Yet, we are taking the ideas of Western culture and blend it into our society through the portrayal in films that we make. Then, where is the relevancy of using the tagline ‘filem kita wajah kita?’ Henceforth, it is either we change the way the industry produce the films, or we should just abolish the tagline altogether because it does not represent the citizens of Malaysia as a whole.

Who said that films are not an efficient way to teach your children? Look at how the young people are behaving today. It all came from films 

(Hassan Abd Mutalib, 2011).