THE biopic about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, titled “Anwar: The Untold Story”, will be screened in 110 cinemas nationwide starting May 18, its official distribution company DMY Creation said.

The movie is set to be released in the middle of the international blockbuster movie screening season, hitting the cinemas at the same time as “Fast X”, the 10th and final film in the “Fast & Furious” series.

It will also compete with local action film “Polis Evo 3” – the third instalment of the local box office hit movie series – a week later.

DMY Creation executive producer Mohd Maidin Abdullah said large-scale advertising to promote Anwar’s film will begin next Tuesday.

“We have already planned to advertise on all social media, and by Tuesday next week we will advertise on a big scale throughout the country, including in Brunei and Singapore,” Maidin told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the film, directed by Viva Westi from Indonesia, did not apply for screening under the Mandatory Screening Scheme because the process takes time, and they had wanted it to be screened immediately.

Films placed under the Mandatory Screening Scheme are required to remain in cinemas for 14 days in accordance with the regulations of the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas).

“The Mandatory Screening Scheme has its own process – three months at the earliest and six months at the latest.

“It is possible to apply for the mandatory broadcast scheme, but we don’t want to wait up to six months,” he said.

Maidin was, however, confident that the biopic would gain success based on the initial interest shown by many parties to watch it in cinemas.

“The response has been very encouraging, some have contacted us asking how to book cinema halls and so on.

“We have to show that local films are not to be looked down upon, we have the capacity to compete. If we continue to be fearful of other movies, when can we compete with international films?” he said.

He also hoped the film would be well received by people from all walks of life.

“This is not a political film, this is a film about the struggle of an individual, a politician.

“We hope Malaysians will really support us,” Maidin added.

The film portrays the period between 1993 and 1998 when Anwar was finance minister and deputy prime minister to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as well as his struggle and unwavering stand against corruption and embezzlement.

Anwar was dismissed from Umno and the government on September 2, 1998 and briefly detained under the Internal Security Act 1960.

While in custody, he was attacked by the former national police chief at the time, Abdul Rahim Noor, which left him a black eye. The picture of Anwar’s bruised eye became one of the symbols of the Reformasi movement, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary this September.

“Anwar: The Untold Story” stars Farid Kamil Zahari who plays Anwar, while Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa takes on the role of Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The film, which cost RM10 million to make, was shot in both Malaysia and Indonesia. It is produced by Bianglala Entertainment.

The premiere of the film, which took place on May 8 in Kuala Lumpur, was attended by the prime minister and his wife.

Anwar said he was touched by the film, although the overall dialogue and narration were not 100% the same as his own journey but the issues raised were real events.

The Tambun MP also praised the work of the director from Indonesia whom he described as “smart and great”, for being able to summarise a story from 23 years ago into a film with a running time of about 90 minutes. – May 12, 2023.