INDEPENDENT film “Pendatang” will continue to stream on YouTube despite the suggestion that it be shown in schools, said its producer Kuman Pictures.

The company said the suggestion by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Kamil Othman was a “personal opinion”.

“We consider that statement to be just a personal opinion with an element of hyperbole. It does not reflect the position of Finas.

“We will continue to show it the way it is made now,” Kuman Pictures posted on X.

It was responding to Kamil’s statement, also posted on X, that the film could encourage healthy discussions among students about Malaysia’s multiracial society.

Kamil had said the film could encourage meaningful conversations about biases.

“(Pendatang) should be screened at schools to invite discussions and dismantle deep-seated perceptions and prejudices. Small steps towards a desired destination,” he said on X.

The dystopian thriller is set in a fictional Malaysia where racial segregation is enforced. 

The story concerns a Chinese family that moves into a house and discovers a Malay girl hiding there, putting them in a moral quandary over evicting her or trying to smuggle her back to the Malay section.

The film is screening on YouTube to preempt censorship.

As of today, “Pendatang” has attracted over 380,000 views after four days of being on YouTube.

Most of the comments on the film focused on how racism was highlighted and how Malaysians should be more aware of it.

The film’s director, Ng Ken Kin, said the film would not be approved for screening in local cinemas, therefore it made sense to make it publicly available on YouTube for free. – December 26, 2023.