Why Malaysian film Pendatang, a dystopian thriller playing on country’s ethnic tensions, aims to dodge censors with YouTube release
- The Cantonese-language Pendatang was conceived to be available freely online, where the country’s censors have no authority, provided it met a fundraising goal
- Director Ng Ken Kin says the team wanted to reach as many people as possible with their message that ‘race is really only a skin-deep notion’
Malaysia’s first entirely crowdfunded film will premiere on YouTube on December 21.
Directed by Ng Ken Kin and produced by Kuman Pictures, the Cantonese-language film Pendatang is a dystopian thriller that plays cleverly – even dangerously – on what would happen if the ethnic resentments that simmer among Malaysia’s different races exploded to their direst consequences.
“YouTube is a ubiquitous platform for video content and most people can access it as long as there is an internet connection,” Ng says, explaining that given its subject, the film would have never passed screening for national cinematic release by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (LPF).
“We also [wanted] those outside the country to watch it. Basically we want to reach as many people as possible.”
From the beginning, Pendatang was conceived to be distributed freely online – a space where the LPF has no authority – provided it could be made by achieving a fundraising goal.
Amir Muhammad, a book publisher, director and managing director of Kuman Pictures – a Kuala Lumpur-based, genre-film-focused independent film company – set out to raise US$70,700 by October 6, 2022. A week before the deadline, the project’s Indiegogo campaign covered only 49 per cent of Amir’s target.
