THE phenomenal success of historical epic 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan' and crime thriller 'Sheriff: Narko Integriti' and the international recognition of Malaysian films has attracted new investments for the creative industry.
National Film Development Corporation (Finas) chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib said many companies had expressed interest in boosting the quality of Malaysian films so that they could go global and win new audiences in East Asia and the West.
"Things are looking good for Malaysian movies, as evidenced by the box office success of 'Mat Kilau' and 'Sheriff'. Malaysian companies outside the film industry are increasingly keen on investing.
"Finas fully welcomes investment initiatives. This will be a great incentive for all filmmakers to make better quality films that can reach out to a wider audience, domestically and internationally."
Azmir was speaking at the launch of Malaysian insurance giant Norman Pang Group's (NPG) pre-initial public offering announcement in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur, recently.
At the event, NPG and MCI Capital launched the IPO Asia fund and committed to invest in the growth of the film industry by working closely with Finas.
Present were NPG chairman and founder Datuk Seri Norman Pang, MCI Capital chairman Cannis Chan and Evolve Capital Advisory chief executive officer Jerry Chua.
Azmir said NPG was dedicated to improving the creative industry and was contributing RM25 million for its future growth.
"Finas greatly welcomes this bold investment initiative. We encourage all Malaysian companies from various sectors to invest in the future growth of the film industry.
"We also encourage them to help promote rising big screen talents so that they will continue to thrive in their careers and star in foreign productions."
Directed by Syamsul Yusof, 2022's 'Mat Kilau' tells the story of anti-colonial fighter Mat Kilau Imam Rasu's fight against British rule in Pahang in 1895. It is the top selling Malaysian film, collecting RM97 million.
'Mat Kilau' starred Datuk Adi Putra, Wan Hanafi Su, Johan As'ari, Beto Kusyairy, Namron and Datuk Rahim Razali.
'Sheriff', directed by Syamsul's younger brother, Syafiq Yusof, tells the story of an unorthodox police officer who fights corruption in the police force and goes in pursuit of a mysterious killer known as the Meth Killer who gets rid of corrupt police officers.
The killer is believed to be a high-ranking police officer in the Narcotics Department.
Now playing in cinemas nationwide, 'Sheriff' stars Zul Ariffin, Datuk Aaron Aziz, Syafiq Kyle, Azira Shafinaz Ramlan, Elizabeth Tan and Hazama Azmi.
The action thriller has raked in more than RM52 million since it premiered on April 18.