A TOTAL of 18 production companies received incentives worth RM1 million under the Feature Film Screening Incentive Scheme (ITFC) 2.0 from the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas).
Representatives of these companies received the incentives in a presentation ceremony at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur recently.
The event was attended by Finas chairman Datuk Kamil Othman, who presented the incentives, chief executive officer, Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib and deputy director-general of management Datin Rozita Waty Ridzuwan.
The ITFC is awarded to producers of feature films registered under the Mandatory Screening Scheme based on ticket collections in cinemas nationwide.
Kamil said the ITFC was not a form of financial aid, but an incentive given to film production companies to encourage them to produce more high-quality films.
"This can greatly contribute to the growth of the country as the film industry is a major economic sector today.
"Film producers who receive the ITFC will be motivated to produce new works of greater quality, and these will bring greater benefits to the film industry and boost its growth."
The 18 films that received incentives were 'Pendekar Awang: Darah Indera Gajah', 'Anak Perjanjian Syaitan 2', 'Gemencheh Boys', 'Banglo Seksyen 12', 'Waruga', 'Oru Kadha Sollatta Sir', 'Rain Town', 'Syaitan Munafik', 'Namatai: Kinabalu With Love', 'Syif Malam', 'Sayu Yang Syukur', 'Black and White', 'Agrinai', 'Magik', 'Ninaivo Oru Paravai', 'Curry Mee', 'Janna Endoro' and 'Kumang I'm No Longer 17'.
'Pendekar Awang', directed by Shahruddin Dali, is a spin-off of the hugely successful 2022 historical film 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan', which was based on Pahang's anti-colonial warrior Mat Kilau Imam Rasu who fought British rule in Pahang in the late 1890s.
It focuses on the adventures of Mat Kilau's younger brother, Awang, who develops strategies for fighting the British with his team of warriors.
'Gemencheh Boys', directed by Jason Chong, is based on the true story of a group of naughty secondary school students from Gemencheh in Negri Sembilan who are trained by their dedicated sports teacher to become successful cricket players.
'Rain Town', directed by Tunku Mona Riza, was screened during the Chinese New Year.
Starring Chew Kin Wah and Susan Lankester, it is a family drama set in Peninsular Malaysia's "wettest town" Taiping, and tells the story of a retired bank clerk who dictatorially controls the lives of his three children, leading to disastrous consequences.
Through the ITFC, films with a gross collection of RM2 million or less receive an incentive of 10 per cent of the gross ticket collection in cinemas nationwide.
Films that collect more than RM2 million will get a 10 per cent incentive for the first RM2 million gross collection, followed by another five per cent for the remaining gross amount.
The maximum incentive value that film producers can obtain for a film is RM500,000.