FILM CENSORSHIP (Local Shows Mirror Our Culture)

            I am not somebody in the film industry but a layman who pays close attention to the effects of international and local dramas and films on the audience’s changes in attitude, lifestyles and ways of thinking. So, I feel that the recent revision by the Film Censorship Board on guidelines for local productions deserves the thumbs up. The decision shows the board's strong concern over worrying issues of moral decay and crime involving people from all walks of life, especially children and teenagers. This smart move also indicates its determination to instil noble values in audiences as only local dramas and films with good messages and decent scenes will be allowed to be aired on television.

            It is crucial for us to understand that stricter rules will not mean low quality and limited creativity. Local filmmakers need to challenge themselves to produce dramas and movies that are meaningful, inspiring and appropriate for general viewing. With excellent scriptwriting and directing, they help the movies succeed at the box office. We may need to learn from international filmmakers who come up with works of intriguing and beautiful storylines, as in Laskar Pelangi, The Blind Side, Taare Zameen Par and Taegukgi. These movies are examples of high-grossing productions that convey strong messages and teach the audience about the essence of education, brotherhood, helping the needy, patriotism, appreciating individual talent and family relationships.

            It is hard to deny that the millennial generation learns effectively through what is trendy and, judging from the country's criminal phenomenon, that involves not only those with family problems and poor academic performance, but also those with upbringing and education. 

            The popularity of films with superstitious beliefs, indecent acts, extreme stunt performances, harsh and inappropriate languages, and criminal strategies is a negative exposure to viewers, regardless of age, gender and living status. This will encourage immature audiences to apply wrong but fun-to-try practices they see in movies to real life. In consequence, parents will be surprised when their children begin to smoke, bully, take drugs and involve in sexual intercourse behind their backs.

            It may be important for filmmakers to take the audience's interest into account before, but they need to bear in mind that marketable does not mean advisable. True filmmakers should be able to produce heart-wrenching and mind-blowing movies in their effort to help the audience immerse in the storyline that is likely to be their stories in real life.

Apart from making profit, filmmakers should not forget their social roles in educating the public on important aspects in life and various issues in the country. This is to prove that movies are not mere entertainment, but an informal education that teaches audiences about empathy, the importance of respect and kindness.

            Our local productions mirror our culture and way of life, so we should not tarnish our own image as a country with good morality and personality, because that is our identity.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

13 July 2015