Malaysia bets on foreign films to drive jobs and tourism

The upcoming TV series "Lord of the Flies," produced by Sony Pictures and the BBC, is among the latest global projects of the Film in Malaysia Incentive, according to Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib, chief executive officer of the National Film Development Corporation.

Filming took place in Langkawi, Kedah, late last year, he said, as reported by state-owned media outlet Bernama.

"The production brought in more than 30 child actors from overseas, accompanied by parents and tutors. A major hotel in Langkawi was rented for nearly five months for this purpose," he said.

"In accordance with Fimi’s requirements, the production also employed a significant number of local crew members," he added.

A beach in Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia, where several major movie productions have taken place. Photo by AFP

The National Film Development Corporation has been offering film production training to tourism sectors in an effort to boost the local crew quota for foreign productions to 40% next year from the current 30%.

"This move will not only create more job opportunities for Malaysians, but also accelerate skills development by exposing local talent to international production standards," Azmir said.

Since the launch of the Film in Malaysia Incentive in 2013, 128 projects have been approved, comprising 76 local and 52 international productions, with post-production subsidy from the government exceeding MYR419 million (US$100 million) and direct investments reaching MYR2.71 billion.

Michael Bay’s Netflix action thriller 6 Underground, for example, was the first movie to receive a 30% subsidy for visual effects as part of the initiative. The movie used a Malaysian-based company for around 90 visual effects shots, as reported by Screen Daily.

Despite competition from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, Azmir is optimistic about Malaysia’s strengths, which include a skilled English-speaking workforce, economic stability, and an efficient permit approval process.

"Malaysia offers attractive locations, cost-efficiency, and a production-friendly environment. We are building a complete ecosystem – from talent training and modern tech usage to post-production," he added.

The initiative plans to partner with tourism-promoting organization Tourism Malaysia to utilize film as a marketing tool to attract tourists.

"This partnership will promote Malaysia as a filming destination while showcasing our tourism offerings to global audiences through movies shot here.

Last month, Malaysia’s Skop Productions and Hong Kong’s Mandarin Motion Pictures signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen partnership in filmmaking, according to Business Today.

Azmir said that the partnership would expand markets, facilitate technology and skills transfer, and further brand Malaysia as a world-class filming destination.

Mandarin Motion Pictures is popularly known for the "Ip Man" action franchise starring Donnie Yen.