It will be compulsory for producers to apply for a Film Production Licence and Film Shooting Certificate (SSP) regardless if they are from a mainstream media outlet or personal media.
All film production, whether from media outlets or personal media on traditional platforms or even social media, require a licence, says the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.
Its Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said it is compulsory for producers of these films to apply for a Film Production Licence and Film Shooting Certificate (SSP) regardless if they are from a mainstream media outlet or personal media.
He said under the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Act, film producers are required to inform the corporation via existing channels seven days prior to the filming date, and this even includes media meant for social media platforms.
“It is mandatory for film producers to apply for a film production licence and filming certification letter, regardless of whether they are mainstream media or personal media that publish their film on social media or traditional channels,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
“We encourage everyone, big or small, young or old, individuals or organisations to produce any type of film…as long as it follows the existing laws,” he added.
Saifuddin said this in his reply to Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) during the Ministerial Question Time.
Wong had asked the Ministry to state if it would be made compulsory for all those who film to apply for a Production Licence and SPP.
In her supplementary question, Wong had asked the Minister on the exact definition of film and asked if this would affect people who use social media platforms such as Instagram TV or TikTok.
According to Saifuddin, who cited the National Film Development Corporation Act 1982, Section 22(1), said “no person shall participate in any production activities, distribute and exhibit films or any combination the activities specified in Section 21(1) unless a licence is issued authorising him to do so”.
He added that the Additional Conditions of Film Production under Regulations 4 of the Act (Licensing) 1983, Condition (1) that is enforced, “licensees, if filming, should inform the corporation no later than seven days before filming a movie begins through certain forms issued by the corporation”.
Yesterday, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia (FCCM) said it was unaware of any requirement to obtain permission from Finas for any news video production, and there was no such issue in the past.
In a follow-up question, Fahmi Fadzil (Harapan-Lembah Pantai) asked if Youtuber Dustin Pfundheller, who produced a video countering a controversial Al Jazeera news documentary, had a Finas licence.
To this, Saifuddin replied he had left it to the authorities and if there were complaints, they would take action.
Finas licences came into the spotlight after the government decided to probe whether Al Jazeera was licensed to produce documentaries.
This was after the Qatar-based media released a news documentary “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” which highlighted what it claimed was discriminatory practices against migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Pfundheller, a dental surgeon who travels the world, had produced a response video entitled “Top 15 Mistakes in Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” on his YouTube channel and Facebook page called Other Side of the Truth.
In his video, he claimed international news agency Al Jazeera had made mistakes in its special report, “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”.
Al Jazeera had since dismissed claims by Finas that it did not have the necessary licence to film or air its documentary on the alleged mistreatment of migrants in Malaysia.
Its English managing director Giles Trendle had in a statement yesterday said that per Finas’ own definition, its 101 East weekly current affairs show does not fall into the category of film requiring a licence.
He also said the authorities, unable to contest the integrity of their journalism, are now attempting this new gambit of claiming the news outlet did not have a proper licence.