DMY Creation, the distributor of Anwar: The Untold Story, has claimed that certain cinemas were “sabotaging” the biopic.
Its chairman Datuk Mohamed Yusoff said that several cinemas have refused to screen the film despite it collecting RM1mil at the box office on its first day, causing sales to fall short of the target.
“I am disappointed that Anwar: The Untold Story is being sabotaged by certain cinemas, even more so by the fact that certain cinemas have prepared 40 screening slots for international films yet only four slots for a movie talking about the sacrifices our Prime Minister made to fight against corruption,” he said in a statement.
Mohamed Yusoff added that after doing checks, the production team found that moviegoers had been complaining that several cinemas weren’t screening the biopic.
“We have lodged a complaint against the cinemas but nothing has changed on the third day of screening (Saturday), which is why we are choosing to speak up about this,” he said as quoted by mStar, The Star’s Malay language news portal.
In his statement, Mohamed Yusoff said that it is important to differentiate between politics and entertainment.
He also added that the lack of support for local productions will hinder the development of the local film industry.
“If we don’t support local productions, who else will? I hope that the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) will help resolve this issue so that equal treatment given to both local and international films,” he said.
Anwar: The Untold Story began screening at cinemas nationwide on May 18.
The movie follows the journey of Datuk Seri Anwar Inbrahim in fighting against bribery and corruption.
It charts the period from when he was first appointed as Finance Minister in 1991 until his dismissal from the cabinet in 1998, and the “Reformasi” campaign which contributed to his imprisonment that year.
The film stars Farid Kamil as Anwar, Acha Septriasa as Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Hasnul Rahmat as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
– The Star