Festival Filem Malaysia disqualifies Jagat and OlaBola from Best Picture, nominates ‘Mat Moto’ instead
NATIONAL film awards ceremony Festival Filem Malaysia ke-28 (FFM28) received backlash from the industry today after unveiling its nominees.
Continuing to segregate films based on language, the ceremony was lambasted by writers association PENULIS (Persatuan Penulis Lakon Layar Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor) for creating “racist categories” and for assigning non-Malay films less worth despite claiming to represent the Malaysian film industry as a whole.
In its twenty-eight year, FFM has chosen to keep the Filem Terbaik Bukan Di Dalam Bahasa Melayu category even though award-winning actress and producer Erma Fatima called out its irrelevance on air from the Festival Filem Malaysia ke-27 stage.
In its latest revival, the category even houses Jagat and OlaBola, two of the year’s best-reviewed movies.
Jagat is the debut film by Shanjhey Kumar Perumal which received very strong reviews and lasted for up to ten weeks at selected cinemas. It starred a real-life orphan and grossed RM220,000 at the box office. OlaBola meanwhile was Chiu Keng Guan‘s highly-anticipated follow-up to The Journey which saturated mass media during a particular point of the year.
Both were expected to do exceptionally well in this year’s ceremony, but the segregation has taken members of the industry by surprise. This inexplicably leaves the Filem Terbaik category open for entries such as Mat Moto – Kami Mat Moto Bukan Mat Rempit and Munafik, two SKOP Production releases which grossed substantial money at the box office.
Fans on social media have as an example of hypocrisy and ignorance.
This year’s nominees were coincidentally put forward by PFM (Persatuan Penerbit Filem Malaysia), also led by SKOP Production honcho Yusof Haslam. It is understood that FINAS Director-General Kamil Othman was not involved in the nominations.
Check out the full nominees list below.
FILEM TERBAIK FFM28
NOTA
POLIS EVO
MUNAFIK
MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
JEJAK WARRIORS
FILEM TERBAIK BUKAN DI DALAM BAHASA MALAYSIA
OLA BOLA
MARAVAN
JAGAT
HUAT THE FISH
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
PENGARAH TERBAIK FFM28
GHAZ ABU BAKAR / POLIS EVO
SAW TEONG HIN / JEJAK WARRIORS
SHAMYL OTHMAN / REMBAT
SYAMSUL YUSOF / MUNAFIK
WAN HASLIZA WAN ZAINUDDIN / LOVE SUPERMOON
PENGARAH TERBAIK (FILEM BUKAN DI DALAM BAHASA MALAYSIA)
CHIU KENG GUAN / OLA BOLA
JESS TEONG / THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
PUVANENDRAN SELVARAJA / MARAVAN
SHANJHEY KUMAR PERUMAL / JAGAT
YEE KWAN HUAH & SILVER / HUAT THE FISH
PENGARAH BAHARU TERBAIK
FEROZ KADER / SUAMIKU ENCIK PERFECT 10
PEKIN IBRAHIM / MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
SHANJHEY KUMAR PERUMAL / JAGAT
JESS TEONG / THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
DAVEN RAGHAVAN / CCTV
PELAKON WANITA TERBAIK
LISA SURIHANI / SUAMIKU ENCIK PERFECT
MAYA KARIN / NOTA
MAYA KARIN / JWANITA
NABILA HUDA / MUNAFIK
NADIYA NISAA / LOVE SUPERMOON
PELAKON BAHARU WANITA TERBAIK
FALISHA CROSLEY / MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
MARIANNE TAN / OLA BOLA
NUR RISTEENA / GIRLFRIEND KONTRAK
RAJA ILYA / SUAMIKU ENCIK PERFECT
ZARA ZYA / REMBAT
PELAKON LELAKI TERBAIK
AARON AZIZ / SUAMIKU ENCIK PERFECT
ANIU / REMBAT
PEKIN IBRAHIM / MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
SHAHEIZY SAM / POLIS EVO
ZIZAN RAZAK / POLIS EVO
PELAKON BAHARU LELAKI TERBAIK
ADAM SHAHZ / JUVANA 2 – TERPERANGKAP DALAM KEBEBASAN
CHE AMAR / CHOWRASTA
KEITH FOO / GIRLFRIEND KONTRAK
MAS KHAN / BIASAN
SARAN KUMAR / OLA BOLA
PELAKON PEMBANTU WANITA TERBAIK
ADELINE TSEN / GAMATISME
AMINAH RHAPOR / CHOWRASTA
ANNE NGASRI / LOVE SUPERMOON
CHRISTINA SUZANNE / JWANITA
FAUZIAH DATO’ AHMAD DAUD / LANGIT CINTA
PELAKON PEMBANTU LELAKI TERBAIK
RAMLI HASSAN / NOTA
AZAD JAZMIN / GIRLFRIEND KONTRAK
HASNUL RAHMAT / JUVANA 2 – TERPERANGKAP DALAM KEBEBASAN
HUSHAIRI HUSAIN / POLIS EVO
SRI BALASUBRAMANIAM / OLA BOLA
PELAKON KANAK-KANAK TERBAIK
ALIFF FIRDAUS / JEJAK WARRIORS
HARVIND RAJ / JAGAT
RYQAL ISKANDAR / CICAKMAN 3
SHIVATHARAN NAMBIAR / OLA BOLA
TAN QIN LIN / THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
CERITA ASAL TERBAIK
OLA BOLA
REMBAT
MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
JAGAT
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
LAKON LAYAR TERBAIK FFM28
NOTA
SUAMIKU ENCIK PERFECT
POLIS EVO
MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
LOVE SUPERMOON
LAKON LAYAR TERBAIK (FILEM BUKAN DI DALAM BAHASA MALAYSIA)
OLA BOLA
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
HUAT THE FISH
MARAVAN
JAGAT
SINEMATOGRAFI TERBAIK
POLIS EVO
BRAVO 5
MUNAFIK
MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
JAGAT
PENYUNTING TERBAIK
OLA BOLA
JAGAT
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
POLIS EVO
MUNAFIK
PENATAAN SENI TERBAIK
JAGAT
BRAVO 5
OLA BOLA
HUAT THE FISH
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
PENATAAN BUNYI TERBAIK
REMBAT
POLIS EVO
MUNAFIK
MAT MOTO – KAMI MAT MOTO BUKAN MAT REMPIT
VILLA NABILA
KESAN VISUAL KHAS TERBAIK
KAPSUL
OLA BOLA
MUNAFIK
CICAKMAN 3
THE NOISE
PEREKA KOSTUM/BUSANA TERBAIK
OLA BOLA
CICAKMAN 3
BRAVO 5
THE KID FROM THE BIG APPLE
POLIS EVO
SKOR MUZIK ASAL TERBAIK
CHOWRASTA
JWANITA
PILOT CAFÉ
OLA BOLA
MUNAFIK
LAGU TEMA ASAL TERBAIK
NUR ZAIDI ABD RAHMAN – LANGIT CINTA (DAYANG NURFAIZAH)
SYAMSUL YUSOF – KALAH DALAM MENANG (SYAMSUL YUSOF & MAWI)
EDRY ABDUL HALIM – ADIWIRA (ZIZAN RAZAK & KRU)
NUR ZAIDI ABD RAHMAN – UNTUK CINTA (DAYANG NURFAIZAH)
ZEE AVI & RENDRA ZAWAWI – ARENA CAHAYA (ZEE AVI)
What do you think?
Featured image obtained via FINAS! Make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Ola Bola grossed RM 2.5 million in just four days of opening. And in March 2016 (39 days after opening), it has grossed more than RM16 million at the local box office. The results should speak for themselves. Like a lot of talent that is not recognised nor appreciated locally, they end up receiving international recognition instead. Isn’t that better?
I think you need to reword your title because it’s misleading a LOT of people right now (I implore you check anyone’s Facebook posts that has shared your news). It wasn’t disqualified, it’s just under a different category with a similar title (albeit it’s horribly unnecessary).
Hi Alissa, those films were indeed disqualified from Filem Terbaik FFM28 due to a technicality which requires a film to be at least 60% in the Malay language to be nominated for the category.
They can’t even compete among fellow Malaysian movie makers, never dream reaching world status, there should never be such thing as Non-Malay speaking category, it’s a Malaysian movie,
Absolutely outrageous. RIP FFM. When u segregate film like this, this shows FFM is not even fit to be judge for the film award because they can’t even use the festival appropriately to promote harmony in the country. I must say the directors do far better job by those sitting in FFM Panel. No one will watch so Low life film festival. Absolutely wasting our time. RIP, FFM
So, only FFM and FINAS are now considered racist after they put olabola and jagat in the non-malay categories?
The question should be ask to those non-malay producers and production houses also. Don’t tell me they are not racist at 1st place.
I think Bront Palarae the founder of daily seni feels bad about his movie ola bola not being nominated as filem terbaik. Ola bola is a great movie, but this is a dumb agenda by bront and the gang. Should change the name to “The Daily Sentap”
look at vote results… sounds like u r the one who sentap. ola bola should be in best film, this is FFM scared that chinese director wins two years in a row. sorry not chinese directors fault if they make good meaningul movies
Do u know that the KP Finas , Dato Kamil is Syamsul Yusof’s wife uncle ? Uncle by the meaning of Putri Sarah’s dad and Dato kamil are cousins. So there must be something in it.