Malaysia movie sector set for upsurge1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Malaysian movie industry is poised for an upsurge in the area of non-Bahasa Malaysia language films following the government’s decision to allow them to be accorded the same tax incentives as Bahasa Malaysia or Malay movies.
Previously, locally-produced movies were considered “foreign” unless 60 per cent of the dialogue was in Bahasa Malaysia.
However, the term “local movie” has been redefined to include local productions in languages other than Bahasa Malaysia, and they would also enjoy the same privileges as Malay movies, such as the compulsory two-week screening at cinemas, and tax incentives.
With that, local productions will now be considered as “local movies” as long as at least half the film is produced in Malaysia and at least 51 per cent of the movie rights are owned by Malaysians.
