With 400,000 views, Malaysia’s first crowdfunded film Pendatang scores away from censor’s pen
- Pendatang, a dystopian film tackling the delicate topic of race, has gripped the public after filmmakers released it for free on YouTube
- Viewers laud the film for its lack of government control over the content, while there are calls for it to be screened at schools to invite discussion and dismantle deep-seated prejudices
Malaysia’s first crowdfunded film – Pendatang – a dystopian movie tackling the delicate topic of race, has gone viral on YouTube after filmmakers released it for free online to work around the country’s heavy-handed censors.
Malaysia’s censors have been in highly interventionist form over recent years, banning films and expunging scenes deemed too western or scandalising of Malaysia’s conservative culture.
Pendatang, a derogatory term used to describe non-Malay communities seen as “outsiders” and “newcomers”, is a dystopian thriller that conjures up a nation under strict racial segregation mandated by law.
Voting to segregate itself in a referendum, the Malaysians of Pendatang live under martial law, with a 25-year jail penalty for engaging in any interracial contact.
With more than 408,000 views on YouTube in just four days after its release, the film has gripped the public, eclipsing cinema releases including police action flick War On Terror: KL Anarki, which has been watched by 235,000 viewers.