Following backlash, minister Fahmi says roducer will change ‘unsuitable’ trailer for ‘Pulau’ movie
PETALING JAYA, Jan 18 — Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said today he disagrees with the contents of a promotional trailer for the horror movie Pulau, which saw backlash from some in the majority Malay-Muslim community online.
He also said Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd (GSC), which aired the trailer, has been informed to remove it pending an edited version from the producers.
“That trailer for me is not suitable and I myself have been in contact with the GSC who uploaded the trailer and I understand that that producer has decided to withdraw or take down the trailer and prepare a new edit,” he told reporters at the Duan Nago Bogho film screening at The Starling GSC here.
Fahmi clarified that he had not personally seen the movie, and was strictly commenting on the trailer that caused controversy online.
Fahmi added that he would look into standard operating procedures at the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) under his ministry, but insisted that the final say on the movie would come from the Film Censorship Board (LPF), an agency under the Home Ministry.
“My view is that we may have to re-examine some SOPs because clearly there has been a violation here and I understand that in terms of the LPF approval, it was given in September last year, before I became a minister, before the current government.
“But I can't talk more than that and I am asking my media friends to contact the LPF,” he said.
The trailer has been denounced by critics who have also demanded that the government rescind the previous approval for the movie to be screened in March.
The controversy is primarily due to scenes of a sexual nature, including actresses wearing beachwear to flashes of kissing and love-making scenes. No actual kissing or sex scene was shown in the trailer.
Pulau, produced by My Way Pictures in collaboration with Film Force Studios, features local celebrities including Alif Satar, Amelia Henderson, Sanjna Suri as well as glamour model-turned-DJ Ms PuiYi.
The trailer depicts a group of friends who are vacationing together and after a daring bet, the group sets out to a mysterious island where darkness awaits.
Following its trailer release over the weekend, the movie has been bombarded with comments from local social media users condemning what they deemed "sexy scenes" in the trailer, some even calling it "soft porn".
