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24 Mar 2010

Malaysia: Okay to be gay in a movie but only if character 'repents'

Officials say new censorship guidelines will allow greater freedom of expression for film-makers but kissing, undressing and obscene scenes will still be banned.

AFP on Mar 22, 2010 reported:

Malaysia Film Producers Association or Persatuan Pengeluar-pengeluar Filem Malaysia (PFM) 

Film-makers can depict homosexuals for the first time in strictly censored Malaysia – so long as they repent or even go straight in the end, an industry group said Monday. 

Strict censorship rules in the mostly Muslim country mean books and films are routinely banned or scenes deleted that are deemed detrimental to moral values or religious sensitivities. 

The new censorship guidelines reverse a ban on scenes featuring homosexuality, Malaysian Film Producers' Association president Ahmad Puad Onah said. But there's a catch.

"We are now allowed to show these scenes," he told AFP. "As long as we portray good triumphing over evil and there is a lesson learnt in the film, such as from a gay (character) who turns into a (straight) man.

"Previously we are not allowed to show these at all."

Malaysia

Reader's Comments

1. 2010-03-24 14:17  
LOL, portraying a gay character that repents in the end and turns straight sounds like the most tragic role in movie history to me :p
2. 2010-03-24 14:47  
This is such a joke. Probably that's why there are so many married men in Malaysia that think that they are straight but go ahead and have sex with men. Which is worst? Accepting your sexuality and living with it or marrying and living a lie which involves your family?
3. 2010-03-24 15:33  
WTF?
4. 2010-03-24 16:24  
How about movies about Religious Bigots
who repent and become Atheists !!
I'd watch that ;)
5. 2010-03-24 17:28  
LOL!!! Malaysia oh Malaysia.

Just when I thought their Beyonce ban was exemplary enough for their ridiculity, they outdo themselves once more.

Truly Asia!
Comment edited on 2010-03-24 17:28:42
6. 2010-03-24 18:12  
Malaysian censorship, what a joke! I am against any form of censorship unless it has a direct detrimental effect on a person. A system of classification is all that is required for easily offended people. I've never been to Malaysia and have no intention of going there.
7. 2010-03-24 18:57  
pathetic, it s almost as conservative as China.
8. 2010-03-24 19:19  
Malaysian Film Producers' Association president Ahmad Puad Onah said - "We are now allowed to show these scenes," he told AFP. "As long as we portray good triumphing over evil and there is a lesson learnt in the film, such as from a gay (character) who turns into a (straight) man.

All I can say is...Mat...balik kampung!... and get a brain so you might just understand this tiny little fact that being gay is not like a light switch you can turn off or on at will.
9. 2010-03-24 21:48  
People might disagree with me here, but I view this as a change... For the better. Like was said, they are now allowed to be shown, therefore the likelihood of Malaysians having a higher tolerance to such depictions will increase, hopefully (all depends on the maturity of the citizens, not the government).
Whereas in Singapore, well what can anyone say? Gays are evil. If I'm not mistaken, gays can only be the bad guy who gets killed or the equivalent at the end of the movie.
If I am wrong enlighten me please. Thank you. :)
Anyway, I see this as a step (albeit a tiny one) forward to greater tolerance and a more open world.
10. 2010-03-24 22:46  
This is bullshit. Death to all forms of censorship. Why can't we make use of the rating system instead?
11. 2010-03-24 22:46  
This is bullshit. Death to all forms of censorship. Why can't we make use of the ratings system instead?
12. 2010-03-25 00:06  
Ah, I was waiting for something on Malaysia to do this.

Aput, are you here? There's something about Malaysian law that I want to discuss and you seem well postioned for it.
13. 2010-03-25 01:13  
Malaysia, Malaysia, Malaysia.

A country with such great potential, and such great people.

But time and time again, willing to step into the limelight and become a laughing stock . . . and always for the dumbest of dumb reasons.


Comment edited on 2010-03-25 01:18:01
14. 2010-03-25 12:20  
Oh dear. I have to go along with #3 on this one with a big ol' incredulous "WTF?!" I just laughed out loud, literally, at the headline. I live in Malaysia, and even for this country, this rule is just patently, ridiculously laughable. I also totally agree with #13. Such potential. Such virtually never-realized potential.

In related news, people will allowed to be Jewish in movies now, as long as they see the error of their ways and "go Muslim" by the end.

Similarly, movie characters will now be permitted to be black, but only if they lighten up to at least a light cappuccino color by the film's conclusion.

Ha ha ha. Oh bless Malaysia and its devout resolution to stay entrenched in the 18th century! And we thought their steadfast refusal to be forward-looking only applied to their roadways and public transportation. Ha ha ha.
Comment edited on 2010-03-25 12:23:53
15. 2010-03-25 14:11  
Malaysia never stops surprising me......this is truely NOT asia culture!!
It is medival, surpessing attitude that will ruin the Malaysi from a lot of religions, an state sooner or later.When humaneity won over religious darkness...there might be a lot of different profets "rolling in their garaves" comming from a lot of religions. Just the knew have their words are used!!
16. 2010-03-25 14:11  
Malaysia never stops surprising me......this is truely NOT asia culture!!
It is medival, surpessing attitude that will ruin the Malaysi from a lot of religions, an state sooner or later.When humaneity won over religious darkness...there might be a lot of different profets "rolling in their garaves" comming from a lot of religions. Just the knew have their words are used!!
17. 2010-03-25 14:19  
This is worse then nothing. At least before one could dream up what they THOUGHT it meant to be gay. Now, they are fed that gays are something evil, that need repenting. Id rather see 100% censorship then this obscene rule.
18. 2010-03-25 14:34  
How's this for an uplifting movie?

A bright politician being accused of sodomy and homosexuality, repents that he "thrusted" the wrong "godfather & assistant" and gets re-elected back into office as Prime Minister one day and lives gayly ever after with his wife and children. Pretty happy ending I must say.

Hmm. Will this be fact or fiction?
Watch and learn movie makers, watch and learn! LoL
19. 2010-03-25 16:15  
I think #18 spotted a loophole.

What do you repent about? It was not specified and only an example was given to imply the type of repent the government wants to see.

I'm still a bit unsure about this but the loophole is there. I'm sure film-makers are more than able to exploit it.
20. 2010-03-25 21:53  
Sad that this is the country I'm living in. Sigh.

But if anyone remembers the movie Gasing, the gay character managed to sleep with his straight friend, and the straight friend was totally satisfied with the sexual discovery.
21. 2010-03-25 22:42  
Actaully folks, this is a leaf taken out of Singapore's books, broadcasting regulations do not allow any "sympathetic potrayals" of the gay character.

Either that, or homophobes do indeed think alike.
22. 2010-03-25 22:42  
Actually folks, this is a leaf taken out of Singapore's books, broadcasting regulations do not allow any "sympathetic potrayals" of the gay character.

Either that, or homophobes do indeed think alike.
23. 2010-03-25 23:13  
yeah....this is what malaysian do..keep on dreaming that fairy tale happen..
24. 2010-03-26 00:15  
when i read this article, the first few paragraphs made me shouted, "WHAT?"

this is super ridiculous. if they are going to allow these "scenes" to be on films, then might as well dont make them at all.
why so naive? why still think homosexuals are an act out of wrong ethical behaviour? look in the dictionary, its a sexual orientation.

this is stupid. rubbish and stupid. can they get any lower?
25. 2010-03-26 00:56  
LOLOL what a joke! Malaysia never fails to entertain us with their ridiculous laws and regulations...

26. 2010-03-26 01:39  
#14 you made me laugh so hard but it's so true!

As a Malaysian, well, one step is better than nothing I suppose and yes, I daresay M'sian film makers can easily bypass the gaping loophole in this hilarious law.

Why, I can almost already see the films that will be coming out already! HAHA
27. 2010-03-26 08:32  
How's this for repentance:

First 69 minutes of movie -- X rated: A Verrry HOT guy having steamy sex 3x a day with other Verrry HOT guys (no repeats).

Last 30 seconds -- Repentance scene: He goes straight and lines up 100 125 y.o. lesbians, everyone of them with a little blue pill on her tongue when he's 100 years old LOL!
28. 2010-03-26 10:02  
super stupid...and now i'm embarrassed coz this is known internationally and is the butt of jokes by others.
29. 2010-03-26 11:01  
they tried to be opend but in fact still closed!!!
So shame...
30. 2010-03-26 17:29  
@#7: I'd have to disagree and say that this is more conservative than China. China is a secular country where only communism and its leaders are worshipped on a state level.

Oh, and money. :P
31. 2010-03-26 18:05  
#13 has posted the exact words I wanted to say here...dang you beat me to it LOL:P
In fact Msia is so advanced that they think humans (or rather those living here) are manufactured robotic idiots that can be manipulated at their whims and fancies in this make-believe little world of their own....I'm utterly lost for words for such naive mentality....God help us all!!
32. 2010-03-26 19:57  
Given that there is enormous potential for a filmmaking hub in the region, that Malaysia has such great possibilities, and that Malaysians have such a great can-do, positive attitude generally, it looks like they've missed an opportunity here to potentially overtake Singapore in that field. Any country that allows total artistic freedom to its filmmakers, has such beautiful scenery and such low costs, has a great advantage.
33. 2010-03-26 20:02  
erm....i think....as long as....gay life & transeexual can be shown in malaysian films n drama is good in 1 cases....even they want at the end of the story...the person will change become str8..

for me...even this rules are ridicolous...but....some director especially indie they dont follow according to this rules...

please refer to some of this short film : BUKA API & COMOLOT..

both short movie are about transexual & gay life with good ending for gay n transexual...

dont be surprise...if 1 day...malaysia will follow india to ban homosexual act.....

i said it....coz..there are still hope...for gay....im as gay...now...can openly declare gay among my family...frens...& workmate... n introduce them my couple....

* aput is my fren....
34. 2010-03-26 20:04  
i forgot to tell u guys..malaysia already got 1 ex lesbian minister who r still undercover.....so...guys...guess who she are....ya....hehehe

bisex minister....currently too...not 1...but more than that...hehehe
35. 2010-03-26 21:57  
considering what I do, I guess film portrayals would probably be showing me being detained under ISA, getting a nightstick shoved up my rectum, suffer from internal bleeding and then, while dying....

repent that I didn't spend enough time with the boyfriend. :P
36. 2010-03-27 13:18  
This is the #34 guess answer..Is it starts with the letter A & ends with A not including her father's name?.
I'm guessing it's her, cause most of people said i look a bit like her. hahaha.
Hey have anyone ever watch "Histeria". A story about a bunch of school kids who went crazy in an old school.
there's a girl & girl kissing on the LIPS scene, but the scene was censored.
I went to the cinema just to watch that scene but, disappointed by the censored scene.

come on lah Malaysian!
37. 2010-03-27 21:41  
36...yes i am...n ppl can see...her..with her..."GF"...foreign women walk around...at pasar malam together
38. 2010-03-28 01:03  
This is some sort of progress I guess.

Every society is entitled to perpetuate its own myths and delusions and denials about the world.

How about this: All war films must end with Malaysia winning. Regardless of whether the country was actually involved. Even Star Wars. Especially Star Wars.
39. 2010-03-28 09:30  
38....yup it truth......hehehe.....hollywood movie...always they won....include china....n japan
40. 2010-03-29 00:45  
utter rubbish, so they are showing some sort of sympathy now towards homosexuality? indirectly promoting hypocrisy...what's the point?
41. 2010-03-29 17:11  
so, gays and lesbians are evil, and they have to repent at the end of the movie...

what a bullshit.

here's a fact: most of the villains in malaysia (including those in the parliament) are straight guys. some of them even claim to be devout religious people.

so please enlighten me again why must gay/lesbian characters should repent at the end of the story?

*aput is my friend too~
42. 2010-03-29 19:27  
I had a lot of laughs reading the comments on this topic........it's a pity the reality is so tragic.......but for those of you who have witnessed or experienced the spectacle of the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras ......it wasn't always like that.........it might be encouraging for those who don't know the history of it to learn that only a few decades ago....people were getting dragged out of "sinister" gay bars in Australia and arrested.....and people in the first few Mardi gras parades that were organised were reacted to very violently from various sources, the police being at the top of the list....and footage of people being dragged off to awaiting "paddy waggons" (police vans) are still readily available to watch...(we now have a contingent of police who march in the parade and give the gay community their full support so time changes things if you are prepared to fight for it as those early gay rights activists did)

From a religious aspect (as seems to be the case in Malaysia) Our very own Reverend Fred Nile gathered his cronies together (for those of you who don't know the word "crony"......substitue "wanker" ) and organised protests each year that the parade was held.........and they would pray to God for rain to bring a halt to those horrible homosexuals openly and shamefully parading themselves in public..........I think it was about year 20 or so of beautiful star-filled nights after the parade's inception before it actually rained .....lol.........if Fred is still alive he is probably still waving a placard entitled "down with poofs" from his nursing home bed.......in the end he was irrelevant........so I only hope you guys in Malaysia can get rid of your "Freds" as well over time.........Good luck.....
Comment #43 was deleted by its author on 2010-03-31 04:29
44. 2010-03-31 04:32  
GROAN... how last century... oh the truth is Sydneys mardis Gras parade is greatly exaggerated, I was there that night, a small group of communist agitators that are now termed the '78ers' broke away from the main body of the parade down Oxsford st and with out permits headed up to Kings cross where they were requested by police to disperse and refused, subsequently they were arrested but they resisted, they beat it up to be their own little Stone wall as they were desperate for such martyrdom and notoriety, some actually believe the propaganda since that they were some how responsible for social change but the truth is the work was largely done by gay rights groups like the 'Gay Liberation Front' and others less radical, social change was already on the way, Mardis Gras in Sydney is a one off shambolic event that has no relevance to our daily lives it's more a sad pathetic spectacle that makes money for local business, attracts violence and gawking straights for a good laugh, it does more to encourage negative sterotyping than it does to dispel them..yawn to mardis gras...jeje
45. 2010-03-31 15:01  
Can these people not think for themselves, and not be influenced by religion, if not, then they are not representative of the majority of people, our does their open opinions not count, maybe they count when they want their vote at political elections......I feel really sorry for these brainwashed no marks.
46. 2010-04-01 21:31  
hahahaha.... LOLOLOLOL.... it's not improvement, it's going backward! what a joke!
47. 2010-04-03 18:52  
seems aztlan has a bee in its bonnet
did someone tell you to go away from mardi gras? you seem to have it in for it, whats your problem?
48. 2010-09-18 03:19  
Seems Malaysia, like many other religion-dominated countries, is in a dilemma over openly coveting the pink dollar (which is esp. urgent in this economic-decline times *winkwink*) whilst trying to keep extremist religious elements happy. LOL

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