Jakarta:Malaysian cinema is poised to expand its reach to wider audiences by strengthening storytelling and forming regional partnerships. The industry faces challenges from a competitive global market, but Malaysian filmmakers are exploring new collaborations and markets to overcome these obstacles.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, veteran Malaysian film producer Lorna Tee sees a promising future for the country's film industry. She emphasizes the importance of understanding audiences, attracting investment, and crafting stories with broader appeal. Tee, who attended the fifth World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) in Jakarta, highlighted the need for Malaysian filmmakers to develop stories that resonate across both Malaysia and Indonesia to successfully enter Indonesia's market.

Tee, known as 'Asia's Filmmaker Godmother' and the secretary-general of the Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN), has extensive experience in nurturing filmmakers and connecting Asian productions with international markets. She insists that successful co-productions must have clearly defined audiences and should avoid trying to cater to multiple markets simultaneously, as this might result in a product that appeals to neither.

She noted the structural differences between Malaysia's and Indonesia's film industries, with Malaysia's market being more fragmented across different language groups, while Indonesia has a larger, more unified market dominated by Indonesian-language productions. Tee also pointed out the challenges posed by Indonesia's competitive cinema landscape, where securing screen space is difficult due to the high volume of local film productions.

Despite these challenges, Tee is optimistic about the future, citing existing collaborations like the Malaysian-Indonesian horror film "Khadam" and the upcoming production "Ratu Melaka" as positive examples of industry cooperation. She advocates for more talent exchanges and joint story development to strengthen regional filmmaking ties.

Tee's remarks followed a visit by Malaysia's Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil to Indonesia, where discussions focused on film co-productions, talent development, and establishing a cross-ministerial High-Level Committee (HLC) to facilitate greater regional exchange of films and content. Tee supports the HLC initiative, stressing the need for industry involvement to ensure effective implementation of ideas.