David Teo

Today I am highlighting an article that appeared in our sun newspaper today.
It is an exclusive interview with successful box office producer in Malaysia. One of the most memorable quote in this article is Selagi ada manusia,syaitan tak akan pupus (As long as there are humans, the devil will never fade away)

Title: Box-office king opens up

Film producer David Teo talks to BISSME S about his controversial appointment to the Finas board and more.

THE CONTROVERSY

The Malaysian Film Producers Association recently sent a memorandum to the information, communications and culture minister over your appointment as Finas (National Film Development Corporation) board member. They see a conflict of interest as you are an active film-maker. What is your comment?

I was appointed three years ago. Why is the issue being brought up now? Why protest now? Why not three years ago? I am on the board as an adviser. I do not make any decisions. I am there to give them some advice after they have made their decisions. Before becoming a Finas board member, I had done 37 films and had several box-office hits. I had never taken any government grants to make my films.
My early years in the industry were not easy. My first three films were flops and I lost more than RM3 million. But I didn’t give up. I picked up the pieces. I didn’t resort to any kind of government loan to recover. My failures have taught me to be careful with my finances. I have always stood on my two feet and I am proud of it.
The only benefit I get being a board member is that each time I attend a Finas meeting, I am given a RM500 allowance. So where is the conflict of interest? There are producers who have taken government loans, which happen to be people’s money, to make films and they do not repay these loans. They claim they do not have the money but they live in big houses and drive luxury cars. Nobody points a finger at them.
I am also a member of the association. They could have approached me and discussed this issue. Instead, they held a press conference. But what upsets me most is that my appointment came from the minister. When they hold a protest like this, they are insulting him. Indirectly, they are telling him that he doesn’t know what he is doing. But he has been in the cabinet for many years and he has experience. So please give him some credit. Please trust him a little. He has the best interest of the local film industry at heart.
I feel certain quarters are using the association to attack me. They have their own agenda.

What is their agenda?

Selagi ada manusia, syaitan tak akan pupus (As long as there are humans, the devil will never fade away). When people see power and money, they get greedy … they get easily corrupt. People are envious of other people’s success. They also have their own tracks to cover ... Recently, I was asked to look into the government funds given to filmmakers. This is making some people nervous. Like I said earlier some people have been taking loans over loans and they have not repaid these loans, and they do not have any valid reasons.

Why did you accept the position to be a Finas board member?

One of my principles in life is that you must never be stingy with your wealth and your knowledge. If my movie was a box-office hit, I would not hesitate to give a bonus to my staff. I have done well as a producer and I wanted to share my experiences. So when the position came to me, it was a blessing in disguise. I was hoping that by sharing my experiences, I would be helping other filmmakers to be successful and helping the film industry to grow.

Will you resign to stop tongues wagging?

Why should I? I have done nothing wrong. I have not abused my powers. If you quit whenever a problem hits you, you will not be successful.
If you want to be successful and make changes, you must have perseverance. As long as the minister has faith in me, I will carry out my responsibility as a board member. If there is anybody who should resign, it is those people in the associations who have their own agenda. My conscience is clear.

There are also complaints you are in the appeals board of the censorship board.


The ministry appointed me to be on the appeals board. The appointment came from a different ministry (home). So you cannot assume that some kind of favouritism is going on here. So far I have not been called to make any decisions. They will only call me if a local movie has been banned and so far no local movie has been banned. So my expertise was not needed.
I believe the industry should be happy that there is someone from the film industry on the censorship board. At least I could persuade them to draw up rules that benefit us ... That will allow us to be creative. I think some people are jealous because they cannot sit on the board. So they are angry with me.

QUALITY OF MOVIES

There are people who say that your movies are not of high quality. What is your comment?

Only certain individuals say that. My movie, Adnan Sempit (shown early this year), made more than RM7 million at the box office and it is the highest grossing local movie this decade. More than 10 million have watched the movie. If my movies are so bad, people will not fork out money to watch them.
I have a team of people who monitor websites. From what I have gathered, 90% of patrons are happy with the movies I have produced. It is impossible to satisfy everyone. I produce movies for the masses not selected individuals. Now my brand (his production house, Metrowealth Movies Production) is established. Whenever people see my brand on a film, they know they are going to be entertained.
I always have five-year plans to improve the quality of my movies. I have been in the industry for 10 years. The first five years I put my full attention on making money. The following five years I put my full attention on improving the quality of my movies. Over the years I have invested in expensive cameras and film sets so the quality of my movies would improve too.
There are award-winning film-makers who make two films in 10 years. But in my 10 years in the film industry I made 47 films. I have created many jobs in the entertainment industry.
I have created many new faces in front of the camera as well as behind the camera. I have given many young talents a chance to sit in the director’s chair. I have done a lot for the film industry. But not everyone sees my contributions. They are too busy pointing out my weaknesses.

Some people say you are not passionate about films and arts, and films are only money-making machines to you.

I am not one of those producers who sit in air-conditioned offices, give money to their directors and let others run the show. I look into the production side of my movies from the sound editing to the posters. I do all this because I am passionate about the films I produce. But I also understand the importance of the money. I do not live in a dunia khayalan (fantasy world). The reality is you need money to survive. You need money to make a movie. You need money to last long in the film industry.
I want Metrowealth Movies Production to be around for a long time. I hope I am still producing movies even after your hair has turned grey and you have retired as a reporter.
Look at Shaw Brothers. They (the brothers) are no longer around. But Shaw Brothers is still producing movies. I want to do the same. I hope when I am not around, Metrowealth is still producing movies.

Shaw Brothers literally started the local film industry. Are you the new Shaw Brothers?

That is not for me to say. (Laughs)

Do you face any discrimination because you are a successful Chinese film producer in a Malay dominated industry?

In the early years when my movies were making money, I heard that some people had said: "We must stop this orang asing (foreigner) from taking over the local Malay film industry." Nowadays, I hear less of this kind of nonsense. But not everyone in the industry hates me. They have come to accept me as one of them.
Only a small section of them still hate me for being in the film industry. It is not because I am Chinese. It is because they cannot accept their failures and digest my success.
I am a Chinese with a Malay soul. I am more Malay than most of my Malay friends. I grew up in a Malay kampung (Segamat, Johor). I had more Malay friends than Chinese friends. Even some of my Malay friends will jokingly say I am not David Teo but Daud bin David (laughs). When I first entered the film industry, many of my friends, including my Malay friends, told me that I had to be prepared for anything because there would always be people jealous of my success.

What changes would you like to see in the film industry?

We must always create new and young talent. Only then will the industry grow, prosper and become more competitive. That is why I always give a chance to new talents to direct, act and go behind the camera.

Where will we see you in five years?

I have produced 47 titles in 10 years in the film industry. I hope in five years’ time I will have 100 film titles under my banner. That is not a difficult dream to achieve.

PERSONAL DATA

Tell us about your childhood?

I come from a poor family. My father was a small-time contractor and had seven mouths to feed. He used to make kampung houses and most of his clients were Malays. I came to Kuala Lumpur to get my diploma in architecture to become a draughtsman. But I didn’t have enough money to complete my studies. So I went into direct selling. The first product I sold was tinted films.

What made you get involved in the Malay film industry?

I was involved in direct selling (Malay traditional medicines) and I had many agents under me. Then I heard there was good money to be made in movies. That is when I entered the film industry. But my first three films (Syukur 21, No Problem and Mendam Berahi) were flops. I lost about RM3.7 million. But I did not want to quit as a failure. I was determined that I should make a profit even if I wanted to say goodbye to the film industry. It was then I learnt from my mistakes and changed the style of my film-making.
Now I am happier as film producer. I get a certain satisfaction when I manage to entertain my audience. Last year, I had to give up my direct-selling business and put all my attention on my film production house. As a film producer, I feel I could leave a legacy. My legacy will be my films.

Finas

Today I am highlight an interview where the top guy at Finas, a local film body
talks about their role in improving the film industry in Malaysia. The article appears in the sun on May 20. 2010.

Headline: Scripting box-office success

Finas director-general Mohd Mahyidin Mustakim fields questions from BISSME S on our film industry.

There is a perception that Finas (the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia) is not doing much for the Malaysian film industry. What is your comment?

It depends on who you ask? Those who read the entertainment columns are aware of its events, activities and contributions.

What is Finas’s main function?

We are a development and regulatory body; we issue licences for production, distribution and exhibitions. In 2005, the government launched the National Film Policy where several strategies were drawn up to develop the film industry. We have diligently carried out a lot of programmes to achieve this target.

Tell us about some of these programmes?

We are focusing on developing human resources. We want to increase the skills in the film industry. Since 2005, we have conducted more than 40 weekly training courses every year covering most aspects of filmmaking. Every year we organise nine master classes where we bring experts from overseas. These foreign tutors have at least 20 years of experience. We work closely with the foreign embassies to identify experts who are qualified and experienced. Even established local film talents such as Afdlin Shauki, Adlin Aman, Sofia Jane, Ramlie and Erra Fazira have attended the master classes.
Finas has been building a post-production facility in stages. We need to buy a few more software programs, then we will have a complete post-production facility. By the end of the year our filmmakers will not need to go to Bangkok or India for their post-production work. We also offer a cheaper rate compared to our competitors.
Since our infrastructure is new, we have the latest technology so our facilities can be considered as one of the best in the world. (He laughs)

Do you think our movies are far behind in terms of box-office collection?

I do not agree. Everyone says Malaysia is a small market. Yet in this small market, a local film (Adnan Sempit) got RM7.66 million at the box office in February. In the past, the local films that got RM1-2 million at the box office were considered big successes. But of late, some of the local films are getting RM3-6 million at the box office. Local average collection of some Hollywood films are between RM1 million and RM2 million at the box office. Only the big guns like Spiderman and Transformer get RM15-20 million.
Last year, local movies generated RM50.854 million at the box office while in 2008 local movies generated RM43.927 million. This is a big increment. Since the launch of the National Film Policy in 2005, the box-office collection for local films has jumped from RM25 million to RM50 million last year. That is a 100% jump in five years. It is a wonderful achievement.
This has encouraged producers to make more films. In 2005, we had 21 films and now we are making more than 30 films. You can expect more films to be made in future. I feel the box-office collection for local films will only get bigger because cinema chains are growing. Three years ago we had 75 cinemas and 350 screens in Malaysia. Now we have 98 cinemas and 550 screens. There are plans to extend the cinema chains to rural areas and this will improve the box-office collection for the local movies.

Some young filmmakers feel Finas does not help them in marketing and promoting their films.

We support them with their film projects or when they want to make short films. We provide funds and assistance to them to participate in foreign film festivals, assist them with flight costs and accommodation, to attend training and seminars and other skills enhancement programmes and activities. Of course you cannot expect to make millions out of short films. But these short films give you a chance to prove that you can be a filmmaker … a director.
Young directors and producers can come to Finas for assistance and funds and our doors are always open. We have given them a lot of support in the past and continue to do so. But you can’t expect us to do everything. We have talents who tell us to get them jobs in television. But that is not our job scope. Our role is to support you, not to spoon-feed you. If I am doing the marketing, promotion and getting you the jobs, I might as well become the producer.

Is Finas doing anything to push Malaysian films overseas?

In the last few years, we have been going to international film festivals and markets selling Malaysian productions including animations and documentaries. Feature films are more difficult to sell. But our documentaries and animations have met some success and the response from foreign buyers is encouraging.
Recently, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa managed to get seven to eight overseas distributions. We took the producers (KRU production Sdn Bhd) to Cannes and America. We have come out with a new strategy to get our films shown overseas.

What is the strategy?

We will co-produce movies with foreign production houses to gain access to overseas markets. When the movies are made, we have a ready market. We are looking at some production houses in Australia.

What is one achievement that you are really proud of?

Almost every year, we received more than 80 foreign applications who want to do documentaries in Malaysia. I was wondering why our filmmakers are not cashing on this and making documentaries. I also find that our filmmakers are making documentaries on a tight budget. They have no choice but to compromise on the quality. But in 2007 we initiated a programme where our filmmakers could work together with established channels such as Discovery and National Geographic to make documentaries. Soon other established channels also joined the bandwagon. With better budgets and more experienced guidance, the level of our documentaries has improved tremendously.

There is a strong perception that Finas only helps Malay filmmakers. What is your comment?

Historically, the film industry in Malaysia is a Malay film industry. (The first Malay film, Laila Majnun, was made in 1933 by Singapore-based Motilal Chemical Company).
Some non-Malay producers are not aware of what Finas can offer. The basic thing a producer requires is funding and our funding is open to all races. Dana Pembangunan Seni Filem dan Multimedia gives funding up to RM50,000 to young and new filmmakers to make films and helped filmmakers to take their films to international film festivals. This funding has been going on for the last ten years and to date we have given more than RM6 million in funding to young filmmakers.
We do not look at the colour of your skin when we give out the funding. We only look at your proposals/projects and your body of work. We helped many non-Malay filmmakers such as Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Lina Tan and James Lee with their film projects and to attend or participate in international film festivals.
For the Dana Skim Pinjaman Film Cereka, it doesn’t say the funding is only given to Malay films. In January, the government launched the RM200 million Dana Industri Kreatif that is open to all Malaysians.
We also have the Skim Wajib Tayang where it is mandatory for the cinemas to screen local films and they cannot take down the local movies from their venues for at least 14 days. (Unless that local movie fails and ticket sales show a below 15% occupancy of the hall). You have to apply for this scheme three months before your movie hits the cinemas. But not many non-Malay productions use this service.

Why do you think this perception exists? Why do you think non-Malay productions believe Finas is designed to help Malay filmmakers?

There is a Malay saying Tak kenal tak cinta (If you do not know someone, you will not love him). As long as it is a Malaysian-made production, we will try to help you. Perhaps, these facts only appear in the Malay newspapers and as a result the non-Malay filmmakers are not aware of our services.

What is the biggest misconception people have about Finas?

When local movies get banned, people point at us. But we have nothing to do with the Censorship Board. We are in different ministries. The board is with the Home Ministry while we are under the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry.

But when a movie is banned, Finas keeps silent. Shouldn’t it be helping them?

We do assist the producer. But we must also be mindful of our duties and not step on other people’s toes and jurisdiction. Censorship is everywhere even in the United Kingdom. To be fair, our censorship board has become liberal in the last few years. In the past, we could not make horror movies. This changed in 2004 when Shuhaimi Baba made Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam.
Recently, the board met our filmmakers and came out with better guidelines.Some filmmakers feel the censorship board’s strict rules hinder creativity. For example if you portray Mat Rempits and gay characters, they have to repent or die at the end of movie.
Unless you are shooting porn, you will not face much problems with the censorship board. You need to be creative and work around the rules. Look at what KRU productions is doing. They make a film about a mermaid (Duyung) and a man with superpowers (Cicak Man).

Some believe the development of the film industry is at the bottom of the government’s priority list. Is this true?

That is a misconception. If that was true, the government would not have created the RM200 million Dana Industri Kreatif last year. The prime minister would not have personally launched the Dana recently. All these elements are a testimony of the government’s sincere commitment to the development of the film industry and the creative industry.

Some people think Finas should be privatised to run more efficiently. Do you think it should be privatised?

I cannot comment on this. I am not supposed to talk about government policy.

Some say the people who run Finas are not passionate about films and arts. It is just another job to them. Do you agree?

Attitudes are changing in Finas. There is also a change in culture. In the past, Finas was just a regulatory body. With the National Film Policy in 2005, Finas was given a more prominent role.
Funds are given to us to build new studios. Research and development entered the picture. The staff in Finas are given better training. The government looked for an outside player (not from the government bodies) to run Finas. They wanted someone with film experience. That is how I came into the picture. If we were not passionate about our jobs, we would not have carried out all those activities that benefit the film industry. All projects and programmes for the development of the industry are carried out after consultation and input from industry players and associations.

Tell us more about yourself?

I worked with an oil company. After ten years, I left and worked in a family-owned film production company. I worked there for ten years before holding this post. I have been executive producer for six films. I was also the secretary for Malaysian Film Producers Association.

What was the biggest change you have brought to Finas?

I found decision-making in Finas was slow. I have speeded-up this process.

Malaysians prefer to watch commercial films. As a result, Malaysian art movies have a hard time at the box office. What is Finas doing to change this trend?

The first challenge is to get Malaysians to watch Malaysian movies regardless of whether they are art or commercial films. Malaysians are more interested to watch foreign movies. Ninety per cent of Malaysian films are Malay films. Even the elite Malays are not watching Malay films.
We have started a programme called Merakyatkan Film Malaysia three years ago. On the last Saturday of each month, a classic Malay film will be shown at Coliseum cinema for free. There are 700 seats in the cinema hall and often the movies are played to a full house. We even brought some veteran artists who starred in these films to the cinema.
Movie fans get to meet them and get their autographs. We hope this will encourage people to watch local movies. We have even formed film clubs, Kelab Pencinta Film Malaysia, in secondary schools and universities. There are about 58 clubs in Malaysia, and one each in London and Melbourne.
We provide a home theatre system to each of club which has to show two Malaysian films a month. In that way, we are instilling a love for Malaysian movies especially among our youths. We even send the DVDs of Malaysian movies to the clubs in London and Melbourne. To date, we have more than 6,000 members.

What is your view of local films?

In the past, we were making slapstick, comedies and romances. But in recent years, we have been making movies of different genres. That is good sign.

What is your hope for the industry?

I would like to see more investment, professionalism and key players in the film industry. Right now a big number of people come into the industry and start a film but they cannot finish the film because they run out of funds. Then they start looking for money. This is not healthy. There is a small pool of technical people and actors. We got to expand that and only then we will have variety.
Our producers are making films for the local market and then trying to take these films into the international market. This mindset has to change. They have to make movies with an international audience in mind and show them at the local market. Then, they will be more successful in getting their films screened internationally. It is time to have bigger dreams.

What kinds of films do you like?

I like most films except for gory horror films. My personal favourites are movies that emphasise technology and special effects.