#pendatang

[chimaeraonwards]

Pendatang and why I think it's important for the fight against censorship

Malaysia's first fully crowd funded film is finally out and its free on YouTube!!!

(btw its fully subtitled in English, Malay, Chinese (Simplified), and Tamil for those who want it)

Pendatang by Kuman Pictures is set in a dystopian future where, due to racial extremism, Malaysia is fully segregated. Citizens live in their own areas based on their race and mixing between the races is punishable by 25 years in prison.

The story centers around a Malaysian Chinese family who is forced to relocate to a designated house by the authorities but they find a Malay girl hiding in their attic.

Anyone who is familiar with the Malaysian film scene would be wondering, "A Malaysian movie about race and inequality? How the fuck did this movie get through the censorship board?". Well, easy. They didn't even try.

In the name of keeping peace in the country, The Malaysian Film Censorship Board (Lembaga Penapis Filem - LPF) is notorious for censoring local movies to the point it loses its impact or keeping movies in a limbo for years. But films need LPF's approval to be able to release theatrically local cinemas.

The makers of Pendatang knew that this film wouldn't have made it past the censorship board or any other kinds of local governmental/commercial release or funding channel. So from the start, they set out to crowd fund this movie to release it for free online - where the LPF has no jurisdiction.

They managed to raise past their goal of RM300k (which is about slightly less than 100k USD). And one year later, they've kept their word - the movie is available on YouTube for free with no ads (making it a non-profit movie).

This is what the makers have to say about this move and what they hope it achieves:

So not only is it a badass move to bypass censorship and non-profit, its also a ground breaker and this opens up a whole new avenue for Malaysian filmmakers.

But it can't be that bad, can it? Well here are some films that weren't so lucky with the LPF.

Mentaga Terbang a story about a young girl's religious journey after her mother's passing to find out what happens after death. It was banned in Malaysia.

Tiger Stripes, the Cannes award winning teenage body horror film detailing a girl's journey with womanhood. It was so heavily cut by LPF that the filmmaker has disowned the censored version and has come out to say that essence was removed from the movie.

Spilt Gravy on Rice is a dark comedy based on a play of the same name. It is a story about a journalist who is close to death and decides to fix his family issues with his 5 kids who all have different mothers. The film was submitted for approval in 2012 and was forced to make changes (including an alternate ending) and was finally approved in 2020. Due to covid, the premiere was delayed till 2022. The original playwright, Jit Murad, passed earlier that year and never got to see his story in the big screen. You can find the film with its original ending on Netflix now.

This is why a movie like Pendatang is so important. Some suspect that Pendatang will be taken down or blocked by the government. I hope it won't.

Malaysian filmmakers want to share good stories that shouldn't be watered down. Malaysian voices want to be heard and shouldn't be unnecessarily filtered and censored.

[holofirastory]

Bot bawa 37 pendatang tanpa izin karam di perairan Malaysia

Sebuah bot yang membawa 37 pendatang tanpa izin karam di luar Pulau Pangkor di pantai barat Malaysia, menyebabkan 14 orang masih hilang, lapor Xinhua memetik Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) pada Selasa. Kejadian itu dilaporkan oleh seorang nelayan Malaysia yang menemui dan mengangkat 23 mangsa yang terselamat dekat pulau itu di negeri Perak, dengan pihak berkuasa kini sedang…

[holofirastory]

Dua pendatang maut dalam percubaan menyeberangi Selat Inggeris di luar utara Perancis

Dua pendatang maut awal Ahad semasa percubaan menyeberangi Selat Inggeris dari sebelah Perancis, menurut berita Xinhua memetik media tempatan. Xinhua melaporkan, menurut harian Perancis Le Figaro, kira-kira 82 orang bertolak dengan menaiki bot sementara dari Neufchatel-Hardelot, di jabatan Pas-de-Calais di utara Perancis, pada awal pagi Ahad. Bot itu kemudiannya hanyut di laut kerana disyaki…

[bobbynus]

Walikota Bandung Sebut Wilayahnya Terbuka untuk Pendatang

KOTA Bandung merupakan kota yang terbuka bagi mereka yang ingin datang untuk bekerja, belajar, maupun memulai usaha. Yang penting tertib adm

KOTA Bandung merupakan kota yang terbuka bagi mereka yang ingin datang untuk bekerja, belajar, maupun memulai usaha. Yang penting tertib administrasi kependudukan bagi para pendatang yang ingin menetap di Kota Bandung.

Demikian Wali Kota Bandung Muhammad Farhan. “Setelah mudik Lebaran biasanya banyak warga yang kembali ke Bandung bersama kerabat atau keluarga dari kampung halaman. Ini tidak masalah selama mereka memiliki niat jelas serta melengkapi administrasi kependudukan,” ucap Farhan seusai melepas program Mudik Aman Bersama PT Bio Farma, Jumat.

Menurut Farhan, Kota Bandung terbuka. Namun para pendatang sebaiknya segera mengurus perpindahan administrasi kependudukan, termasuk mengganti KTP menjadi KTP Kota Bandung. Jadi waktu berangkat pastikan sudah membawa surat pindah agar administrasinya jelas.

Kemudahan akses

“Dengan kepemilikan KTP Bandung akan memberikan banyak kemudahan bagi masyarakat dalam mengakses berbagai layanan publik yang disediakan pemerintah daerah, mulai dari peluang pekerjaan hingga akses pendidikan, termasuk peluang mendapatkan kursi pendidikan di perguruan tinggi,” jelasnya.

[bobbynus]

Pemkot Bandung Perketat Pengawasan Pendatang

PASCAMUDIK  Lebaran, Kota Bandung Jawa Barat (Jabar) bersiap menghadapi lonjakan pendatang baru yang berpotensi meningkatkan urbanisasi. Unt

PASCAMUDIK  Lebaran, Kota Bandung Jawa Barat (Jabar) bersiap menghadapi lonjakan pendatang baru yang berpotensi meningkatkan urbanisasi. Untuk mengatasinya pemkot setempat melakukan berbagai langkah antisipatif dalam mengendalikan masuknya penduduk baru.

“Urbanisasi ini selalu terjadi setiap tahun. Berangkat dua, balik bisa lima orang. Karena itu, di setiap pintu masuk kendaraan umum, kami lakukan pemeriksaan dan pelaporan khusus, terutama terkait administrasi kependudukan,” ungkap Wali Kota Bandung Muhammad Farhan.

Farhan mengakui, meskipun upaya pengawasan dilakukan, masih ada rembesan pendatang yang lolos. Oleh karena itu, pemkot  juga akan melakukan penyisiran ke wilayah-wilayah yang sering menjadi tempat penampungan pendatang baru.

“Selain itu, kami juga telah menyiapkan pos pengawasan di beberapa lokasi strategis, seperti terminal dan stasiun, hingga H+7 Lebaran atau 8 April 2025,” jelas Farhan.