The Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) has denied claims of 'Anwar' biopic being sabotaged. Photo: Handout
The Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) has refuted the claims made by DMY Creation, the distributor of Anwar: The Untold Story, that certain cinemas were intentionally refusing to screen the biopic.
In a statement on Monday (May 22), MAFE said that it champions the growth of the local film industry through supporting local productions, including Anwar: The Untold Story.
"Local cinema exhibitors have an average of five movie showtimes for Anwar: The Untold Story scheduled per location, covering 70% of locations across the country. A wider range of showtimes are available at central cinema locations," it said.
The statement comes a day after DMY Creation chairman Datuk Mohamed Yusoff accused certain cinemas of "sabotaging" the biopic by refusing to screen the film.
"I am disappointed that Anwar: The Untold Story is being sabotaged by certain cinemas, even more so by the fact that certain cinemas have prepared 40 screening slots for international films yet only four slots for a movie talking about the sacrifices our Prime Minister made to fight against corruption," he said in a statement.
Mohamed Yusoff added that after doing checks, the production team found that moviegoers had been complaining that several cinemas weren’t screening the biopic.
Anwar: The Untold Story began screening at cinemas nationwide on May 18.
The movie follows the journey of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in fighting against bribery and corruption.
It stars Farid Kamil as Anwar, Acha Septriasa as Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Hasnul Rahmat as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
