Mlabs pumps RM3m into Longhouse Films to drive production in Malaysia

Mlabs Systems has partnered with Malaysian film production company Longhouse Films to revive the flailing film production industry in Malaysia. Through a shared subscription agreement, both parties aim to enhance the Malaysia movie industry by bringing back Malaysian talents from the international entertainment industry. In a statement to A+M, a spokesperson from Mlabs said it also looks to bring in bigger movie production from China and Korea to Malaysia, as well as bring China and Asian contents for distribution in Southeast Asia.

The spokesperson added that within the next two years, Mlabs will progressively invest up to RM3 million into Longhouse. Steve Tan, the executive director of Mlabs said the company views its investment in Longhouse as opportune as Longhouse is targeting the international audience in its new movies. Mlabs anticipates that the return on investment will be positive as the cost of production in Malaysia is significantly lower in comparison to filming overseas such as China, and the “severe depletion” in online content induced by lockdowns in the US and other European nations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In this case, Longhouse will be well positioned to bridge the demand and supply gap in partnering with major online movie portals such as YOUKU, iQIYI and Netflix. Mlabs would also have been more hesitant to invest were it not for the movie contracts already awarded to Longhouse by international studios and will be in Longhouse’s pipeline for the next two years such as Magic Moments, Hutan, God of War, Monkey King, Sky & Blue Sea, and Letters from the Future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jon Chiew, CEO and founder of Longhouse said, he aims to build the "Made in Malaysia and Made by Malaysians" brand in the world stage. He is also looking to create a sustainable ecosystem in the Malaysian creative business whereby local talents are empowered and retained, and the culture and tourism sector in Malaysia will be seen by the world.

Jon Chiew is a Malaysian film producer with more than 20 years of experience in the content business in China. During his tenure with production company Huace Pictures, he participated in and produced more than 20 films and partnered with major international studios including 20th Century FOX, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Emperor, Media Asia of Hong Kong, CJ Entertainment and NEW of Korea.

“Despite all my years filming in China, I have always harboured the intention of returning to Malaysia and tap into the local pool of underappreciated talents. Malaysia has many robust and talented people who are able to fluently command several languages but also retain their own ethnic culture in a very profound way,” he added.

With the enforcement of Movement Control Order (MCO), film production jobs have been halted. Recently, the Malaysian Association of Advertising Filmmakers (PPFIM) appealed to the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia to allow the industry to resume shooting commercial films during this COVID-19 crisis. The Malaysian government then approved for the filming industry to resume operations after Hari Raya, according to Malay Mail. Citing communications and multimedia minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, it is reported that the approval was given during the National Security Council meeting on 19 May. Malay Mail also reported that production houses are allowed conduct their shoots with a strict standard operating procedure (SOP), while the approval for live programmes to resume is still under discussion.