KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 ― The future of next year’s Malaysia Film Festival Awards (FFM) is now under a cloud as its two strategic partners appear to be disheartened after recent criticisms and allegations of conflict of interests.

The Coalition of Malaysian Filmmakers’ Association (Gafim) president Datuk Jurey Latiff Rosli claimed his group no longer represents the bulk of filmmakers and as such, would not be involved in future FFMs even if asked to join in.

“We no longer represent the major organisations. We want to focus on the welfare of members who are still with us.

“We will give input, but we do not want to be involved. Let the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) decide who is the organiser. We have learnt a lot from FFM28,” he told ProjekMMO, Malay Mail Online’s sister publication in Bahasa Malaysia, when contacted last night.

But Jurey said his term as president ends next year and as such, whether Gafim will be involved in future FFM events will be decided by the festival’s organising committee.

“Personally, as Gafim president, I reject. Any decision will be made by the committee. Next year there will be a committee selection.

“I will focus on promoting the film Malay Regiment. Gafim will have a new president,” he said.

“Let the new organisers be independent and professional. For 28 times FFM has been controversial. It’s time FFM becomes stronger regionally and also within the country,” he added.

The Film Producers’ Association (PFM), which is the main organising partner in the 28th edition of the FFM this year, had been accused of conflict of interest and has since said they may also not get involved anymore.

PFM president Datuk Yusof Haslam was also said to be involved in the jury selection for the awards, set to be held on September 3, but denied the allegation.

In a question-and-answer session organised by Finas last Monday night, Yusof expressed his surprise at the allegations and offered to resign from PFM if the claims persist.

The former actor and director denied having profited in any way from PFM’s organisational involvement in FFM, asserting instead that he was exhausted from dealing with the stinging criticism against him.

“If there is a motion of conflict of interest, I wash my hands of [FFM]. No need for headaches. I’ll leave Finas to hold the film festival.

“I’m not be offended. Not that I earned anything from it. It exhausts me and I get criticised. I was living peacefully all this while,” Yusof said during the forum.

The FFM controversy kicked off after two of 2015’s most critically received films, Jagat and Ola Bola, were excluded from the main Best Picture category for the awards, although both were nominated for the non-Bahasa Malaysia division of the same.

Yusof and Jurey had both vehemently defended Finas director general Datuk Kamil Othman and the rational behind the segregation of categories, citing national policy ― which is that the main category should consist of films in which at least 70 percent of its language content is in Bahasa Malaysia, the national language.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak announced yesterday that future FFMs will only have one Best Picture category and the segregation will no longer take place.

Jurey said that films have their own languages and should not be evaluated by language spoken in the film.

“Films have to be close to reality. Films are our reflection. It has to reflect the reality of the Malaysian society,” he told ProjekMMO.

* This article was first published here.