29 Nov – The Malaysia Film Festival 25 (FFM25) has hit a bump on the road yet again as it will no longer be held on the previously announced date of 30 December this year. FINAS had previously smoothed out a misunderstanding with GAFIM over the handling of FFM25 only to be plagued by this latest news of a delay. The decision was made after a discussion was held between the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS), The Federation of Film Professionals Association of Malaysia (GAFIM) and the Malaysian Film Producers Association (PFM), according to FINAS Director-General, Mohd Naguib Razak. "The conclusion was decided by the fact that the date was not an appropriate choice as many in the entertainment industry would surely be on holiday at the end of the year," he said. While no definite date has been set for when FFM25 will be held, Naguib suggests it would most probably be late January or early February next year.
Despite the decision for a delay, he remains unfazed about the potential criticism that might follow. "The most important thing is that the festival would run according to its main objective of celebrating local films with full support from those in the industry. "While I have indeed stated before that it would be more sentimental to look back at what we have achieved at the end of the year rather than early in the new year, I would also need to take into account the opinions of other parties involved in the planning," he added. FFM25 was originally slated to be held at the Merdeka Hall, Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur and themed, "Celebrating Silver and Inspiring Gold" (Merayakan Perak Mengilhamkan Emas) About 75 feature films screened from 27 October 2011 to 30 October 2012 are eligible to participate, but only 25 films will be selected for the finals.