KUALA LUMPUR – Streaming platform Viu has taken down the contentious movie Mentega Terbang on February 27.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said Viu was contacted over the indie movie even though the agency does not have authority to censor movies and TV shows.
“Section 3(3) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 states that the censorship of movies or dramas on streaming platforms does not fall under the jurisdiction of the MCMC,” MCMC was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
“The MCMC will always cooperate and provide technical support to the state religious department to conduct investigations under the Syariah Criminal Offences Act.”
The Malaysian movie, which premiered on Viu on January 19, had garnered brickbats from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, who said the movie goes against the theology and way of life of Muslims from the Syafie school of thought in Malaysia.
Yesterday, the Film Censorship Board (LPF) said seeing that the movie is only available for viewing online, it was outside its purview.
“Based on the review, it was found that the film is not within the board’s censorship records. It is also available online. Therefore, the screening or streaming of the film is outside the jurisdiction of LPF,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Mentega Terbang translates to “flying butter” in Malay, which is also a wordplay on “butterfly”. It tells the story of a woman named Aisyah who is looking for an answer to what happens to people after they die.
To get the answer, she studies several religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism.
Earlier, the film was screened at the Jogja-Netpac Indonesia Film Festival in 2021 and the Aceh Film Festival, last year. – The Vibes, March 4, 2023
