IPOH (October 25): The National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) will work with Wisma Putra to screen films with elements of community and nationality overseas, which is expected to happen next year.

Its president Zakaria Abdul Hamid said his team would send the selected films to the Malaysian embassy first, before being screened in any appropriate country.

“We’re actually a bit left out because we have the space to promote the film not only at festivals, but we can use the Malaysian Embassy through the Cultural Unit to show our films in other countries.

“We have not set the number of films that will be screened abroad but in principle former Minister of Multimedia and Communications and now Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has agreed to help promote Malaysian films abroad, “he said.

He told reporters after presenting a donation to the late Mamat Khalid’s widow, Hasmah Hassan, at his residence in Taman Ipoh Jaya Timur 1, here on Monday.

The director and producer, real name Mohamad Mohamad Khalid, died around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday 23 October at the age of 58 from a heart attack, and was buried at the Islamic cemetery of Masjid Paloh here at 2:25 p.m. Sunday afternoon (October 24).

Zakaria added that FINAS would be holding talks with family members of the late Mamat Khalid to start filming an epic film titled “Pasir Salak Pasir Berdarah” for which the script for the film had been completed since 2017.

“FINAS funded the late Mamat Khalid to complete the script for a national film. Everything is ready but it has not yet been shot.

“God willing next year, if the deceased’s son Mohd Khaled Amen wanted to continue the filming work, we could consider funding the film and that could be considered a ‘gift’,” he said. said, adding that the budget for the shooting of the epic film requires around RM4 million.

Zakaria described the death of the late Mamat Khalid as a great loss to the country’s creative arts industry, as it was irreplaceable.

“His works were quite unique as he brought nostalgia back through his directing,” he said.

Hasmah also expressed her gratitude to Finas for the donation and for the appreciation of her late husband.