KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — Kuman Pictures, the producers of the film Pendatang, have dismissed the possibility of screening the movie in schools as suggested by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Kamil Othman.

The company said the film, which premiered on the video-sharing platform last Thursday, said it was just Kamil’s opinion that the film should be made available to schools.

It added that Pendatang will continue to be available for free on YouTube instead.

"We consider that statement to be just a personal opinion with an element of hyperbole. It does not reflect the position of Finas.

"We will continue to screen it the way it is being shared now,” Kuman Pictures said via social media platform X today.

Kamil had suggested that the film be screened in schools to encourage meaningful discussions among students about Malaysia’s own multiracial society, which could help break down biases.

"(Pendatang) should be screened at schools to invite discussions and dismantle deep-seated perceptions and prejudices. Small steps towards a desired destination,” said Kamil on X.

The crowd-funded film is a Cantonese-language dystopian thriller set in a fictional Malaysia where racial segregation is enforced.

Its plot centres on an ethnic Chinese family who discovers a frightened Malay girl hiding in their new house after being relocated to a Chinese-only settlement.

It premiered on YouTube at 9pm on December 21, garnering over 100,000 views during the weekend and received positive reviews from viewers.

Film director Ng Ken Kin had said that the decision to premiere Pendatang on YouTube was to avoid potential censorship from the national censorship board.