Safer Spaces For Arts - Protecting Artists and Artistic Expression in Malaysia

On the 17th of January, the producer and director of locally-made film Mentega Terbang, Tan Meng Kheng and Khairi Anwar Jailani, were charged under Section 298 of the Penal Code for ‘hurting religious feelings’, a blasphemy provision. The charge carries a punishment of up to one year imprisonment or a fine or both. Mentega Terbang was banned by the Home Ministry back in September 2023 and taken down from the streaming platform Viu in March 2023, and the filmmakers have faced both online and offline threats since a social media campaign was launched against the film, and those involved in it. This latest move has several human rights groups, including the Freedom Film Network (FFF), urging the government to drop the criminal charges against the director and producer, and protect artists and artistic expression in Malaysia. We discuss this and more with the Freedom Film Network's co-founders, Brenda Danker and Anna Har.

Image Credit: Freedom Film Network