STAR Fund Empowers, Strengthens Role Of Veteran Artistes - Finas

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (Bernama) -- The Veteran Star Supertelefilm (STAR) Fund initiative, introduced by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), is seen as capable of empowering and strengthening the role of veteran artistes in the country’s creative industry.

FINAS chairman Datuk Hans Isaac said veteran artistes had previously encountered difficulties in securing job offers due to concerns over rating factors in the current market.

“The current industry market relies heavily on social media, particularly influencers, with new actors coming from different categories compared to the past. Existing platforms tend to hire new actors, as veteran artistes are often perceived as having lower ratings.

“On the contrary, the government and Finas believe that veteran artistes, including actors, producers, directors and crew, still bring valuable experience and expertise that can be tapped in the industry,” he told reporters after observing the filming of the supertelefilm “Makcik Lesen P”, produced by All Media Creation Sdn Bhd under the STAR Fund here today.

Commenting further, Hans Isaac said that rating concerns should not pose an obstacle, as the project is government-funded.

“We are taking this risk to give such content a chance to be featured and to assess audience acceptance of of productions involving veteran actors, while also opening up new market opportunities in the local content industry,” he said.

The STAR Fund provides funding of up to RM200,000 for each project, provided that at least 60 per cent of the workforce consists of artistes and crew aged 55 and above.

Hans Isaac said the fund, which was launched as a pilot project with an allocation of RM1 million, has been raised to RM2 million, involving 10 productions in the initial phase scheduled for broadcast on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

Meanwhile, veteran actress Datin Fadilah Mansor, 67, described her involvement in the project as very meaningful, saying it gave veterans like her the opportunity to remain active in the industry.

“It is indeed a great feeling because we are still appreciated and remembered. With this fund, we have the chance to earn a living again, especially for veteran artistes who are almost forgotten,” she said, while noting that some veteran actors had previously faced challenges in getting fair pay based on their experience and talent.

--BERNAMA