TOKYO, Nov 5 — Malaysian filmmakers are encouraged to be bolder in exploring new ideas and to build partnerships with international production houses to expand the reach of their films into global markets, said international film producer Lorna Tee.
Speaking to Bernama at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), Tee — who has extensive experience in regional and international co-productions — said industry players should view collaborations with foreign productions not merely from a financial standpoint, but as opportunities to enrich creative perspectives and elevate the quality of their work.
An active film curator and festival consultant, Tee said international audiences are now more receptive to Asian cinema but Malaysia has yet to fully seize this growing opportunity.
She said many local projects are still developed solely with domestic audiences in mind, without considering stories that could resonate with a broader international audience.
“When we open up to this exchange, our work becomes more relevant and appealing to global markets,” said Tee, who was the moderator at a co-production seminar, ‘Case Study and Panel Discussion: Southeast Asian Countries’, which was part of the TIFF programme.
Tee, the producer of Mrs. K, directed by Malaysian filmmaker Ho Yuhang and which is a Malaysia–Hong Kong collaboration that succeeded in penetrating the Asian market, also emphasised that early-stage development plays a crucial role in determining a film’s competitiveness.
“From the start, we need to think about how the script, project planning and casting decisions can help position the film for broader markets,” she explained.
She cited the success of the Thai film How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies as proof that regional productions can achieve international breakthroughs when backed by strong storytelling and universal emotion.
“We’ve yet to see a Malaysian film that truly breaks into global markets. To reach that level, the industry’s mindset must shift beyond local expectations,” she said.
Tee also suggested that Malaysia establish its own film market — similar to those in South Korea, Japan and Singapore — to connect producers, investors and distributors, and to strengthen international industry networks.
The co-production seminar panel included Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, producer Soros Sukhum and co-producer Stefano Centini, creators of ‘Morte Cucina’, a five-nation co-production involving Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, France and Luxembourg.
Centini said while opportunities for co-productions across Asia have expanded, filmmakers continue to face structural hurdles and shifting policies that make long-term collaboration challenging.
He noted that, unlike in Europe where there is a stronger network and more established systems between countries, the rules governing co-productions in Asia often change, creating additional complexity for producers.
“In Europe, you have a network that is much stronger — in fact, every co-producer knows the rules of each country. Whereas in Asia, the rules are always changing,” he said, adding that such changes require producers to be more adaptable when managing international partnerships.
The 38th TIFF, which runs from Oct 27 to Nov 5, features 184 screenings and events, including 15 films competing in its main category, selected from nearly 2,000 entries worldwide. — Bernama
