KUALA LUMPUR: The government has introduced a Digital Content Fund (DCD) aid specifically for local creative content industry players, including youths, to produce creative content of higher quality, according to Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Eddin Syazlee Shith (pix).
He said the fund under the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) was targeted at individual artists regardless of age and companies involved in the creative content industry, including films and television programmes, animation, digital games, documentaries and short films.
“The ministry, through Finas, is also committed to producing new artists among the youths by introducing film industry human capital empowerment programme, which encompasses guidance, skills development, idea sharing and creative industry awareness activities,” he said.
He said this in reply to Oscar Ling Chai Yew (PH-Sibu) who wanted to know the way to help local youths to get involved in the production of films or entertainment programmes and whether RTM would be willing to buy such creative contents.
“The channelling of the DCD is through a micro fund, which is the government’s initiative to support content creators who focus on the production of short videos meant to be shared on social media platforms, such as Youtube, Instagram and Facebook,” he said.
Eddin Syazlee said the micro fund of up to RM5,000 per project would be given to the qualified applicants depending on their ideas, subjects and cost of production.
“The number of projects approved between 2016 and 2018 is 175, with micro fund totalling RM757,000.
“Individuals who wish to produce television programme for RTM need to have a company registered with the Finance Ministry, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and Finas,” he added.
On Ling’s supplementary question whether the government was planning to issue television licences to political parties, the deputy minister said there was no such plan for the time being. — Bernama
