Jurnal Komunikasi, Malaysian Journal of Communication Vol 25: 42-49 42 42 FILM CENSORSHIP IN MALAYSIA: SANCTIONS OF RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES Wan Amizah WM, Chang Peng Kee and Jamaluddin Aziz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Abstract Malaysia is one of the countries in the world that practices film censorship. The prevailing film censorship laws in Malaysia not only deal with all imported films, trailers and documentaries, but they also encompass the production and exhibition of local Malay films. A Film Censorship Board was established to censor or ban films infringing any religious, cultural and moral values of the Malaysian society, prior to public viewing. This paper outlines the evolution of film censorship in Malaya/Malaysia and discusses examples of several Malay films censored or banned on the grounds contradictory to religious, cultural and moral values set by the Board. Abstrak Malaysia merupakan salah sebuah negara di dunia yang mengamalkan penapisan filem. Undang-undang penapisan filem yang sedia ada di Malaysia bukan sahaja menangani semua filem, treler dan dokumentari yang diimport, tetapi juga meliputi penerbitan dan tayangan filem Melayu tempatan. Lembaga Penapisan Filem ditubuhkan bagi menapis dan mengharamkan filem yang bertentangan dengan nilai agama, budaya dan moral masyarakat Malaysia, sebelum dibenarkan ditayangkan kepada umum. Kertas ini menggariskan evolusi penapisan filem di Malaya/Malaysia dan membincangkan contoh beberapa filem Melayu tempatan yang ditapis atau diharamkan atas alasan yang bercanggah dengan nilai agama, budaya dan moral yang ditetapkan oleh Lembaga. Keywords: film censorship, Malay films, religious, cultural, moral values Introduction The earliest film was said to arrive in the Malay States as early as 1898 (Lent 1978). Among them was a documentary on Queen Victoria‟s Silver Jubilee that was held in London on 20 th June 1897. However, the first two local Malay films were only produced 40 years later, in 1938, which are Laila Majnun, produced by Motilal Chemical Company, starring Tijah, Syed Ali Alattas and M. Suki, and another film, Nelayan (Fisherman), starring Khairuddin (Hamzah Hussin 2004). Laila Majnun was a hit amongst the Malays as the dialogues were totally in Malay even though the producer was an Indian national. The British colonials who ruled Malaya introduced control policy and film censorship to uphold and defend their dignity and status quo as the “Master” in the occupied territory (O‟Higgins 1972). Van Der Heide (2002) strongly believes that the main legacy left by the British to the Malay States was not the practices of film production, but the control of the