#SHOWBIZ: Actor Amerul Affendi's outburst gets attention of cinema operator

New Straits Times

07-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Actor Amerul Affendi is relieved and satisfied that a cinema operator has responded positively to his public criticism of its non-compliance with the Compulsory Screening Scheme.
Harian Metro reported today that the 38-year-old actor, whose full name is Mohd Amerul Affendi Mohd Mawardi, had voiced his disappointment when a cinema chain prematurely withdrew the screening of the film '6 Jilake' during its first week.
"Under Finas' Compulsory Screening Scheme, films are supposed to be screened for a minimum of two weeks.
"However, I was disappointed when a cinema deliberately pulled '6 Jilake' early," Amerul said.
"That's why I took to social media on May 1 to express my frustration.
"Many people had planned to go to the cinema on that day (the Labour Day public holiday) specifically to watch the movie, only to find that there were no available showtimes," he explained.
"While I understand that this was purely a business decision, I'm also grateful that the cinema operator listened to the feedback from our audience," Amerul added, expressing his delight upon learning that the cinema had agreed to reinstate screenings if there was sufficient demand from moviegoers.
"Praise be to God, the public response has been strong, which led the operator to reconsider its decision and extend the screenings until this weekend," he said.
Amerul also suggested that a concerted effort should be made to encourage more people to support local films in cinemas.
"As actors, we all have a responsibility to assist producers and production houses with promotion, given the significant investment of resources they've made in creating these films," he said.
In addition to '6 Jilake', Amerul can also be seen in the recent Tonton Original drama series 'Bru,' alongside Shukri Yahaya and Siti Hariessa, directed by Nik Amir Mustapha.