Kota Kinabalu: A total of RM900,000 has been approved for six projects from Sabah under the “Dana Pemangkin Generasi Madani”, which is expected to create 130 new job opportunities for local youths.
Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching said the fund was introduced by the government to boost the potential of Sabah’s young talents in the creative sector, covering the production of telemovies, documentaries, and short films.
“This is not just about numbers. These are the success stories of Sabah’s youth.
“The government believes in the talent, spirit, and creativity of young people in this state. Sabah is the heartbeat of Malaysia’s voice.
“From short filmmakers, visual designers, and video editors to TikTok and Instagram storytellers, Sabah is now emerging as a fresh and authentic voice in the nation’s creative scene.
“With the support of Finas, I am confident that Sabah has the potential to become a regional creative hub in East Malaysia,” she said during the closing ceremony of the Community Film & Creative Youth Workshop and the presentation of offer letters to recipients of the “Dana Pemangkin Generasi Madani” at the JKKN Sabah Complex here on Saturday.
According to Teo, a total of RM5 million has been allocated under the fund through the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) to help young filmmakers produce works that promote unity, social harmony, and the values of Malaysia Madani.
“The fund covers two categories — telemovie or documentary, and short film or short documentary — targeting the production of 15 telemovies or documentaries and 40 short-form works nationwide and expected to create 1,250 new job opportunities,” she said.
Teo said a total of 265 project proposals were received under the fund from August 19 to September 12 this year. These proposals are currently undergoing evaluation and multi-stage pitching sessions.
In a related development, Teo said Sabah became the first state to host the Community Film & Creative Youth Workshop, held over three days beginning November 6.
The workshop, which focused on the participation and development of local youths, is part of the Madani Community Creative Youth Programme under Budget 2025, with an allocation of RM12 million for a nationwide series of creative human capital training sessions.
“From August 15 to September 1, a total of 225 applications were received from associations and companies.
“For Sabah, 11 applications were submitted by associations and companies, all of which were approved with a total programme value of RM550,000.
“This programme is also expected to involve 330 local creative youths throughout the year in Sabah — a truly encouraging figure,” she said.
So far, Teo said Finas has approved RM1.25 million from the RM12 million allocation to implement the pilot workshop projects across the country this year, involving 25 associations and companies in 25 locations.
Of that amount, 11 programmes are in Sabah, four in Selangor, two each in Perak and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and one each in Pahang, Kelantan, Penang, Melaka, Kedah, and Sarawak.
Teo also expressed pride in the success of Sabah-born director Ebi Kornelis through his film “Syurga Dalam Botol”, which has grossed RM1.7 million since its release in cinemas on October 9, 2025.
“I hope this success will spark positive growth in Sabah’s film industry and inspire many more of our young talents,” she said.
The box office collection makes “Syurga Dalam Botol” the highest-grossing Sabah-made film to date.
Also present were Finas Chairman Datuk Hans Isaac, Finas Corporation Member Rozaidi Abdul Jamil and Finas Industry Development Director Muhammad Ar-Riyyan Mohamad Roslan.
