Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is committed to developing its creative industry into a hub for producing works capable of competing at national and international levels.
Youth, Sports Development and Creative Industry Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said Sabah had all the ingredients needed to grow the sector, including attractive locations, rich cultural heritage, diverse stories and local talent.
He said the priority now was to provide more opportunities, exposure and space for local creative practitioners to move beyond participating in productions and take the lead in creating their own works.
“Sabah is not lacking in talent. We have writers, actors, directors, producers, cameramen, editors, technical personnel and many creative young people looking for opportunities to prove their abilities.
“What we need to do is ensure these talents continue to be given opportunities, exposure and space to grow,” he said when commenting on the success of the telemovie “Aku, Kau dan Dia”, produced by Del Films Production through the Borneo TV Programme Fund.
Nizam said the production’s success went beyond the making of a telemovie, demonstrating that Sabah’s creative practitioners were capable of producing quality content with commercial value and potential to reach wider markets.
He said Sabah should not merely be viewed as an attractive location for outside productions, but should produce more works based on the ideas, talents and creative efforts of its own people.
“We do not want Sabah to merely be a consumer of works. We want Sabah to be a creator of works,” he said.
Nizam said the creative industry should also be viewed as part of Sabah’s economic agenda, given its broad value chain and potential to generate employment.
He said a production involved not only actors and directors, but also scriptwriters, cameramen, editors, technical crews, make-up artists, costume designers, equipment operators, transport providers, food and accommodation businesses, location owners and other support services.
“In today’s economy, creativity has value. Ideas, stories and content have value.
“If all these potentials are developed well, the creative economy could become one of the new sources of growth for our state,” he said.
Nizam had previously stressed that the creative economy could improve the quality of life of youths by creating new business opportunities and income streams based on talent and creativity.
He said the creative industry could also be an effective medium to introduce Sabah to the world, with its natural beauty, diverse communities, customs, culture, food and way of life providing rich material for films, dramas and telemovies.
“Someone who has never been to Sabah may become interested in getting to know the state simply by seeing the beauty of our locations, culture and community life through a production.
“This is how creative content can go hand in hand with efforts to promote tourism, culture and the state’s identity,” he said.
Nizam urged local creative practitioners to go beyond using Sabah merely as a backdrop and instead make the state’s identity and stories central to their storytelling.
