“Man on the Run” director Cassius Michael Kim is surprised by the petition to ban the film, saying that no one from former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s camp had contacted him since the interview was conducted in April 2022.
He told Malaysiakini that Najib himself was aware of any potential for sub judice and warned at the start of their interview that he might have to shut it down should such a situation occur, but at no point did that happen.
“Perhaps it is naivete on my part, but I was surprised to hear of Najib’s lawyer’s petition to ban the film. No one from the former PM’s camp had reached out to us since our interview in April 2022.
“Additionally, no one had protested or made these claims of sub judice when the film was released in Malaysian cinemas in October 2023. Therefore, all the attention of the past few weeks was unexpected, to say the least.
“As to the substance of these claims and the overall messaging from the former PM’s representatives - I find it laughable. You hear it from Najib himself as he sits for the interview: ‘You have the understanding, in case it borders on sub judice or contempt of court, I’ve got to stop that because the trial is on’,” Kim told Malaysiakini in an email interview.
He added that during the interview, the former PM was accompanied by both adviser Lutfi Azhar and attorney Farhan Shafee.
“The three would huddle together every 30-45 minutes to discuss what we spoke of on-camera and at no point during the nearly four-hour interview did any of the three raise objections to what was discussed.
“The timing of all this is certainly very curious,” he added.
Leaving it to the judiciary
Yesterday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said his ministry will leave it to the court to decide on Najib’s application to take down “Man on the Run” from online streaming platform Netflix.
However, he pointed out that the documentary about the 1MDB financial scandal had been in cinemas since October last year without complaints.
“I have received advice from the attorney-general, as well as from legal advisers at the ministry and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“All of them share a similar view, that this film has been screened in cinemas since October last year.
“At that point, the movie was already approved by the Film Censorship Board, and there were no issues raised when it was screened to the public in October,” Fahmi said.
“However, since this matter has been referred to the court, then we will follow the court as we don’t want to pre-empt the judicial process,” he added.
According to a copy of the letter issued to the ministry, law firm Shafee and Co informed the minister that the documentary contained several interviewees’ comments that amounted to contempt of court due to the ongoing RM2.27 billion 1MDB corruption trial (1MDB-Tanore case) against Najib.
An irresistible story
Los Angeles-based Kim is a director, producer, and writer who helped create the CNN original series “The Wonder List” with Bill Weir, and also worked previously at ABC News on the programmes “Nightline” and “What Would You Do?”
He said that he was motivated to work on this particular documentary because, despite the massive scope of the scandal, it was curious how 1MDB had not fully resonated with people, especially in the US.
“It's an incredible story whose tentacles reach out and connect so many parts of our world that are venerated by the masses, such as Hollywood, Wall Street, and international affairs. But like so many shiny things in the culture, when you lift up the hood, you see the actual rot beneath.
“While there had been previous tellings of the saga in the visual medium, those attempts felt incomplete in a sense, because so much had yet to be determined in the courts and political systems of Malaysia.
“Even during our post-production period, there were two monumental developments in that Najib was sent to prison and Anwar Ibrahim became the new prime minister of Malaysia,” said Kim.
He said that it felt like an opportunity to tell a story that was still being written in real-time and to shine a light on the incredible work done by the journalists, law enforcement officials, and opposition politicians who risked so much to uncover these massive crimes.
According to Kim, the production period lasted about 18 months, from conception to delivery of the final cut.
“Truthfully, I don’t believe that making this film posed a great risk to us, other than the usual ones that come with any filmmaking endeavor. Our biggest concern was securing distribution, as it’s been a difficult period for non-fiction films over the past year or so,” he added.
Great response
He said he had been pleased to see such a positive response to the documentary.
“I'm heartened by the responses I've been privy to and the sentiments I’ve seen and received from viewers. The messages we wanted to impart with the film appear to have resonated with the audience and for that, I'm truly grateful.
“Everyone’s a critic, but I’m happy to report that the great majority of responses I’ve received have been positive and supportive.
Asked what it would take to get closure from the “Man On the Run” experience, Kim said right now, he awaits with great anticipation the decision of the Malaysian High Court and the MCMC with regard to the petition to ban the documentary in Malaysia.
“I would also very much enjoy the opportunity to speak with Jho Low (Low Taek Jho),” he said, referring to the fugitive financier who is said to have been the mastermind of the financial scandal.
In the meantime, Kim has other projects in the pipeline with his independent boutique media company The Smoking Section.
“I’m eager to tell another story as captivating as this one, although it may not necessarily arise from the non-fiction realm.
“The Smoking Section is currently in pre-production on three narrative short films of disparate genres, slated for release by the end of the year. The future awaits,” said Kim. - Mkini
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