Currently internationally famous Malaysian actors include Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding.

Rajhans and produced by the Singapore-based Motilal Chemical Company of Bombay, the cast was derived from a local opera group.

Many actors from these early films came from the bangsawan theatre scene, bringing the exaggerated character of their usual performances to the new art form, aided by the endorsement of the Shaw Brothers.

The Japanese would later use Malaya for exactly the same purposes, even receiving the help of the Shaws to break into their extensive Southeast Asian film exhibition network.

[8] Japanese colonial films also associated the region with sex as many 'Karayuki-san', or prostitutes, had been either sold to brothels or chosen to go to Southeast Asia to earn money around the turn of the century.

[9] Following the end of World War II in 1945, the Shaw Brothers resumed production in 1947 with a Rajhans-directed film called Singapura Di Waktu Malam (Singapore by Night) starring Siput Sarawak.

He managed to produce a number of films, and in 1956 merged with Cathay Organisation, owned by millionaire Loke Wan Tho.

Direct sound recording was the standard practice from the beginning, until the advent of the 1960s; post-synching or dubbing systems subsequently became available and are still in use today.

Screenplays were mostly based on folk tales, stage plays, and legends of fictional or real historical heroes or events.

The latter, a legend from the state of Kedah, was written by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Cathay-Keris produced Buluh Perindu (The Magic Flute), Cinta Gadis Rimba (The Virgin Of Borneo) and Mahsuri (The Maid of Langkawi), another Kedah legend written by Tunku Abdul Rahman.

In spite of its humble beginnings, its growth surged dramatically once the biggest stars began their exodus from the two Singapore studios.

A vital one was the setting up FINAS in 1981 to develop and stimulate the growth and maintain the standards of the film industry by various means, including the provision of research and advisory services.

Currently, the Malaysian film industry faces competition from surrounding regional cinemas such as those from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and India.

In 2007, Tan Chui Mui's Love Conquers All won a Tiger Award at the 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

In 2008, Liew Seng Tat's Flower in the Pocket also won a Tiger Award at the 37th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

[12] In the July 2022, the resurgence of cinema attendance was evidence by the high attendance for Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan ('Mat Kilau: The Rise of a Warrior') directed by Syamsul Yusof, in which he was reported to claim 'earned RM53mil in 13 days',[13] thus earning the historical epic as the highest grossing Malaysian film of all-time beating his own directed film, Munafik 2 before Polis Evo 3 directed by his younger brother, Syafiq Yusof snatch 2nd place for collecting RM54 million in 11 weeks also collecting more than RM1 million in just 7 days in Astro First.

Malaysian film classification was introduced in 1996 to provide parents of minors a chance to prevent their children from being exposed to inappropriate materials.

P13 or 'Penjaga 13' is yellow, which signifies that caution should be taken when watching the film as it is not suitable for individuals below 13 and any viewers of that age must be guided by a parent or guardian.

18 is red, which meant that the film is only suitable for viewers aged 18 and above as it contains images of violence, horror and sex, as well as religious, political and social elements.