Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia B N Reddy said Malaysia and India are set to enhance cooperation in the media, audiovisual, and entertainment sectors, leveraging the opportunities arising from the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), ahead of the 2025 World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025), reported the national news agency on Saturday.
The CSP, which has made possible deepened collaboration among creative talent and workers from both nations, was established during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to India in August this year.
WAVES 2025 is a global summit for the media and entertainment (M&E) industry to be held from Feb 5-Feb 9 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi’s international convention centre, shared the High Commissioner.
The summit aims to position WAVES as a global platform akin to prestigious events like the World Economic Forum in Davos. The first-of-its-kind summit will feature a variety of components, including a Global Media Dialogue with policymakers, plenary sessions with industry leaders, exhibitions showcasing global innovation, and the WAVES Bazaar, a marketplace fostering business partnerships. In addition, the Accelerator Platform will spotlight start-ups in the M&E sector, while the Creators’ Fair will host masterclasses and workshops to empower creators.
On the bilateral front, the High Commissioner announced that discussion sessions are ongoing for an audiovisual co-production agreement between India and Malaysia. India currently has similar pact with 17 countries, offering incentives up to US$3.5 million (about RM15 million) for co-produced creative work.
Such initiatives are expected to unlock new opportunities in the entertainment and digital sectors, particularly with Malaysia’s digital economy projected to contribute 25.5% to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025.
The High Commissioner also lauded Malaysia’s achievement at the 61st Asia-Pacific Film Festival (APFF) held in Genting Highlands recently where Malaysia bagged four awards. These accolades included the Best Short Film award for The Lonely Piano, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards for Fabian Loo (Rain Town) and Azira Shafinaz (Indera), as well as the Special Jury Award for EMP4T.
He also highlighted India’s role as an official supporting partner of the 7th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFF) held in July, where Indian actress and filmmaker Suhasini Maniratnam served on the jury panel.
