Malaysia's first gay film is a controversial hit
Despite a ban on films that show support for gay lifestyles, Dalam Botol's 'non-explicit vision' has proved a box office success in Malaysia
* Ben Child and agencies
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guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 10.18 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/30/malaysia-dalam-botol-gay-filmThe first homegrown movie with gay themes to be shown in Malaysia has proved an unexpected box office success in the conservative Muslim country.
Opening less than a week ago, Dalam Botol (In a Bottle), about a post-op transsexual who comes to realise that she may have been better off as a man, has already earned more than one million ringgit (£206,000) at Malaysian cinemas, easily recouping its production and marketing costs of 970,000 ringgit. Prior to filming, writer and producer Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman had to submit details to the country's strict censorship board, which nevertheless gave its approval following a couple of amendments.
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Malaysia's 1st gay film makes profit in 5 days
By Sean Yoong
Associated Press / March 30, 2011
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/03/30/malaysias_1st_gay_film_makes_profit_in_5_days/KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia's first gay-themed romance film has become a swift box-office success, attracting curious cinema audiences who rarely get to see movies centered on sexuality because of strict censorship in this Muslim-majority nation, its producer said Wednesday.
The Malay-language movie, called "Dalam Botol," or "In a Bottle," grossed slightly more than 1 million ringgit ($330,000) in its first five days, recouping its production and marketing costs of 970,000 ringgit ($320,000), said Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman, who wrote and produced the film.
