Finas said it was informed of the matter by the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors and Media Prima Bhd, the film distributor handling arrangements with cinema exhibitors.

“Based on an email from the producer shared with Finas, Elepfilm Entertainment Sdn Bhd requested that the screening of ‘Konspirasi’ be halted from that date.

“Checks by Finas with the distributor and film exhibitors also confirmed that the halt was made at the producer’s own request and did not involve any directives from any other party,” it said in a statement.

Finas confirmed that the movie was cleared by the Film Censorship Board before being approved under the compulsory screening scheme on May 14. It began screening nationwide on May 21 across 120 cinema screens.

Finas said it is seeking further clarification from the producer regarding the decision to pull the film from cinemas, but has been unable to reach them despite several attempts.

“Finas will continue to gather more details from the relevant parties and will provide updates on any developments from time to time,” it said.

Earlier, actress Sarimah Ibrahim said the immediate halt to the film’s screening across all cinemas was “strange and shocking”.

“Konspirasi” is a political action thriller that highlights corruption, leaks of classified information, and operations of national enforcement agencies.

The film, directed by Ghaz Abu Bakar, stars Sarimah, Adi Putra, Hisyam Hamid, Alicia Amin, Shiqin Kamal, Roy Azman and Esma Daniel.