SEVERAL celebrities prominent people in the entertainment industry have told the New Straits Times what's on their wish lists for 2025. Among the top items on the list are for Malaysian talent to branch out abroad and for more collaborations between local and foreign artistes as well between veterans and newcomers.
DIRECTOR AHMAD IDHAM AHMAD NADZRI
"I want to see the National Film Development Corporation, or Finas, play a more important role in uniting the creative industry which has been pretty divided over the years.
"I hope they will gradually amend policies that are outdated so that the film industry becomes more dynamic.
"There should be more initiatives to enhance job opportunities for film crew members and actors.
"There should also be a focus on providing grants to film companies that make movies with patriotic themes.
"Finally, we must start to explore new markets outside the country for our films, especially the newer films."
CONCERT ORGANISER RIZAL KAMAL
"There should be wider use of artificial intelligence to create unique audience experiences. However, this should not overwhelm human creativity and talent, which are the essence of entertainment.
"More regional collaborations between artistes across Southeast Asia are necessary for Asian artistes to rise higher. There needs to be a strong platform for independent local artistes to thrive, especially in international markets.
"There should also be more top-tier comedy shows featuring global and regional stars.
"Also, a surge in curated festivals leading up to Visit Malaysia 2026, and that also means more live performance venues for local and regional audiences.
"Finally, it is 'no' to higher taxes and stricter regulations that make it harder to run events, and no to global players monopolising the industry and sidelining local talent."
SINGER-ACTRESS JACLYN VICTOR
"As a judge on 'The Chosen One', I hope there will be greater opportunities for young and new talent to rise.
"I also hope that more people will step up and step out and make the industry more colourful.
"Music is ever changing and I hope our singers will be more experimental. However, they should stick to their identities and not change to accommodate what is happening today.
"I hope both singers and actors will have more avenues to showcase their talent, and it will always be good for new reality programmes that think out of the box to be produced.
"Finally, it will be great for artistes to utilise social media effectively, to enable Malaysian songs to be heard around the world and reach the furthest corners of the planet."
COMEDIAN HARITH ISKANDER
"I hope to see more live shows in KL next year.
"It would be great to have less red tape for such shows, especially foreign ones.
"Also, I would love to have more programmes on TV to discover new talent in singing, acting, hosting or even filmmaking.
"Existing stars should strive to showcase their versatility, some who can sing but seldom sing, do so, some are great comedians even though they are usually serious.
"Finally, it would be amazing for our stars to perform more outside the Klang Valley, in the north, south, east and west of the country, as there are many good venues in other cities, too."
SINGER DATUK NORA ARIFFIN
"I hope to see artistes get to entertain fans in more concert venues outside Klang valley so that their fans get to meet and greet them closer to their homes.
"There should also be more collaborations between old and new singers, e.g. new singers can write and compose for senior singers.
"Songwriters and composers should be more known and appreciated by music lovers instead of just the singers alone — there should be more programmes to promote their works and legacies.
"It will be good if more Malaysian music and movies get premiered in foreign countries to show the world that we have many great talent in music and film.
"Finally, more artistes should strive to sing in multiple languages as this is good for Bangsa Malaysia."