KUALA LUMPUR: From leading man and filmmaker to high-profile head of the national film corporation since April, Datuk Hans Isaac, 48, remains an easily recognisable face, and the same down-to-earth, friendly man.
Looking fresh as ever, he admits that the last three months have been stressful, since “many things need to be readjusted” at the National Film Development Corporation, or Finas, in Ulu Klang, Selangor.
“The Minister (Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo) says almost every area in the corporation needs restructuring, and we have quarterly targets to meet.
“He wants Finas to shed its image as a place for filmmakers to get help, and instead be a corporation that does not depend too much on the government, and creates and generates its own income, five years from now,” says Isaac, smartly dressed in a grey suit and crisp white shirt.
“We have to move forward daily. We are not promising the public anything right now as the last three months have all been about planning and setting our targets for what we want to achieve in two years.”
Isaac and his team in Finas, which comprises the board of directors and chief executive officer Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri, are currently sticking to a certain modus operandi.
“We want to do things first, then announce them. It is better this way, rather than announce something that we cannot deliver,” he says, adding that they do not want to sound like “populists”.
Isaac admits he has been working a lot harder than usual. “We have meetings for five hours most of the time, so I’m almost certain to be returning home late. It’s hard work but I’m loving it, not because I’m a workaholic but because I have a passionate and dedicated team, and that is my greatest strength in Finas right now.”
Upon becoming Finas’ chairman, Isaac and his team came up with the idea of getting film production houses to provide Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso) benefits for actors and film crew members who collaborated in film projects.
“Many actors have welcomed this, but there has been some resistance from film companies. We are still talking to them, they are giving us feedback, and we believe it is always good to hear both sides of the story before this package is finally unveiled.
“As an actor and a producer, I’m able to empathise with both sides. Imposing our dictates on others will never work, and engaging both sides is the best way to find a win-win situation.”
Also in the pipeline are changes to the Wajib Tayang (Compulsory Screening) Scheme which requires local films to be screened for a certain period of time in cinemas nationwide.
“There’s going to be some tweaking of this soon. We’re all for Wajib Tayang, but we want to make sure it is fair to cinema operators and filmmakers at the same time,” said Isaac.
“As for other plans, we will have a deal with Malaysia Airlines, but that’s all I can say for now. All this will be taking place in the second half of this year.”
Isaac and his team promise the public that integrity and transparency are their top priority.
“Mark my words. If anyone complains that there has been hanky-panky involving people from Finas, contact me and I will take action. It is our open policy.”
This open policy also extends to revamping Finas’ website which people have lamented is “rather slow”.
“It will highlight all the grants we gave out, to whom and when. It will also be a bilingual website and all will be ready in three months,” he says.
To prove how serious Isaac and his team are about integrity, the board members, Ahmad Idham and he will not be sitting in any Finas committee, to ensure that there is no room for manipulation, abuse and conflict of interests.
“We are only going to be in the milestone committee of Finas, that’s where we are truly meant to be. No meddling in the day-to-day work of the committees below us.”
Since he is known to be informal, Isaac wants to avoid “suit and tie” meetings as much as he can.
“Our meetings will be a lot less formal than usual, and they will be held at the Finas cafe or the lounge.
“We want to be creative and get everyone working in Finas to come up with good ideas and suggestions for the industry, and we need a friendly environment to do so.
“This informality will also extend to the film companies and entertainment-related organisations that we often deal with.
“But as I said earlier, they are not supposed to come seeking help from us alone, they must also help us by coming up with suggestions and solutions to issues, so that we can have a meeting of minds.
“We in Finas believe in the concept of smart partnership, we help each other as equals.”
On how he and Ahmad Idham work as a team, Isaac says he and the board formulate policies, while Ahmad Idham implements them.
“Ahmad Idham and I have been friends for years, though we are not that close. Nevertheless we are both passionate about improving things in the film industry.
“I’d liken both of us to two blades of a pair of scissors snipping away at cardboard to shape policies that affect the entertainment industry.”
Isaac meets his “ultimate superior” Gobind on an almost weekly basis.
“He often contacts me to find out how we are doing, and always reminds us about the targets which the ministry wants to achieve.”
As a realist, Isaac does not believe that his two years as head honcho of Finas will result in 100 per cent success.
“We aim to complete at least 50 per cent or more of the targets we’ve set out to do. These targets were set by the ministry as well as us, in the days after I clocked in for work.”
Among the targets are getting actors and film crew members insured, providing tax rebates for sponsors of films and television programmes, providing better tax incentives for companies in the film industry, and restructuring all entertainment-related associations.
“All these were goals stated by previous Finas teams over the last two decades, but unfortunately they have not been achieved.
“If we get to achieve 50 per cent of the things we set out to do, I would be delighted.
“And as for those things we were unable to achieve, we will not shy away from telling the public why we could not do so,” said Isaac.
One mission Isaac is passionate about, and strongly believes his team can achieve, is fighting film piracy effectively.
“We will fight piracy with a ferocity like no other. We want to make it our legacy, busting piracy effectively, getting as many thieves nabbed as possible.
“I am now on a committee set up by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to fight piracy. We are going to move beyond lip service to nab and fine people for uploading pirated films now.
“So beware, people, watching pirated films makes you a thief!” says Isaac.
Q: What are the major obstacles you have faced as chairman?
A: “Well, every task is an obstacle for me to overcome. There are people in the industry whose mindsets are hard to change. They are comfortable where they are, creatures of habit.
“We have to put all of this aside, and change with the times, or else the industry will not move forward.”
“Also, there have been people who have been demanding too much from us, expecting instant results.
“ To this I want to remind them that neither Rome nor Malaysia was built in a day.”
Q: Will you remain vocal and supportive of the well-being of the film industry once your stint in Finas is over?
A: “Yes of course, but I’ll have a three-month holiday first, to catch up with all my loved ones and spend some quality time with family.
“I’ll be back as a filmmaker and actor, but I’ll continue to express my views as an interested party for the good of the industry.
Isaac hopes that once he completes his term as chairman, the dynamics of the film industry’s ecosystem will have changed for the better.
“I hope to have a more dynamic, less bureaucratic ecosystem which will help propel the industry forward.”
Q: Since being chosen to be 100 per cent involved with Finas, do you miss the stage and screen?
A: “The gargantuan tasks ahead take my mind off this, but when I’ve finished work for the day, I sometimes feel ‘homesick’ for acting and producing.
“I miss theatre most of all, for that is where I actually began in showbiz. I first acted in plays by The Actors Studio, the first being Child’s Play in the early 1990s,” he said.
“I had great fun producing the musicals Cuci, Lat Kampung Boy and especially Supermokh which really took me to the next level with those luminous football-themed dancers in the dark.
“My longtime stage collaborator and friend, Datuk Awie, was magical as football hero Datuk Mokhtar Dahari. Many people who watched the musical were mesmerised to see how closely he resembled Mokhtar.
“And the truth is, he hardly plays football, yet pushed himself to the maximum to become one with the legend.”
Isaac also misses hanging out with friends and family. “I am the second of three siblings and our parents are no more, so I try to chat with my elder brother and younger sister as much as I can, even if not daily, then weekly.
“I am rather close to my nephew Ryan who is one of my biggest fans. He is 15 yet so much taller than me, and always believes in me.”
Hans owes his no-nonsense demeanour largely to his late father’s disciplinarian ways.
“My father was a captain in the Royal Malaysian Navy and he was also aide de camp of the late Sultan Ahmad Shah who was our seventh king. And yes, my teachers in St John’s Institution, Kuala Lumpur, where I studied, also ‘made a man’ out of me.”
Q: Did you always dream of becoming an actor?
A: “No, my childhood dream was to become a successful businessman and make a lot of money. I didn’t have any type of business in mind, but as long as I served customers and made their day, I would be happy to be a businessman.”
Isaac credits filmmaker Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba as his mentor in film.
“Shuhaimi’s Ringgit Kassorga was the first film in which I was the male lead, and it was basically a tale about human greed.
“I still keep in touch with Shuhaimi and make it a habit to watch all her films, and I’m always grateful to her for showing me the ropes in filmmaking, which I later put to good use.”
Q: Do you feel lonely being single all these years?
A: “I may be single but I’m definitely not lonely. Being single doesn’t always translate into loneliness, for it can also mean solitude, and that’s a positive thing,” he said.
“I leave it all to God, if I find Miss Right. For now, I don’t want to talk about my private life, I want to keep it under wraps.”
Isaac is fortunate that he still has time for sports. He loves golf and completes nine holes at his favourite golf club twice a week, between 6pm and 10pm.
Is he a hot-headed person, as often depicted in Malay movies?
“Everybody has a temper, one way or another, including myself. But I don’t think I’m that hot-headed.
“Nevertheless, as a chairman, producer and director, I am a no-nonsense person who does not tolerate lazy, dishonest and egoistical people.”
Many fans of Isaac have likened him to George Clooney, since both of them are known to be “macho and outspoken” leading men.
However, if Isaac were to meet one person in Hollywood someday, it would not be Clooney but South African-born actress Charlize Theron.
“I do admire Clooney and would love to meet him but Theron comes first. She’s a hot beauty with brains, not to mention a fantastic actress. After all I’m still ‘one of the guys’.”
Q: What do you think of the film industry’s potential today?
A: “Last year was a fantastic year, the best for the local box office. Local films sold very well, such as Paskal, Hantu Kak Limah and Munafik 2.
“For the first time, we reached the RM40 million mark and that was phenomenal. It is a good sign and I hope we will keep it up.”
Isaac is also happy that the Malay film industry has become more Bangsa Malaysia over the last two decades.
More non-Malay actors and actresses have begun to shine in Malay dramas and films, and become household names.
“I don’t believe in pigeon-holing Malaysian films into ethnic categories. For me, all Malaysian-made films are Malaysian films, regardless of the language spoken.
“If dramas and films in Bahasa Malaysia have multi-ethnic actors and actresses, that augurs well for Bangsa Malaysia.”