Riza Aziz

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Aziz is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Riza. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Riza Aziz
Aziz at the 2014 premiere of Dumb and Dumber To
Born
Riza Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz

Miri, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
Occupation(s)Film Producer, Co-Founder and Chairman of Red Granite Pictures
Parent(s)Abdul Aziz Nong Chik (father)
Rosmah Mansor (mother)
Websitewww.redgranitepictures.com www.rizaaziz.com

Riza Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz, better known as Riza Aziz, is a Malaysian film producer and the co-founder of Red Granite Pictures, a Los Angeles–based film production company.

Early life and education

Riza Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz was born[when?] to Abdul Aziz Nong Chik and Rosmah Mansor in Malaysia. In 1987, his mother married politician Najib Razak who would later serve as Prime Minister of Malaysia, making him Najib Razak's stepson.[1] His sister, also born to Abdul Aziz Nong Chik and Rosmah Mansor, is Azrene.[2]

Riza studied[when?] at the London School of Economics and obtained a BS degree in government and economics and an M.S. in politics.[3]

Career

Riza worked from 2000 until 2002 with the accounting organization KPMG for two years, and then at HSBC in London from 2005 until the 2007–2008 financial crisis.[4]

In 2010, Riza co-founded Red Granite Pictures, an American film finance, development, production and distribution company, with producing partner Joey McFarland.[5] Aziz served as both a producer and chairman for the independent company and started its slate with the hit romantic comedy, Friends with Kids[6]

In 2012, Riza went on to executive produce the dramatic thriller Out of the Furnace, released on December 6, 2013. Riza followed up with the highly anticipated film The Wolf of Wall Street, which was released on December 25, 2013.[7] The film is banned in his native country, Malaysia.[8]

Also in 2013, Riza completed production on Horns, a supernatural thriller.[9] Riza co-produced the film Dumb and Dumber To released on November 14, 2014.[10][11] Riza also co-produced and co-financed the comedy Daddy's Home. Riza's development slate includes[when?] The Brigands of Rattleborge blacklist's number 1 script of 2006, is a western revenge story, and The General a gritty look at the story of George Washington.[citation needed]

In 2011, Variety named Riza to their list of Top 10 Producers to Watch.[12]

1MDB Scandal

Main article: 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal

In September 2015 the US Department of Justice investigated Riza's property transactions related to the role of Najib Razak in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[13][14] In July 2016, Riza Aziz was named in FBI's 1MDB lawsuit,[15] as tens of millions of dollars in funds diverted from 1MDB were used to produce the 2013 Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street.[16] In 2017, it was revealed that Dumb and Dumber To and Daddy's Home were also financed by the Malaysian government investment fund through corrupt officials and financiers.[17]

In March 2018, Red Granite Pictures agreed to pay US$60 million to the U.S. Justice Department to settle claims it had financed three films, Wolf of Wall Street, Daddy's Home, and Dumb and Dumber To using over US$100 million funds embezzled from 1MDB.[18]

Riza has been known as a good friend of Low Taek Jho, who masterminded the 1MDB scandal and acquired assets (including luxury paintings, a superyacht, and several real estate assets, among others) using monies siphoned from the fund.[19]

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also investigated Riza's involvement in the 1MDB scandal and in July 2019, Riza was arrested on money laundering charges stemming from the MACC investigation.[20] In 2020, he was discharged not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) from five money laundering charges over US$248 million (RM1.25 billion), he had misappropriated from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.[21]

Filmography

Year Film Director Other notes
2017 Papillon Michael Noer May 7, 2017
2014 Daddy's Home Sean Anders and John Morris
2014 Dumb and Dumber To Peter and Bobby Farrelly
2013 Horns Alexandre Aja
2013 The Wolf of Wall Street Martin Scorsese December 25, 2013
2013 Out of the Furnace Scott Cooper December 6, 2013
2012 Friends with Kids Jennifer Westfeldt March 16, 2012
2012 Children Rise Billy Raftery

References

  1. ^ Webmaster, MT (27 June 2009). "Rosmah – the rousing rose – Malaysia Today". www.malaysia-today.net. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  2. ^ Jo-Lyn, New (2021-10-07). "5 strange things about Najib's step-family". Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  3. ^ "Follow the Money: 'The Wolf of Wall Street' Corruption Timeline". Hollywood Reporter. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Wall Street Greed / Malaysian Money - EXPOSE!". Sarawak Report. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ^ Pamela McClintock (May 22, 2012). "Red Granite Pictures' Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland on Scorsese's 'Wolf of Wall Street' (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ^ "Lionsgate Has Friends With Kids". Press Release. Lionsgate. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  7. ^ McClintock, Pamela. "Red Granite Picture's Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland on Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ^ "Gay Orgy, Gone! 'Wolf of Wall Street' Censored, Banned Overseas". moviethatmatters.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-30.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 4, 2013). "RADiUS- TWC, Dimension Acquire Daniel Radcliffe Toronto Thriller 'Horns'". Deadline Hollywood.
  10. ^ Nikki Finke. "CAA Loses High-Profile Director To UTA". Deadline Hollywood.
  11. ^ Brent Lang (16 November 2014). "Box Office: 'Dumb and Dumber To' On Top With $38.1 Million". Variety.
  12. ^ "Red Granite Pictures: Duo combine investment savvy with creative juice". Variety. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Obama Dilemma: How to Treat Malaysia's Pariah PM". Asia Sentinel.
  14. ^ "Malaysia's Leader, Najib Razak, Faces U.S. Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. September 22, 2015.
  15. ^ "Red Granite's Riza Aziz Named in FBI's 1MDB Lawsuits". Variety. October 13, 2016.
  16. ^ "Riza, Jho Low and two others named in US Justice Dept lawsuit". malaysiakini. October 13, 2016.
  17. ^ "'Dumb and Dumber To' was made with stolen cash, feds say". June 24, 2017.
  18. ^ "Round four for Riza Aziz at MACC over matters linked to 1MDB". The Edge Markets. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Najib's stepson Riza Aziz arrives at MACC". The Edge Markets. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  20. ^ Frater, Patrick (July 4, 2019). "'Wolf of Wall Street' Producer Riza Aziz Arrested on Money Laundering Charges". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Karim, Khairah N. (2020-05-14). "Riza Aziz gets DNAA for money laundering charges". New Straits Times. Retrieved 2024-03-16.