| Riza Aziz | |
| Birth Name: | Riza Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz |
| Birth Place: | Miri, Malaysia |
| Nationality: | Malaysian |
| Parents: | Abdul Aziz Nong Chik (father) Rosmah Mansor (mother) |
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.
Riza Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz was born 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 at the London School of Economics and obtained a BS degree in government and economics and an M.S. in politics.[3]
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 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.
In 2011, Variety named Riza to their list of Top 10 Producers to Watch.[12]
See 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]
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |