Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Progresif recently announced winners of the 4th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival 2021 on FASS UBD Official YouTube Channel.
In her welcoming remarks, the co-organiser of PRISM UBD Short Film Festival Mayyer Ling said that in a time of uncertainty, the 4th Edition of PRISM UBD Short Film Festival going virtual cannot come at a better time as young creatives continue to have a platform to showcase their works.
The PRISM UBD Short Film Festival is proving itself to be an avenue to empower content creation and exchange of ideas on cinematic approaches among students who aspire to build a career in digital media.
Student filmmakers, actresses/actors, and production crews get positive critiques and reputability among the local film community and industry exposure that extends beyond their classroom studies.
A total of ten short films were submitted by UBD students from the Design and Creative Industries Programme under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
“The pandemic did not hamper these young creatives’ high-quality short films. The nearly 2,500 cumulative views of the short film premieres are promising indicators of the brewing interest in local filmmakers’ work in the sultanate,” added Ling.
Senior Manager of Broadcasting Development Industry Group of AITI Rosnani Hj Md Yussof, Manager in Broadcasting Content Development Industry Development Group of AITI Farid Azlan Ghani, Dean of Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia Dr Alex Fischer, Head of Oddbox Pictures Mariah Zaharaa, CEO of Lailatul Shazanas Studio Shiekh Idham, Director at Brurealism Pictures Abdul Zainidi, Head of Filterworks Productions A’aqiil Ahmad, and Head of Progresif Media Olivia Ong were invited as this year’s festival panel of judges.
Impressed with the UBD students’ skills, judges presented the Best Screenplay Award to ‘About Wabak’ produced by Rafeatul Zaini, and Haji Haziq was awarded the Best Performance Actor Award for his role in the short film.
‘About Wabak’ is a mockumentary centered around a COVID-19 patient survivor who has to overcome obstacles when learning to live in the new normal.
Further awards saw the Best Cinematography award presented to ‘Not Toaster’ by Rahim Sofri. The short film was also named Best Short Film within the length of 10 to 20 minutes.
‘Not Toaster’ follows its protagonist Mango in the inevitable quest of completing his college assignment while being tested by the power of his will to stay focused.
Halim Ashari, creator and director of ‘Disconnected’ and ‘Crescendo’ won Best Director Award and Best Editing Award, ‘Disconnected’ won Best Short Film for under 10 minutes.
‘Disconnected’ depicts the journey of uncovering the root cause of a complicated mother-daughter relationship. Syahmi Batrisyia was awarded Best Performance Award for Actress in her role as a struggling musician striving for perfection in ‘Crescendo’.
To cap off the night of celebrations, ‘Kelindahau’ by Iqbal Masmin took home the People’s Choice Award by receiving the highest number of votes from the public. The supernatural horror film follows a farmer and a folktale about a mysterious entity transforming its appearance into anyone it desires.
Moreover, the co-organiser of PRISM UBD Short Film Festival Dr Yong Liu extended appreciation to UBD FASS and Corporate Communications Office for their unwavering support for PRISM, Progresif Media for the partnership in running this year festival and the People’s Choice Award, the juries of AITI managers and media professionals for their industry insights.
He also thanked those registered for the festival premiere and viewers of the short films with hopes to continue and cater to the needs of young filmmakers and their audiences by collaborating with more industry professionals and media agencies in the future.
Following the awards ceremony, the winning content titles will be published onto the Progresif Media platform as paid content through a revenue-sharing agreement with the creators.
For her part, Progresif Head of Media Olivia Ong said: “With this UBD partnership, we hope these awards inspire the next generation of storytellers as FASS students bring the uniqueness of Brunei to the screen.”
Content creators who wish to explore Progresif Media as an avenue to produce or publish short films, series and other content may reach out to the Progresif Media team at media@progresif.com.
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