Armed with a camera and dream, Syafi Halim has always had a passion for filmmaking.
The 24-year-old started off his career in the entertainment industry as a YouTuber making comedic content.
His personal channel has accumulated over 8,000 subscribers since posting his first video titled “Another Cringey First Video” seven years ago.
“I also have a second YouTube channel which is a podcast where I interviewed local influencers called ‘Chilling with Syafi’. That channel had 1.2k subscribers and now I have repurposed it into “NWF media” where my company New Wave Films releases local films and produces variety shows and podcasts,” he shared.
Syafi is a self-taught filmmaker with a lifelong vision and passion for creating content.
With the help of technology and social media, storytelling becomes more accessible, making it easier for local filmmakers and entertainers to put themselves out there.
Since then, the independent filmmaker has produced and directed several short films under his production, New Wave Films (NWF) including the short film ‘Simpati’ that was first recognised by Progresif Media; and their original series ‘Kitani’ with the local media platform.
Making waves with NWF
During Syafi’s creative journey, he discovered a strong passion for bringing local content to the forefront especially indie film.
In July 2020, the young filmmaker co-founded New Wave Films (NWF) with his friend, Wazif Zamri, a production company that aims to produce homegrown content beyond the conventional genre.
“Wazif and I weren’t film students nor industry professionals, we just had a dream, a vision and passion, I think people just wanted to be part of that,” he expanded.
According to the 24-year-old, the production was inspired by the French New Wave, where young french filmmakers created independent films which challenged the norms of ‘big-budget’ filmmaking.
“I related so much as the Brunei film industry also has a lot of limitations creatively due to a bad reputation of local films, financially and narratively,” he further discussed.
“I felt like the film industry in the early 2010s was growing stagnant and I felt it needed a new rush of creativity into the scene. I’ve always wanted to start a new art wave of indie creative films in Brunei so the name “New Wave Films” seemed to fit with the new wave (of) films that we plan to produce,” he highlighted.
Following his behind-the-camera and front row seat experience, Syafi began to learn more and more about the local entertainment industry.
The local entertainment scene is slowly growing, he said, represented by the likes of Marhain Entertainment, Filterworks Productions, Paperplane Media, Visual Dimensions, Tiala Studios and others who have contributed to the film industry in their own ways
“It is surely growing, it’s slow but that’s more than enough. I am friends with most of the people in the entertainment industry now and am glad to say that most of them are genuinely nice people and are more than welcoming of new creatives. There is a big culture here of nurturing talents rather than gatekeeping, I am really proud to be a part of that,” he shared.
Like many businesses, there are always challenges and NWF has been a great learning experience for the young filmmakers.
What the two friends lacked in experience, they made up for with their determination and passion which got them through many of the production’s early challenges.
“We had some struggles of course, especially when it came to entering the corporate market of creating advertisements and corporate videos,” he said.
“Being the new fish in the pond is always intimidating but we always carried ourselves with dignity and focused on quality, both quality of the film and the quality of the filming experience for our crew and casts. I believe this is why we are still going strong after 4-5 years, it’s the loyalty and the strong community of creatives that we have cultivated around us,” he expanded.
Since its inception, NWF has bagged four local film awards and four international film awards.
Building a bridge between local and global with WUJUD
In June this year, WUJUD, a documentary directed by Syafi brought home four wins at the South East Academy International Film Festival (SEAiff).
The documentary was awarded the Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Producer category for the May monthly awards, marking the New Wave Films’ first-ever international film award.
“Alhamdulillah, winning our first international film award feels great of course. Recognition through awards is always good but the main aim is to change and help the local film industry to grow. This accomplishment is just a baby step towards that goal,” he shared.
The documentary is about intimate lens into Brunei’s history and personal stories, offering an authentic portrayal of the nation’s cultural and historical fabric.
According to the 24-year-old, WUJUD was originally conceived by Dr Rui Oliveira Lopes which evolved from a project on “Architectural Heritage” to a deeply personal documentary.
“We decided to turn this documentary into a “farewell letter” from Dr Lopes to Brunei. Dr Lopes, having lived in Brunei for 8 years, wanted to showcase an honest and authentic look of the Bruneian people to the international world,” he shared.
The documentary’s production took over two years, beginning in February 2022. One major challenge was condensing over 20 hours of interviews into a 90-minute film.
The film was then split into six chapters: Mula (Brunei History), Beraja (Our Monarchy), Manusia (Our People), Alam (Our Natural Environment), Bahasa (Our Language) and lastly, Islam (Our Religion).
When asked about the future, Syafi said that he plans to continue his film career and production in full force, with a few ongoing projects already in the pipeline such as an animated kids show
“Our future goals, one of them is to create a cinema film called “IMPIAN” which re-enacts the story behind the Brunei National Football Team’s HBT Triumph in 2012 and also within 10 years time, to buy a warehouse and build our own film studio,” he shared.
Ultimately, the filmmaker is hoping to bring his experience to the table to help out his fellow local filmmakers.
“New Wave Films will continue to innovate the local film industry and hopefully in the future, create an economically sustainable film industry in Brunei,” he concluded.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
