The winners of the Brunei Content Festival (BCF) Awards 2024 were announced recently at the held at Tarindak D’Seni.
Now in its third year, the BCF Awards is an annual event organised by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) that celebrates and promotes the creation and development of local content producers in the broadcasting industry.
It also aims to encourage the development and production of high-quality content with commercial potential that can be distributed and broadcast on television platforms or over-the-top (OTT) services.
In his opening speech, Chief Executive of AITI Ir Haji Jailani Haji Buntar highlighted that the content industry has proven to create significant economic value.
“From artists, designers, writers, directors to cameramen and theatre directors, the industry provides a range of opportunities for individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds to explore their talents and generate income.”
He also added that with the advancement of digital technology, content can now be easily accessed by audiences worldwide, allowing content creators to expand their reach and increase their income from various sources.
Haji Jailani also underscored new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR), sharing that these technologies offer new opportunities for content and broadcasting industry players to create more interactive and immersive experiences.
“However, in the pursuit of creating engaging and innovative content, especially through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we must also remember the importance of producing ethical content and ensuring that the information provided is accurate, fair, and does not contain elements that could negatively impact society and the nation,” he said.
“Therefore, industry players must consider moral values and responsibilities in every work produced to ensure that the development of the content and broadcasting industry can grow healthily, not only based on technology but also on high integrity and ethics,” he further shared.
The BCF Awards 2024 received more than 100 submissions, with 71 entries meeting the competition’s eligibility and criteria.
Moreover, the competition this year featured 10 main categories, such as Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Horror, Best Advertisement, Best Documentary, Best Public Service Announcement, Best Music Video, Best Featured Film, Best Short Film and Best Short Film from Higher Education Institutions, with sub-categories: Best Fiction and Best Animation.
All winners from the main categories each received a trophy, certificate of appreciation and cash of BND2,000.
The competition also featured the Jury Awards, which included Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance and Best Cinematography.
All winners of the Jury Awards received a trophy, certificate of appreciation and cash of BND500.
One of the winners Naderah Nabelah @ Derah Binti Haji Mohd Faderin Lee was overcome with joy after discovering that she won the prize for Best Animation under Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) for ‘Hearing the Sign Language’.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to win the Best Animation award in the IHL category, especially after dedicating a year to the project. I’m also honoured to represent my university, and I’m really grateful to my lecturers for teaching me the skills that made this possible,” she said.
She described that participating in the BCF has been a transformative experience for her as a content creator.
“BCF has really helped me gain recognition from content creators who’ve been in the industry longer than I have, and it’s opened up some great networking opportunities for potential collaborations,” she shared.
According to Naderah, she chose animation over filming because it gave her more control over the entire process.
“It wasn’t easy, though—especially with the limitations of my equipment and how demanding 3D rendering can be. But after getting positive feedback from our local Deaf and Hearing Impaired community made all the challenges totally worth it,” she added.
When asked about their next step, she said that she is focusing on looking to explore different mediums and techniques of animation such as 2D and 3D.
All competing entries were judged by a jury panel comprising local and foreign industry experts, teaching staff of higher education institutes and representatives from government agencies.
Entries are evaluated according to the criteria that have been set, including in terms of technicality, creativity and innovation.
More than 60 entries from BCF Awards participants were also screened at the BCF Screening and Exhibition held at the Atrium, The Mall, Gadong from August 2 to 4.
Minister of Transport and Infocommunications and Chairman of AITI Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha was the special guest at the event.
THE BRUNEIAN| BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
