The 2023 BMW Shorties, Malaysia’s most prestigious and longest-running short film competition has announced the Top 10 Finalists for this year’s competition. Currently in its 17th year, the finalists for BMW Shorties are competing for a grand prize of an RM80,000 production grant.
This year, BMW Shorties has partnered the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) to expand its coverage as well as to be a catalyst for the content creators to gain exposure and recognition. “The BMW Shorties has always strived to empower aspiring local filmmakers to drive innovation and push boundaries. with a record-breaking 133 submissions this year, we were thrilled to be able to see this journey of artistic evolution come through in this year’s participants – very much in line with this year’s theme of EVOLVE. Through their captivating narratives, the finalists have demonstrated an impressive ability to embrace change, challenge conventions, and inspire us to evolve towards a more exciting future. I am thoroughly excited for us to premiere these remarkable works of filmmaking and crown our 16th Grand Prize Winner at the Malaysia International Film Festival next month,” Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communication and Sustainability at BMW Group Malaysia. BMW Group Malaysia has been a staunch supporter of local short film makers, with the only disruption happening during the lockdown period.
The BMW Shorties was launched in Malaysia in late 2006 as a platform for Malaysian short film makers to explore their talent. Since that time, it has become one of the most anticipated annual filmmaking events in Malaysia with BMW Shorties productions travelling to prestigious international film festivals in Cannes, Rome, New York, Rotterdam, Dubai and other places. Today it serves both to provide Malaysian filmmakers and digital content creators access to international film making networks and as a platform for young Malaysians to cultivate their social conscience.
Joanne Goh, Founder and President of MIFFest, expressed delight and anticipation at the announcement of the finalists: “These finalists have beautifully captured the essence of storytelling evolution that challenges conventional narratives. It brings us great joy to have the opportunity to showcase their work through MIFFest’s international platform and allow these aspiring creators the exposure and recognition they deserve.”
BMW Shorties had assembled a panel of experienced and critically-acclaimed figures from the film industry to shortlist the finalists with the 16th BMW Shorties Grand Prize Winner awarded an RM80,000 production grant. Recognition for filmmaking talent will also be awarded in an extensive range of supporting categories including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Story, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, Judges’ Honourable Mention and the People’s Choice Award, along with the Best Student Shorties Award.
This year, the BMW Shorties Awards Night will premiere at the Malaysia International Film Festival in line with their shared commitment to celebrating Malaysian cinema art, alongside international works. MIFFest will happen from 23 to 28 July 2023 at LaLaPort BBCC, with a line-up of programmes that includes film screenings, masterclasses and networking opportunities. The Awards Night will take place on 29 July at Zepp Kuala Lumpur.
The BMW Shorties 2023 Finalists (in no particular order) are:
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Chew Boon Wai
- Aku, Ayah dan Musik by Mohd Hanif Fikri bin Jaafri
- All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
- INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
- Selalu Ada by Faizal Noar
- Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putra Adib
- Taugeh by U Wang
- The Known Stranger by Bryan Sim
- The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
- 男孩 (Boys) by Fabian Loo
The BMW Shorties 2023 Supporting Award nominees (in no particular order) are:
- Best Director
- INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
- All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
- Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putra Adib
- Syarikat Chong by Samuel Chuah Shang-Wen
- The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Chew Boon Wai
- Best Cinematography
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Keifer Yu
- The Missing Trophy by Azla Kamaruddin
- INMATES by Kyle Soong
- Taugeh by Jasper Huang
- Best Production Design
- KUL901Y by Ng Yen Han
- Darah Daging by Faiz Husni
- INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
- Taugeh by Darius See Tho and Leong Kit Yee
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Ravindran Krishnan and Derek Lim
- Best Sound Design
- INMATES by Soundniverse Studio
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Ernie Goh
- Ninaivu by Duncan Soo
- Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Audio Aficionado
- Tareem by Fakhrul Amin
- Best Editing
- Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putri Adib and Arman Shahmiey
- All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
- INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
- Tareem by Naqiuddin Ahmad and Lim Jian Wen
- Taugeh by Joey Len
- Best Story
- INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
- Aku Ayah dan Muzik by Mohd Hanif Fikri bin Jaafri and Jeff Omar
- 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Andy Darrel Gomes and Chew Boon Wai
- The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
- The Known Stranger by Bryan Sim
- Best Actor
- Arjun Thanaraju in Bite Me
- Ravin Rao in INMATES
- Rajendran Perumal in Ninaivu
- Firdaus Karim in Selalu Ada
- Khal Isyaf in The Missing Trophy
- Best Actress
- Pearlly Chua in 阿嬤 Ah Ma
- Tammy Yee in KUL901Y
- Alya Iman in Ngompat
- Puteri Balqis in Selamat Malam, Dunia!
- Roanne Woo in The Known Stranger
- Best Student Shorties Award
- 爸爸的新鞋 (Daddy’s Untouched Shoes) by Samuel Choong Chee Sum
- A Hornbill Standing At The Nile River by Lee Le Yong
- No Questions by Dexter Lee
- Sesat by Nadine Adam
- Us by Cheah Jian Xian
The short films by the finalists are now available for public viewing in the BMW Shorties’ website, and public voting for their favourite short films will be held soon. Stay tuned to the BMW Shorties’ official social pages to learn when voting opens, via the BMW Shorties Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bmwshorties) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/bmwshorties).
Keyword: 2023 BMW Shorties Finalists Announced