Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana. BMW Group Malaysia has just announced the running of the 13th instalment of BMW Shorties, Malaysia’s most prestigious and longest-running short film competition, in support of discovering local talent.
2009 Grand Prize Winners – Brandon Loh and Shanjhey Kumar Perumal
This year’s 13th BMW Shorties theme is “UNCHARTED” to symbolise the curiosity and tenacity to explore and be creative. “The BMW Shorties has discovered more than 900 talents for the film and digital content industry in the last 12 years. As Malaysia’s most established and celebrated short film competition, the BMW Shorties will continue to provide emerging filmmakers and digital content creators with a platform to express their creativity once again this year. We are proud to be part of countless milestones achieved by the alumni the BMW Shorties has cultivated since 2006. With successes in the likes of Shanjey Kumar’s ‘Jagat’, Quek Shio Chuan’s ‘Guang’ and Zahir Omar’s ‘Fly By Night’, we are excited to discover more talent from BMW Shorties 2019,” said Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications, BMW Group Malaysia.
Pizza by Chua Dick Woei in 2014. A BMW-funded film.
“Our aim with UNCHARTED is to allow the creative minds of our nation the freedom to explore. When we first introduced the BMW Shorties 13 years ago, we had waded through uncharted waters to give an opportunity to local up-and-coming film talent when opportunity was not present. That unprecedented leap ahead by BMW Group Malaysia has and continues to elevate undiscovered filmmakers and digital content creators so that they may also chart new frontiers in the industry for the future,” added Sashi.
The panel of judges this year comprises of award-winning filmmakers and veterans of the local film industry. They include Saw Teong Hin (Puteri Gunung Ledang and Rise: Ini Kalilah); Indrani Kopal (The Game Changer and Incarcerated Rhythm), Amanda Nell Eu (Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu), as well as panel advisers for the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) – Nadira Ilana (The Silent Riot) and Adrian Teh (Ice Kacang Puppy Love and PASKAL The Movie).
Sashi Ambi (far left) & Harald Hoelzl (8th from left) with cast & crew of ‘Colourless’, the 2018 BMW Shorties Grand Prize winner.
“The BMW Shorties has provided an excellent platform to empower talents in this industry, and as such, a great number of quality content have come out of it. With this year’s participants, I hope to see quality narrative, and I think it is important that they are not intimidated to tell their stories,” said Indrani.
Sharing her sentiments, Amanda Nell Eu added, “I hope to see this year’s participants take a lot of risks when it comes to narrative, style or genre; perhaps a retelling in a fresh perspective or a vision that is unexpected – a bold, new voice. The Malaysian film industry needs someone who is not afraid to be themselves and who will say things the way they want to say it.”
Nadira added, “Storytelling is a powerful tool that our generation of filmmakers today have the privilege to wield, so being vocal and unapologetic in the things they create is essential.”
2017 Grand Prize – Never was the Shade by Lim Kean Hian
“It is a very exciting time now for the film industry with a lot of new and talented voices and narratives. We definitely need to see more courage and determination from these new talents.” To that, Adrian added, “We need talents to come in and work with us. You will never know what you can offer if you are watching from afar. If you think you have potential, start somewhere like the BMW Shorties – which provides an opportunity for you to lead your path into the industry. Let’s see what you have got,” commented Saw on the future of film-making in Malaysia.
A scene from Teddy & I by Abdullah Zahir Omar, a BMW-funded film.
The grand prize winner of the BMW Shorties 2019 will be awarded a production grant worth RM80,000. Additionally, recognition for film-making talent will also be awarded for various categories, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Sound Design and the People’s Choice Award, along with this year’s new category for Best Student Award.
The BMW Shorties is already open for entries and aspiring filmmakers as well as digital content creators will have until 11 October 2019 (6:00 pm) to submit their entries.
This year, the BMW Shorties will also be leading the film segment of Urbanscapes – Malaysia’s longest-running creative arts festival.
For further information on the BMW Shorties and how to participate, visit the official BMW Shorties website at www.bmwshorties.com.my or the official BMW Shorties Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bmwshorties) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/bmwshorties).
Keyword: BMW Shorties In It For The Long Run; Celebrates 13th Year Supporting Local Talent