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WANT to be part of the inaugural BMW Shorties Film Competition experience? Visit the website www.bmwshorties.com.my where you can vote for your favourite from the Top 10 finalists. The first five correct voters get two invites to attend the prize-giving gala at Central Market Annexe at 7pm on March 9. Online voting is open until 5pm on March 7.
Ghazali Bunari's Kiri entry. Meanwhile, the finalist with the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award. Among the Top 10 finalists is an English language lecturer, a graphic designer, a freelance director, an actress, a film editor, a Malaysian Multimedia University graduate and an odd-job man in the film industry. They are now in line to win a grand prize of up to RM50,000 in production assistance to make a professional short film which, in turn, will have the chance to be showcased in international film festivals through the BMW Group’s global network. For Ghazali Bunari, 38, the competition was an opportunity to further explore his hobby and passion for short films. The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer’s entry, Kiri, explores the childhood trauma of a young girl who witnessed the murder of her father, a retired militant rebel, and her obsession with revenge. For another finalist, Muhamad Norhelmi Antong Ibrahim, 28, the BMW Shorties was a chance to become a “real” filmmaker after several years of taking odd jobs in the local moviemaking industry. Another first-time filmmaker whose entry, Can You Hear Me?, made the Top 10 list was MMU film graduate Chee Kar Ching, 23, who is planning to start a film production company with a fellow graduate.
Adrian Loh Wai Keong's J’ai Pas Sommeil (I can’t sleep) entry. Finalist Kubhaer Thakurdas Jethwani’s entry, Westbound, was “the most difficult but also the most passionate thing I’ve ever done.” For former actress Melisa Alias, better known as Melisa Saila, 35, the BMW Shorties represented another shot to be behind the camera. Making the Finalists’ list is a dream come true for film editor Sasitharan Rajoo, 27. He has always wanted to be a director but “I became a film editor because I need to put food on the table”. His Tamil-language entry, Singgam, is his first independent effort at directing. Graphic designer Muhammad Faiz Ramli, 30, never thought his entry, Kelapa, would be shortlisted. “It was so difficult, none of us knew how to make a film… the cutting, the editing, the shooting, all trial and error. But I am glad I submitted the entry.”
Kubhaer Thakurdas Jethwani's Westbound entry. The 10 Finalists were shortlisted out of 74 qualifying entries by the BMW Shorties judges after much deliberation. Filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad, writer/film maker/photographer Danny Lim, experimental filmmaker James Lee, film editor Affandi Jamaludin, award-winning commercial director Paul Loosley and academic Gregory Wee reviewed and selected the Top 10 entries on Feb 24. The BMW Shorties is targeted at aspiring Malaysian film makers of any age, as long as they have never participated and won in any local or international film festival, competition or awards. BMW Malaysia’s press and corporate affairs manager, Vijayaratnam Tharumartnam says that, judging from the number and quality of entries received, the inaugural BMW Shorties programme has so far been successful as the shortlisted entries showcase and celebrate the many aspects of Malaysian culture. “The BMW Shorties is not just about unearthing and nurturing new talent. It is also about providing them with a voice and platform on which to shine, with the assistance of the global BMW network. "The overwhelming number of entries and the quality of work we have received shows that Malaysians do have a voice – and are not afraid of using it,” he adds.
