The BMW Shorties 2014 has finally concluded and the Grand Prize winner this year was awarded to Taufiq Kamal bin Abd Rahman with his Indie romantic comedy short film called ‘Rozita binti Roslan’.
The 10-minute short film emerged ahead of 67 other short film submissions to take home RM 75,000 production grant from BMW Group Malaysia as well as the coveted title of the BMW Shorties 2014 Grand Prize Winner.
‘Rozita binti Roslan’ is a story of Ilham, a typical guy who embraces the world around him. The short film evokes a powerful message that ties the significance of life with human feelings. Notably, the director Taufiq Kamal introduces his interpretation of romance in a unique and alternative method of execution in the genre of film, which ultimately made his short film the most memorable among this year’s judges. As we follow the characters of Ilham and Rozita’s journey of love and relationship, we also come to empathize with the problems of human attachment, wherein the value of people and objects become more significant following the investment of our emotions.
“This is our first year joining the BMW Shorties, and with the pool of talented short filmmakers as our contenders, we feel extremely honoured to be awarded the Grand Prize. The most memorable moment for us was the process itself, where we felt a strong sense of excitement when watching our ideas unfold on screen. Beyond this, we hope to help each other grow as a team of aspiring individuals through future productions both within Malaysia, and all over the world,” said Taufiq Kamal.
‘Rozita binti Roslan’ managed to earn a unique reputation in the judge’s deliberation room this year for giving an interesting twist to an unconventional story of love and romance. In part, ‘Rozita binti Roslan’ was awarded the Grand Prize this year for its ability to reflect the story of love for the millennial generation. The culmination of a well-executed creative direction, sound design and editing skill gave a bold and fresh take on story telling. Aside from the Grand Prize, this Indie favourite also took home supporting awards for Best Director, Best Sound Design and Best Editing.
Following the success of the eighth edition of the BMW Shorties, the short film competition for Malaysians also announced the introduction of an all new Script Development Grant as a component of the short film competition. Developed and sponsored by Red Films, the production company led by judge Lina Tan, the grant is aimed at encouraging more Malaysians to take up the creative challenge of developing imaginative screenplays for potential commercial use. Through this grant each of the BMW Shorties nominees for the Best Screenplay award will receive cash and script consultancy support from industry experts to develop a professional screenplay for their next project.
The Top 10 Finalists short films can be viewed on the BMW Shorties website here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7m1TXKUK_8
BMW Shorties 2014 award winners:
Grand Prize Award
‘Rozita binti Roslan’ by Taufiq Kamal bin Abd Rahman
People’s Choice Award
‘Rozita binti Roslan’ by Taufiq Kamal bin Abd Rahman
Best Director Award
Taufiq Kamal bin Abd Rahman in ‘Rozita binti Roslan’
Best Actor Award
Isaac Hor in ‘Unlock’
Best Actress Award
Siti Nur Afyqah Aryani in ‘Khatijah’
Best Cinematography Award
Andy Tan in ‘Mama’
Best Editing Award
John Hafiz in ‘Rozita binti Roslan’
Best Screenplay Award
Mohd Khairul Azri bin Md Noor in ‘Pejam Pelik’
Best Sound Design Award
Mohsin Othman in ‘Rozita binti Roslan’
Best Production Design Award
Muhammad Ezir bin Abd Rahman in ‘Putus’
