The fifth edition of PRISM UBD Short Film Festival opening screening kicked off on November 15 at the Pro Chancellor Arts Centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) campus.

The annual event is co-organised by Dr Yong Liu of the Design and Creative Industries (DCI) programme and Mayyer Ling of the English Department, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), UBD.

This year, for the first time, PRISM became one of the official events under the ASEAN University Network on Culture and the Arts (AUN-CA) umbrella. The theme for this year’s PRISM is ‘Culture. Future. Openness.’

There are more short film submissions than the previous years, and include submissions from UBD, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Politeknik Brunei, National University of Singapore (NUS), and De La Salle University, Manila from the Philippines.

A total of 26 student short films, which is the highest number ever in a single edition in PRISM’s five-year history, were chosen as finalists to compete in four categories: Best Fiction Short Film Award, Best Documentary Short Film Award, Best Animation Short Film Award, and Best Smartphone-made Short Film Award.

The judging process will be conducted by a jury panel chaired by FASS Dean Dr Kathrinabinti Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Daud and comprise industry professionals and academics from Brunei and overseas. The winner in each competition category will receive BND500 cash prize. This is the first time PRISM set up cash prizes for winning films.

The 5th PRISM‘s physical premiere kicked off with an opening film A Journal to Brasov, which documents a trio of DCI students going to Brasov, Romania and attending the final competition of Dracula Digital 2022, and the friendship built up between them and three Romanian peer students via their co-operation of filmmaking production.

It was followed by a brief opening remark by Mayyer Ling, recorded from Wellington, New Zealand, and the ensuing screening of the 26 finalist films in the order of documentary, animation, smartphone-made, and fiction genres.

As with the previous year, the premiere screening is followed by a three-week online screening of all the selected finalists on Progresif Media – while the jury panel proceed with judging reviewing, deliberation, and decision-making.

Winners of all the five categories will be announced in an award ceremony schedule for December 6 at the Pro Chancellor Arts Centre, UBD.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin