After 9 years of rewarding us with entertaining short movies, this latest short film by the BMW Shorties 2014 grand prize winner explores alternative methods of execution in the genre of film or it could be called the ‘best advertisement for encouraging smoking’. It looked like BMW got ‘short changed’ with this shorty or maybe I have lost the ability to understand new age movies.
‘Terbit 23’ tells the story of Aditya, a struggling writer who finds himself in a state of flux when he meets Airis. The 17-minute short film explores perspectives on the significance of life, wherein the characters’ thoughts, perceptions, and feelings are demonstrated through a wide range of film making styles. With the absence of linear narrative and the use of various abstracting techniques for each pivotal scene, the short film explores the permeable border between drama and documentary in a way that evokes recognition, melancholy and joy, while sticking to the mundane experiences of a man’s life.
The main characters, Aditya and Airis, are depicted by Dali Bin Abdul Azis, the chain smoker who never seems to really finish his cigarette and Bianca Li Wei Brand the lovely young love-struck startlet respectively did a good job as their acting debut with ‘Terbit 23’.
BMW Group Malaysia premiered ‘Terbit 23’, by 2014 grand prize winner Taufiq Kamal right after an interesting and entertaing band played their own and cover hits with finesse. As with his last year’s winning short film ‘Rozita binti Roslan’, Taufiq Kamal’s newest short film further demonstrates his distinctive trademark film making technique of reimagining cinematic conventions and traditional narratives.
“When my production crew and I received the RM 75,000 production grant from BMW Group Malaysia, we were very excited and passionate about working on a story which would continue to take an opposing stance on mainstream film making culture. My goal is to push the artform in radical new directions and inspire future productions both in Malaysia and all over the world to do the same.” said Taufiq Kamal at the premiere.
During the premiere, Mr. Alan Harris, Managing Director & CEO of BMW Group Malaysia said, “The BMW Shorties was introduced as a platform to discover budding Malaysian film makers and to push the boundaries of their film making abilities for them to be recognized for it. In Taufiq Kamal, we were able to identify an individual who pushes the boundaries of conventional film art who we believe will further invigorate the Malaysian film industry. The BMW Shorties is proud to have discovered Taufiq and his special skill in the art of film making and we wish him much success in the future.”
The BMW Shorties 2015 competition is currently open for entries until Monday, November 2nd 2015. For further information regarding 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 at www.facebook.com/bmwshorties.
