In conjunction with the Brunei Digital Technology Week of Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYEC) 2022, the inaugural Brunei Content Festival was organised by Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI), with the support of RTBGo and Progresif Media. Brunei Content Festival is a competition platform to recognise local content creators, producers, directors, filmmakers, and art activists in the broadcasting sector and online streaming business, indicating AITI’s effort and purpose to encourage innovation and creativity in the field of content creation.

Brunei Content Festival 2022 kicked off in mid-May with the nationwide open call for participation and wrapped up with highlights of the Award Night took place in Dewan Serambi Suluh, Tarindak D’Seni, Bandar Seri Begawan, on Friday June 10.

UBD student short film Not Toaster (dir. Rahim Sofri) stood out and won the Best Short Film Award under Institute of Higher Learning of Open Category. All the five crew members are current FASS students enrolled in DCI Programme: Rahim Sofri, Rafeatul Zaini, Dhiyaurrahman Suhaimi, Hisham Firdaus, Sulaiman Firdaus. Not Toaster was a coursework submitted for AX-4301 Short Filmmaking Module last year, and it already won the Best Short Film Award (over 10 and under 20 minutes category) in the 4th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival in December 2021.

Another UBD student Syafi Halim-directed Kitani episode 6, which is produced for Progresif Media webcasting via his own production company New Wave Films, won Best Drama Award under Industry Category.

In addition, three UBD short films made by three sophomore DCI students received nominations in three different competition categories. Fishing (dir. Arina Ahad) was nominated for Best Short Film Award under Institute of Higher Learning in Open Category, Lucid (dir. NORFADILLAH TARA ESA) was nominated for Best Concept Jury Award, and Tabooka (dir. Dzul Shamsol) was nominated for Best Cinematography Jury Award. All the three short films were freshly made coursework submitted to AX-1202 Introduction to Screen Studies Module in April 2022.

The Brunei Content Festival 2022 competition is open to two categories, namely the Industry Category and the Open Category as well as seven Jury Awards. The winner of each Industry and Open Category received BND 2,000 cash, while each winner of the Jury Award received BND 500 cash. All winders receive a trophy and certificate of achievement. In the competition, a total of 72 entries were received and the judging process was conducted by a panel of experienced judges comprised of representatives from the broadcasting industry and institutions of higher learning in Brunei.

Finally, UBD FASS also participated the exhibition of Brunei Content Festival, which is a successful two-day (June 9 and 10) exhibition showcased both recent FASS staff publications and student illustration & comic books, as well as Prism UBD short films, in International Conventional Center, Berakas.