The 4th UBD-FASS Term Screening was held on Saturday, 7th May 2022. This year, the co-organisers Dr Yong Liu from the Design and Creative Industries (DCI) programme and Ms Mayyer Ling from the English Studies programme welcomed a wide range of short films from other institutions in the Sultanate.

The one and half hour-long screening encompassed 14 student short films in fiction, documentary, and animation genres from Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia, Politeknik Brunei, Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali, Universiti Teknologi Brunei and Universiti Brunei Darussalam. This was the first ever student film screening in Brunei that brought the main higher learning institutions together nationwide.

The two invited media professional juries for the Screening were Mr. Haziq Hj Sahminan, the founder of the Film Cartel, and Mr. A’aqiil Ahmad, the co-counder of Filterworks Productions and content producer at Progresif Sdn Bhd. Impressed by the range of skills showcased by the students from the participating institutions through their short films, Mr Haziq and Mr A’aqiil provided constructive feedback specific to the works screened during the event.

Mr A’aqiil specifically addressed the need to be aware of sound effects and the choice of music that could be used to elevate scenes. He also remarked on the multiple foci that can be used to the advantage of documentary producers and reminded the student filmmakers that providing guidance to viewers to help make the narrative more palpable is permitted, and at times, even encouraged or expected.

Mr Haziq, on the other hand, was more passionate in addressing the different skills in storytelling. He commented on the importance of being able to gauge the audience’s reaction and encouraging student-scriptwriters to practice their scripts first before bringing them to life on the big screen. He also shared that survival in the creative industry requires a lot of grit and passion as rewards will not be reaped overnight.

When asked about how to deal with clients as professional content creators, both juries agreed that building a portfolio that can be used to show your capabilities, being able to accept criticisms from clients and positively respond to them and having patience in dealing with uncertainties are keys to a sustainable working relationship with clients.

Student filmmakers also asked questions about careers in the screen industries and expressed their desire to be the drivers and active participants of the creative industries in Brunei Darussalam.

Some of the screening short films in the 4th UBD-FASS Term Screening will be submitted to participate the Open Category competition in the inaugural Brunei Content Festival organised by Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) in early June 2022.