10 exceptional short films from the 2023 edition of the BMW Shorties have been selected from a record-breaking 133 submissions, as voting for the People's Choice Award officially commences online.

Kuala Lumpur, 15th June 2023– The BMW Shorties, Malaysia's most prestigious and longest-running short film competition, in partnership with the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), today announced the highly-anticipated Top 10 Finalists for 2023. Now in its 17th year, the BMW Shorties assembled a panel of experienced and critically-acclaimed figures from the film industry to shortlist the finalists who will be competing for the Grand Prize — an RM80,000 production grant.  

Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communication and Sustainability at BMW Group Malaysia said, “The BMW Shorties has always strived to empower aspiring local filmmakers to drive innovation and push boundaries. With a record-breaking 133 submissions this year, we were thrilled to be able to see this journey of artistic evolution come through in this year’s participants – very much in line with this year’s theme of EVOLVE. Through their captivating narratives, the finalists have demonstrated an impressive ability to embrace change, challenge conventions, and inspire us to evolve towards a more exciting future. I am thoroughly excited for us to premiere these remarkable works of filmmaking and crown our 16th Grand Prize Winner at the Malaysia International Film Festival next month.”

Joanne Goh, Founder and President of MIFFest, expressed delight and anticipation at the announcement of the finalists, saying “These finalists have beautifully captured the essence of storytelling evolution that challenges conventional narratives. It brings us great joy to have the opportunity to showcase their work through MIFFest’s international platform and allow these aspiring creators the exposure and recognition they deserve.”

The 16th BMW Shorties Grand Prize Winner will be awarded RM80,000 in production grant, while recognition for filmmaking talent will also be awarded in an extensive range of supporting categories, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Story, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, Judges’ Honourable Mention and the People’s Choice Award, along with the Best Student Shorties Award.

Short films by the BMW Shorties 2023’s Top 10 Finalists are now available for public viewing on the BMW Shorties’ website, where public voting for their favourite short films will be held soon. Stay tuned to the BMW Shorties’ official social pages to learn when voting opens.

This year, the BMW Shorties Awards Night will premiere at the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), in line with their shared commitment to celebrating Malaysian cinema art alongside international works. In addition, MIFFest has announced its upcoming festival, taking place from 23rd to 28th July 2023, with a line-up of programmes throughout the week, including film screenings, masterclasses and networking opportunities.

The BMW Shorties 2023 Finalists(in no particular order) are:

• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Chew Boon Wai
• Aku, Ayah dan Musik by Mohd Hanif Fikri bin Jaafri
• All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
• INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
• Selalu Ada by Faizal Noar
• Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putra Adib
• Taugeh by U Wang
• The Known Stranger by Bryan Sim
• The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
• 男孩 (Boys) by Fabian Loo

The BMW Shorties 2023 Supporting Award nominees (in no particular order) are:

Best Director

• INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
• All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
• Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putra Adib
• Syarikat Chong by Samuel Chuah Shang-Wen
• The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Chew Boon Wai

Best Cinematography

• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Keifer Yu
• The Missing Trophy by Azla Kamaruddin
• INMATES by Kyle Soong
• Taugeh by Jasper Huang

Best Production Design

• KUL901Y by Ng Yen Han
• Darah Daging by Faiz Husni
• INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
• Taugeh by Darius See Tho and Leong Kit Yee
• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Ravindran Krishnan and Derek Lim

Best Sound Design

• INMATES by Soundniverse Studio
• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Ernie Goh
• Ninaivu by Duncan Soo
• Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Audio Aficionado
• Tareem by Fakhrul Amin

Best Editing

• Selamat Malam, Dunia! by Putri Adib and Arman Shahmiey
• All Who Leave Go There by Ikram Haizammuri
• INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
• Tareem by Naqiuddin Ahmad and Lim Jian Wen
• Taugeh by Joey Len

Best Story

• INMATES by Palani Veloo A/L Subramaniam
• Aku Ayah dan Muzik by Mohd Hanif Fikri bin Jaafri and Jeff Omar
• 阿嬤 Ah Ma by Andy Darrel Gomes and Chew Boon Wai
• The Missing Trophy by Wong Ga Dong
• The Known Stranger by Bryan Sim

Best Actor

• Arjun Thanaraju in Bite Me
• Ravin Rao in INMATES
• Rajendran Perumal in Ninaivu
• Firdaus Karim in Selalu Ada
• Khal Isyaf in The Missing Trophy

Best Actress

• Pearlly Chua in 阿嬤 Ah Ma
• Tammy Yee in KUL901Y
• Alya Iman in Ngompat
• Puteri Balqis in Selamat Malam, Dunia!
• Roanne Woo in The Known Stranger

Best Student Shorties Award

• 爸爸的新鞋 (Daddy's Untouched Shoes) by Samuel Choong Chee Sum
• A Hornbill Standing At The Nile River by Lee Le Yong
• No Questions by Dexter Lee
• Sesat by Nadine Adam
• Us by Cheah Jian Xian

For further information and event updates, visit the official BMW Shorties website at www.bmwshorties.com.my or the official BMW Shorties Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bmwshorties and Instagram page at www.instagram.com/bmwshorties.