The panel of judges comprises renowned film maker Yasmin Ahmad, Cannes Award winner and director Paul Loosley, movie editor Affandi Jamaludin, experimental film maker James Lee, lecturer and academic Gregory Wee and writer-filmmaker-photographer Danny Lim, as well as BMW Malaysia’s Press and Corporate Affairs Manager Vijayaratnam Tharumartnam.
The winning entry for this year’s BMW Shorties will be announced at a premiere on 9 March 2007, which will also showcase the top 10 entries.
Members of the public will also be able to view the top 10 finalists’ entries and vote for their choice online at
www.bmw.com.my/shorties.
For aspiring film makers who would like to ensure that they submit their best possible work, BMW Malaysia is also organising a BMW Shorties Clinic on 13 January 2007, where they will be able to receive professional advice from the panel of judges. However, only 25 applications will be accepted for the Shorties Clinic.
To enter, vote and be a part of the BMW Shorties Competition, visit the website at
www.bmw.com.my/shorties.
BMW Group
Malaysia
Corporate Communications
BMW Shorties – The RationaleWhile feature films are often subjected to certain limitations due to the constraints of expectation and television requirements, the short film is a medium that offers plenty of scope for innovation. It is also not only the preferred channel for many student directors, it is also currently undergoing a renaissance in filmmaking circles.
In being equally progressive in regards to the film medium, The BMW Group has been involved in supporting the film industry for over 70 years.
Supporting film productions made at film schools and other institutions of higher learning all around the world, the Group sees itself as a promoter of young filmmakers, lending its support to productions that display a particular degree of excellence and working in close cooperation with students.
The BMW Group was involved in the film Die Katze im Sack by Florian Schwarz, which won the prizes for best screenplay and best soundtrack at the 26th Max Ophüls Festival. Additionally, Meine Familie was another film that enjoyed the support of the BMW Group, made at the Film Academy of Baden-Württemberg with the script written by Maggie Peren and directed by Neele Leana Vollmar. This amusing film went on to win a number of prizes both at home and abroad including the Best Newcomer prize in Hof and the Studio Hamburg Young Filmmaker prize for the best film. Another production supported by BMW was The Story of the Weeping Camel, a film by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni, graduates of the Munich School of Television and Film. This low-budget production won the Director’s Guild of America’s prize for the best documentary, even ahead of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11.
In the movie Muxmäuschenstill by actor-director Marcus Mittermeier, the BMW Group provided the vehicles for the stunt scenes. The film was celebrated as the highlight of the German Cinema Perspectives at the Berlinale and it also went on to win the 25th Saarbrücken Max Ophüls Prize as well as nominated for the German Film Prize.
The Group has also been supportive in the short film genre. The movie Atdjest by Clemens von Wedemeyer was nominated for the Bremen Art Prize and was presented at the 35th International Young Film Forum at the Berlinale and as a selection of ‘German Short Films 2005’ at the International Film Festival in Cannes. Another film showcased at the Berlinale as part of the 35th International Young Film Forum was the Eastern European short film Lost and Found which was also supported by the BMW Group.
Apart from being merely involved in supporting aspiring individual directors and films, The BMW Group also provides short films the public forum it deserves through the BMW Short Film Award. First presented in 2004, the public forum saw hundreds of student filmmakers attending German-language film schools entering their scripts for the annual event. The winner was selected by a jury composed of recognised experts from the film industry. In addition to the prize money, winners were also given the chance to commit their ideas to film. The forum has given birth to many award winning films such as Gone With The Wind Or An Ant Like You And Me by director Charlotte Wetzel which was given the top rating of ‘Particularly Worthy’ by the film jury.Garage Love, the story of a first love by Tomasz Rudzik, meanwhile, won the 37th German Economic-Themed Film Prize in the Young Filmmakers category in 2004 and received an invitation to attend the ‘Saxony in UK’ project in Scotland in May 2005.
On the forefront of film on new media platforms, BMW embarked on the Internet project: The Hire series of short films. The films were viewed 75 million times on
www.bmwfilms.com website, sparking the initiation a second series masterminded by top directors like Ang Lee and Guy Ritchie and featuring the main character played by renowned British actor Clive Owen.
The Hire was shown at film festivals and even won the Cannes Cyber Grand Prix 2002, the Cannes Titanium Award 2003 and eight Clio Awards. The Hire resulted in a rebirth of the short film as a genre and was integrated in a permanent collection of films archived at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York). And as if that were not enough, The Hire has recently been transformed into a cartoon strip and plans are even afoot to develop it into an animation.
Apart from The Hire, BMW’s three-part series called A Car is Born – The Development of a Sports Car showed the development of the BMW 6 series from its initial concept to its production process. BMW has also appeared in many popular films, including Bridget Jones Diary - The Edge of Reason, The Bourne Conspiracy and the James Bond films.
With continued support and commitment to filmmaking, BMW Malaysia has decided to incorporate this passion for film and share it with Malaysians. The BMW Shorties was created to provide the furtherance of knowledge and promote the cinematic arts in Malaysia.
BMW Malaysia wants to provide a platform for aspiring Malaysian filmmakers to express their vision. We hope to garner more local interest and develop a new opportunity for talented Malaysians.
Experienced in the film industry worldwide and having links to various Asian and European film festivals, BMW would like to assist Malaysian films overseas and provide International recognition for aspiring Malaysian filmmakers.
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About BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a joint venture between Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG, the manufacturer of BMW vehicles based in Munich, Germany and Sime Darby Berhad. The establishment of this subsidiary in August 2003 reflects the BMW Group’s confidence in the long-term future of Malaysia and its commitment to maintain and extend BMW’s leading position in the premium market segment.
BMW Malaysia activities cover the wholesale of BMW cars, spare parts and accessories, as well as the overall planning of sales, marketing, after-sales, and other related activities in Malaysia. Its dealership network covers 11 showrooms and workshops in various cities in Malaysia.
Nota : Nampak benar saya kesuntukan masa. Kerja semakin bertambah. Hanya sempat cut & paste saja siaran akhbar ini yang saya dapat telah pun beberapa hari. Dalam perkembangan lain, Gubra nampaknya telah menarik minat penganjur sebuah festival filem terkemuka untuk dibawa bertanding ke Festival Filem Antarabangsa Rotterdam untuk edisi 36. Mana tahu rezeki berpihak kepada Gubra. Tunggukan saja keputusannya nanti. X-Tuned dah lepas satu episod. Menanti Raja Lawak Astro. Menunggu giliran pula Fail Sulit Astro. Saya pula mahu ke Pulau Pinang untuk satu acara. Sebenarnya saya benar-benar menghitung hari ke acara tersebut. Oooo ! Nak buat PC ya. Boleh saja. Semua soalan akan dijawab dengan telus dan jujur serta diaudit oleh juruaudit bertauliah. :) Jumpa di sana !
