Tuesday, 12 September 2023 – The Brunei Content Festival (BCF) 2023 Awards, organized by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI), is a highly anticipated event and returns for its second year this time. Present as the guest of honor at the Awards Night was Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications and Chairman of AITI.

The Brunei Content Festival Awards serve as a competition platform to recognize local content as part of efforts to stimulate innovation and creativity in content production. It also aims to encourage the development and production of high-quality content with commercial potential that can be distributed and broadcast on television platforms or Over-the-Top (OTT) services.

Also present at the BCF Awards Night were Yang Mulia Ir. Awang Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications; Yang Mulia Dr. Haji Azman bin Ahmad, Permanent Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education; Deputy Permanent Secretaries; Authority Members; senior officers; as well as representatives from the local content industry and higher education institutions.

The ceremony began with a welcoming speech by Yang Mulia Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar, Chief Executive of AITI, followed by a judging report by Yang Mulia Dayang Nurain binti Abdullah, the Head of the Jury.

Participation in this year’s BCF competition was very encouraging, with a significant increase compared to the number of entries last year. Out of 131 entries received this year, 96 were selected as meeting the competition’s eligibility and criteria.

The BCF competition was open from May 15 to June 23, 2023, for two (2) categories, which are:

1. Industry Category, open to local production companies and featuring awards for:     (i) Best Drama
   (ii) Best Comedy
   (iii) Best Horror
   (iv) Best Advertisement
2. Open Category, open to freelancers, students from Higher Education Institutions, and the general public, featuring awards for:                                                                           (i) Best Brunei Identity
   (ii) Best Short Film
   (iii) Best Music Video
   (iv) Best Higher Education Institution Short Film
3. In addition, participants also had the opportunity to win eight (8) Jury Awards, as follows:

(i) Best Cinematography
(ii) Best Editing
(iii) Best Male Actor
(iv) Best Female Actor
(v) Best Director
(vi) Best Concept
(vii) Best Social Media Content
(viii) Best Performance

All entries were judged by a panel of jurors consisting of local and international industry experts, educators from Higher Education Institutions, and representatives from Government agencies. Entries were evaluated according to the criteria set, including technical aspects, creativity, and innovation.

Winners of the Industry and Open Categories received a trophy, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of two thousand Brunei dollars (B$2,000.00), while the Jury Award winners received a trophy, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of five hundred Brunei dollars (B$500.00).