6th Edition PRISM UBD Short Film Festival Opening Screening

The 6th Edition of the PRISM UBD Short Film Festival started with a three-hour opening screening at Cinema 3 in One City Cineplex on November 16, 2023. This festival has become an annual event dedicated to featuring short films created by students from higher learning institutions in ASEAN countries.

During the opening screening at One City Cineplex, a total of 24 short films produced by students from these institutions were showcased. It marked the first time that PRISM student short films were presented on a big cinema screen, and this was made possible thanks to the support of One City Cineplex for student filmmakers and creative individuals in Brunei. The event drew over a hundred attendees, including students, lecturers, and representatives from Bruneian media sectors.

This year, PRISM has the theme "Crisis and Opportunity." A record-breaking 29 student short films made it to the finals, the highest number in PRISM's six-year history. These films will compete in five categories: Best Fiction Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Animation Short Film, Best Experimental Short Film, and Best Social Media Content. The jury panel consists of four judges from Brunei's major media organizations, production houses, and media authority AITI. Additionally, there is an international jury member from a European university. Winners in each category will receive a cash prize of B$500.

The 6th PRISM's opening screening began with a short film called Séance, which recently won the Dracula Digital 2023 Competition Trophy in an international smartphone filmmaking contest at the 5th Dracula International Film Festival. Following this, the selected finalist films were screened continuously in the genres of documentary, animation, experimental, social media, and fiction.

As part of the tradition, all 29 PRISM finalist shorts and Séance will be available for a three-week online screening on Progresif Media, Brunei's top online streaming platform for local content. This online screening starts on Monday, November 20th, and ends on December 6th, 2023. During this time, all 30 short films can be watched for free on Progresif Media's website, and registered viewers can vote for their favorite short film to win the People's Choice Award, sponsored by Progresif Media.
The winners in all five categories will be announced at an Award Ceremony on Thursday, December 7th, 2023. Creators of selected PRISM short films will have the opportunity to discuss how to commercialize their creative works with Progresif Media through a revenue-sharing agreement based on subscription video-on-demand (SVOD).