BiG Focus : Making Movie Magic

Don’t be shocked by the sight of people running around Bandar Seri Begawan with cameras or dressed up in costume this December — it’s just the annual Brunei Film Blitz, the nation’s very own film festival! The event is closing in on a decade of thrilling audiences with glitz, glamour and amazing films from local and regional participants, and 2024 promises to be even more exciting. The Brunei Film Blitz started with establishing a community of local filmmakers that share film experiences and techniques to eventually produce their own short films, which back in 2017 was a difficult task. “As organisers we weren’t sure of the filmmaking level in Brunei so we held a workshop to teach the basics of cinematic language and visual storytelling,” Siti Kamaluddin explained. The award-winning director, filmmaker and musician, grew up with dreams of making movies but found the journey difficult due to lack of access to support programs or skill-based workshops in the Sultanate.

Cut to 2024 and the Brunei Film Blitz is one of the most anticipated events of the year, with filmmakers from all the region descending upon the city of Bandar Seri Begawan for a hectic 96 hours. Last year, the event counted two feature film screenings in major local cinemas, international guests, and outreach programs such as “Best of Borneo” which brought festival directors from prominent film festival around the island to Brunei. CineSparks, their youth cinema development program, which is dedicated to the promotion of intelligent and ethical film journalism and film criticism, also cemented the growth of Brunei’s film-making and media capabilities. The inclusivity of regional films is also something the Brunei Film Blitz team is proud to have. “It’s such a treat to screen a blockbuster Malaysian, Thai or Filipino film from the 70’s or 80’s to a multi-generational audience. The films are a time machine as grandparents share recollections with their grandchildren, while simultaneously creating new memories. That’s the magic of a shared cinematic experience,” explained Alex Fischer, the Dean of Mahakarya Institute of Arts Asia.

Magic is wonderful, of course, but it times where economy is a key contention for future development, why does building up our own film and creative industry even matter? “It’s a complete economic ecosystem. No matter that size of the production, there will always be a combination of business, art, culture and technology”, said Siti. Professional productions also contribute to other non-film industry sectors such as hospitality, transportation and fabrication, she added, pointing out that South Korea is a great case study for how a fledging entertainment industry can become an economic powerhouse in just a few decades. “There is money in entertainment. People are always looking for distractions from real life.”

 

IG: @bruneifilmblitz | @mahakarya.brunei