KUALA LUMPUR: The 19th edition of the BMW Shorties programme has announced its newest grand prize winner – 'Anak Omputeh' by Darwish Syahmi from Multimedia University Cyberjaya (MMU).
Darwish makes history as the first director to win both the grand prize and the Best Student Shorties Award in the same year.
BMW Group Malaysia director of corporate communications and sustainability Sashi Ambihaipahan said, “The BMW Shorties, as our longest-running arts and culture initiative, remains at the heart of our mission to discover and celebrate Malaysia's immense creative talent."
"For 19 years, this programme has championed emerging voices, and this year's Grand Prize Winner represents a truly remarkable achievement, showcasing the exceptional calibre of local student talent."
"Our commitment has always stood for nurturing creativity and innovation, and this extends across our other initiatives, including ENVision.Next, BMW Technical Trainee, and BMW Product Genius programmes, all designed to cultivate a society driven by creativity, innovation, and progress,” he added.
Inspired by his own childhood, Darwish’s ‘Anak Omputeh’ tells the story of Lan, a young Malay boy who returns to his father's kampung after growing up overseas for five years.
Finding himself a fish out of water in this unfamiliar traditional setting, Lan struggles to connect with the local boys and navigate a culture that feels foreign to him.
Through a series of comedic and heartwarming adventures, he finds himself slowly growing fond of both the kampung life and his peers.
The story explores the experience of ‘Third Culture Kids’ with authenticity and fun, capturing the reality of cultural reintegration while celebrating the universal bonds of friendship and belonging.
‘Anak Omputeh’ also won the hearts of the wider BMW Shorties community, earning them the celebrated People's Choice Award after weeks of public voting came to an end.
Darwish Syahmi was awarded RM50,000 as part of a production grant to bring his next project to life.
Darwish also received the latest Oppo Find X9 Pro, courtesy of Oppo Malaysia.
‘Anak Omputeh’, was selected for its authentic cultural exploration and compelling storytelling by a panel of award-winning industry luminaries, including filmmaker and documentarian Zan Azlee (The Life & Times of an Islamic Insurgency), distinguished veteran actress and writer Fatimah Abu Bakar (Tiger Stripes, Imaginur), celebrated auteur Nadiah Hamzah (Motif), internationally acclaimed director Saw Teong Hin (Puteri Gunung Ledang, You Mean The World To Me), and pioneering voice in Malaysian Tamil cinema Dr Vimala Perumal (Vedigundu Pasangge, Tamiletchumy).
The BMW Shorties 2025 Award Winners are:
Grand Prize Award
Anak Omputeh – Darwish Syahmi
People’s Choice Award
Anak Omputeh – Darwish Syahmi
Best Director Award
Shamalan Nagayai & Wong Zhao Quan for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Actress Award
Kimberly Chuah for ‘Flat No. 4’
Hana Roanne for ‘tragedy of youth.’
Best Actor Award
Dexter Zhen for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Student Shorties Award
Darwish Syahmi for ‘Anak Omputeh’
Best Cinematography Award
Vishnu Attiappan for ‘Sayap’
Best Editing Award
Shamalan Nagayai for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Story Award
Wong Zhao Quan for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Sound Design Award
Teo Wey Yinn for ‘Sayap’
Best Production Design Award
Khor Chin Joe for ‘Kedai Runcit Jiwa’
The Finalists’ digital creative projects can be viewed on the official BMW Shorties’ YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/bmwshortiesmy.
