Tan (right) receiving the top award from Han.

KUALA LUMPUR: Persistence finally paid off when Tan Ce Ding won the top prize at the 2016 BMW Shorties for his short film Hawa.

Tan, who has taken part in the BMW Shorties since 2010, had been placed in the top 10 finalists five times but had never won the competition until last night. He would be receiving a production grant of RM75,000 from BMW Group Malaysia along with guidance and mentorship from the panel of judges to produce his next professional short film.

The 10th edition of the BMW Shorties this year received 115 films, its highest number of entries and shortlisted 12 finalists for contention in the competition.




Set in a post-apocalyptic zombie-plagued Malaysia, Hawa tells the story of friendship between Hawa, a girl who has been infected by a zombie bite and a carefree boy named Meng. Through the use of symbolism, director Tan communicates the nature of the journey of friendship – focusing on its vulnerability to the toxicity of social issues which is likened to a zombie pandemic in the film threatening the friendship between Hawa and Meng.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Tan said the symbolism used in his latest film could be interpreted as anything that threatens the bond between individuals.

BMW Group Malaysia managing director and CEO Han Sang Yun said that the theme "Journey" this year marked a new milestone for the short film contest in that it proved that there were many Malaysians who could make award-winning films.

The short films from the other finalists can be viewed on the BMW Shorties website.

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