31 Jun - "All Who Leave Go There" by Ikram Haizammuri has been named the Grand Prize Award winner at the BMW Shorties 2023. With a duration of 12 minutes, the story focuses on the lives of Malaysians in rural communities who live in government aided housing projects. The visually captivating story highlights the community's limited exposure to the bustle of the big city, and how some struggle to adapt their perspectives and improve their living conditions, shown through the main character Ady and the friends he surrounds himself with. As the Grand Prize Winner of the BMW Shorties 2023 competition, Ikram Haizammuri takes home the coveted prize of RM80,000 as part of a production grant. His film was selected by a panel of esteemed judges from the creative industry comprising of Sun-J Perumal, Ko-Chin Chen, Tunku Mona Riza, Ghazi Alqudcy and Jasmin Suraya Chin.
In accepting his well-deserved win, Ikram said "Participating in the BMW Shorties competition for the first time, "All Who Leave Go There" has been an incredibly transformative journey in my role as a storyteller. I have always questioned the impact of my short films within the industry, but being recognised on the esteemed platform of the BMW Shorties, among a remarkable group of fellow filmmakers, is truly humbling."
'All Who Leave Go There' received unanimous acclaim from the judges for the short film's subtle yet powerful exploration of its core message, excellent cinematography, and the actors' compelling performances. Further affirming the decision, Ikram also took home the Best Director Award. Tunku Mona Riza, a celebrated Malaysian director and first-time BMW Shorties judge, commented, "Witnessing Ikram's masterful direction was extraordinary. You could tell instantly that the director was committed to a compelling narrative that kept the realities faced by Malaysia's rural communities at its heart, shown by how the characters evolve their own beliefs to look for opportunities to improve their respective situations."
The BMW Shorties 2023 Award Winners are: Grand Prize Award – "All Who Leave Go There" by Ikram Haizammuri People's Choice Award – "TAUGEH" by U Wang Best Director Award - "All Who Leave Go There" by Ikram Haizammuri Best Actor Award - Firdaus Karim in "SELALU ADA" Best Actress Award - Pearlly Chua in "Ah Ma" Best Student Shorties Award 2023 - Samuel Choong Chee Sum for "DADDY'S UNTOUCHED SHOES" Best Cinematography Award - Kiefer Yu for "Ah Ma" Best Editing Award - Palani Veloo for "INMATES" Best Story Award - Wong Ga Dong for "The Missing Trophy" Best Sound Design Award - Soundniverse Studio for "INMATES" Best Production Design Award - Ng Yen Han for "KUL901Y" Judges' Honourable Mention – "INMATES" by Palani Veloo & "bin Abdullah" by Sathiarupan Rajah