We present the list of winners of the SeaShorts Film Festival (Malaysia) which will take place from September 25th – 29th in the historic city of Melaka.

About the festival:
SeaShorts is an annual celebration of Southeast Asian short film featuring film screenings, forums, workshops, exhibitions, and music performances by filmmakers. The event is inspired by S-Express in Southeast Asia, an exchange of short films started in the early 2000s by Yuni Hadi (Singapore), Chalida Umburungjit (Thailand), and Amir Muhammad (Malaysia).

2017 saw the inaugural edition of the Festival held in Kuala Lumpur. 118 short films were screened over four days at three cafes within the Jalan Panggung area. SeaShorts took place in Georgetown, Penang, the following year, screening 148 short films in five days. Among the names that have been members of the competition jury include Rithy Panh (Cambodia), Philip Cheah (Singapore), Pimpaka Towira (Thailand), Mira Lesmana (Indonesia), and Sharifah Amani (Malaysia).

List of winners:

SeaShorts Competition
Best Film

Ballad of Blood and Two White Buckets by Yosep Anggi Noen
Indonesia | 2018 – 15 minutes

A couple selling congealed blood find their livelihood endangered by shifting religious beliefs.

Jury remarks: Mature and well-balanced, Ballad of Blood and Two White Buckets stands out as a powerful film on the bloody currents of society.

Best Cinematography

Vinegar Baths by Amanda Nell Eu – Malaysia | 2018 – 15 minutes

A tired and overworked nurse at the maternity ward finds joy when she is alone roaming the hospital corridors at night. It’s the time when she can finally eat.

Jury remarks: Vinegar Baths is utterly defiant; a wholly original and unafraid work that creates its own vivid universe.

Best Sound

Blessed Land by Phạm Ngọc Lân – Vietnam | 2019 – 19 minutes

Past and present converge in the search for a grave.

Jury remarks: Blessed Land puts poetry in motion, beautiful and mysterious as it builds its space with a delicate attention to sound and picture.

New New Wave Competition (Malaysian Only)
Best Film

bby Amanda Nell Eu – Malaysia | 2018 – 15 minutes

A tired and overworked nurse at the maternity ward finds joy when she is alone roaming the hospital corridors at night. It’s the time when she can finally eat.

Jury remarks: An enigmatic film that offers a complex and delightful universe of satire, myth, and the complexities of human nature; Vinegar Baths boldly puts forth a statement about the female form as an agent for social commentary.

Best Cinematography

Langit Budak Biru by Lim Kean Hian – Malaysia | 2018 – 22 minutes

Two teenage boys grapple with bullying at their school.

Jury remarks: In its portrayal of two male students at an Islamic boarding school, Langit Budak Biru offers a multi-layered interpretation of a rare and courageous theme. Its development of the space as a character is commendable, efficient, and effective.

Best Sound

Forget Me Not by Anwar Johari Ho – Malaysia | 2019 – 17 minutes

A transnational romance between a Malaysian and a Chinese mainlander, told in three parts.

Jury remarks: Forget Me Not’s nuanced treatment of sound allows its silence and whispers to speak volumes, with its use of sound and space offering an insight into the passage of time across geography.

Most Promising Filmmaker

Jeremy Emang Jecky for To Work – Malaysia | 2018 – 12 minutes

Mr. Elisah dreams of a better life beyond his rural upbringing, but past troubles still haunt him.

Jury remarks: In dauntlessly combining supernatural and science, micro and macro, physical and metaphysical, To Work exhibits strong courage and potential.

Loh Din-Yung for The Life We Live – Malaysia | 2018 – 19 minutes

A woman leads a simple existence in a sinking harbour city.

Jury remarks: In a poetic expression, The Life We Live poignantly presents the personal life, social alienation, and tragedy of living in an industrial city.