The team posing proudly with the trophy and certificates. (standing from left to right): Yusof Sulaiman, one of the main actors in #Kita Bersama, Wong Shin Mei, Wang Hui Sze, Yap Ying Ching, Ms Shubashini Anamalai, Programme Leader (Broadcast Communication), Yee Woon Looi, Ms Loh Yoke Ling, Lecturer, Department of Communication. (squatting from left to right): Yong Vin Xern and Yeong Chee Ming. (Tham Jia Hao, Yew Kean Hean, Tan Yang Sheng and Tan Chia Rong were not present when this photo was taken)
TAR University College’s emphasis of academic excellence is not confined to academic achievements but is spread across a wide spectrum of fields including producing award-winning films. Such is the case for a team of 10 Bachelor of Communication (Hons) in Broadcasting students who produced the film #Kita Bersama that garnered the Best Short Film Script Award at the 2015 Short Film Festival, organised by BERNAMA in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS). The team and their film were also named as one of the Top 5 teams in the categories of Best Director, Best Short Film, Best Actor and Actress, Best Editor, Best Director of Photography and Best Cinematography. The award presentation ceremony was held on 28 November 2015 at BERNAMA office.
The students who produced the award-winning film are Yap Ying Ching, Tham Jia Hao, Yee Woon Looi, Wang Hui Sze, Wong Shin Mei, Yong Vin Xern, Yew Kean Hean, Tan Chia Rong, Tan Yang Sheng and Yeong Chee Ming. ‘#Kita Bersama’ is a story about 3 friends from different racial backgrounds, who take part in a short film competition to promote racial harmony. Determined to produce a film which best describes the spirit of Muhibah, which means harmony, in Malaysia, the three friends seek advice from their fathers and they combine all three stories to produce their entry film for the competition.
Tham Jia Hao, the producer of the film, decided to participate in the competition after discovering about the contest through BERNAMA's Facebook page. "The competition came at a time when all of us had just completed our industrial training. We were confident of producing an award-worthy film due to the in-depth curriculum we have learnt in TAR University College and our industrial training experience," he shared.
Yap Ying Ching, who wrote the script for this movie explained about the concept of this film: "I wanted to ensure that people of all age groups can relate to this film. Therefore, with the guidance from my lecturers, I incorporated different elements into this film like involving a number of older actors as well as including a little bit of romance into the storyline. Although this competition was not part of our syllabus, our lecturers, Ms Loh Yoke Ling and Ms Shubashini Anamalai provided a lot of ideas and advice to guide us in producing this movie".
The team won a trophy and each student received a certificate. As for Yap Ying Ching, she received a special certificate and trophy as well as a digital camera for winning the Best Short Film Script title.
