Happenings: Short Film ‘Never Was the Shade’ by Lim Kean Hian Wins the BMW Shorties 2017

‘Never Was the Shade’, a short film by Lim Kean Hian, has emerged as the Grand Prize Winner for the BMW Shorties 2017. This is the 11 th edition of Malaysia’s longest running and short film competition. This is one way how the BMW Group Malaysia gives back to the people - time time, through the art of film making.

Lim Kean Hian’s winning entry earned him a RM75,000 award from BMW Group Malaysia. Aside from this princely sum, he will also gain guidance and mentorship from the competition’s panel of judges to produce his next professional short film. This year, the BMW Shorties received the submission of 90 short films, in which 9 were shortlisted for contention in the competition this year.

The purpose of the BMW Shorties is to support local filmmakers. This is a platform for talents to showcase their art, flim making art. This time around, BMW Group Malaysia had introduced the first-ever BMW Shorties Festival where people can watch the films and get into the mood. More like an Indie Film Festival overseas. Quite cool.

Media Information

16 December 2017

Short Film ‘Never Was the Shade’ by Lim Kean Hian Wins the BMW Shorties 2017
Grand Prize
The 11 th edition of Malaysia’s longest running and most prestigious short film competition
awards its grand prize winner for 2017

Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communication of BMW Group Malaysia (left) with Lim Kean Hian and the other finalists

Kuala Lumpur, 16 December 2017 – ‘Never Was the Shade’, a short film by Lim KeanHian,
has emerged as the Grand Prize Winner for the BMW Shorties 2017. Lim Kean Hian’s
winning entry will receive a production grant of RM75,000 from BMW Group Malaysia,
alongside guidance and mentorship from the competition’s panel of judges to produce his
next professional short film.

In its eleventh year running now, the BMW Shorties received the submission of 90 short
films, in which 9 were shortlisted for contention in the competition this year.

This year’s winning short film – ‘Never Was the Shade – was set on the premise of a quiet
and serene night at a hospital, and tells the story of two half-brothers with different beliefs,
arguing about their father’s burial. Through clever dialogues and compelling acting by the
cast members, Director Lim Kean Hian effectively communicated the unspoken truth about
the disparities that lie between human relationships and different religions.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Lim Kean Hian said, “I am humbled and thrilled to have
won the Grand Prize in my first venture into the BMW Shorties. At the same time, I am also
grateful that my team believed in my vision for ‘Never Was the Shade’, and has worked
alongside me to successfully convey the faithfulness of differing beliefs in today’s world.
When the theme ‘Vision’ was announced, we decided to pursue a short film that
showcases the concept of differing visions leading up to one path which goes down to the
very bare roots of family relationships – the struggles of differing opinions and faith
between two brothers.”

Lim elaborated on the setting and idea behind ‘Never Was the Shade’, and explained that
despite being connected by blood, sometimes siblings might never see eye to eye. “This is
a common occurrence in most families, especially with personalities who have contrasting
ideas and thoughts. In situations like this, usually the only way forward is through
understanding and tolerance to move beyond the unlikely,” he added.
“We saw a story here, and wanted to bring to life some familial challenges that are oftentimes
swept under the carpet. The most important thing we wanted to highlight through ‘Never Was
the Shade’ is unity – the glue that bonds a family together, regardless of existing
differences,” Lim concluded.

The script and intelligent cinematography of the winning short film evoked a mixture of
emotions and logic implanted a lasting impact in the judges’ deliberation room this year.
Fellow judge and award-winning creative producer Nandita Solomon, said, “The minimalistic
production design for ‘Never Was the Shade’ is impressive for a short film produced under a
low budget, and through a single prop, managed to capture the minute details that expand
into multiple layer of stories and motives to bring the story to life.”

Ho Yuhang, who is no stranger to the Malaysian film scene and one of the BMW Shorties
2017 judges said, “It's a tightly wound film set in a length of time that could be limited for a
theme this ambitious. However, the intensity of the acting and the atmosphere is strongly felt
due to the confident cinematography and editing which manages to capture the moments
palpably. The script, though didactic at times, is complete in its design and doesn't pretend to
be anything else.”

Filmmaker Nadira Ilana, who joins the BMW Shorties’ judging board again for the second
time this year, said, “’Never Was the Shade’ is the kind of short film that you hope to discover
in a competition like this. It’s got this wonderful raw energy and performances that try to
capture the angst of Malaysian youth. He borrows from some film auteurs but as Kean Hian
develops his voice, I hope that he maintains his fearlessness and I look forward to him
approaching bolder, louder local themes.”

Meanwhile, actor, writer, and judge Redza Minhat remarked, “The essence of the story lies in
the writing. While it was a sensitive topic, the director has cleverly told his story to leave a
deep resonance amongst the audience.”

Commenting on the overall impression on ‘Never Was the Shade’, indie filmmaker and judge
Tan Chui Mui said, ‘Never Was the Shade’ has all the makings for an award-winning short
film. It has compelling acting and cinematography, thoughtful production design, and above
all, a powerful story. All of this is done with only two actors, one location and on a tight
budget. My hats’ off to the director!”

On top of the Grand Prize honour, ‘Never Was the Shade’ also took home the awards for
Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.

Speaking at the Awards Night, Mr. Han Sang Yun, Managing Director and CEO at BMW
Group Malaysia said, “The long-running BMW Shorties set out with one mission: to support
local filmmakers and provide a platform for talents to showcase their art. This year, we are
also introducing the first-ever BMW Shorties Festival, to strengthen our commitment towards
filmmaking. Tonight, with the Festival and these talented faces before us, BMW Malaysia’s
vision is realised, and we are honoured to have been a part of this journey to enable
Malaysian filmmakers in realising their passion. We look forward to building a stronger
platform in the years to come.”

To see the full list of the BMW Shorties winners and finalists, please visit
www.bmwshorties.com.my. For more information about BMW Shorties,
http://www.facebook.com/BMWShorties.

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