By Chow Jing Yi
Students of Han Chiang University College of Communication (HCUC) have proven their adaptability and resilience once more during the challenging period of the pandemic. Final year students of the two programmes, Diploma in Mass Communication (DMC) and Diploma in Broadcast Journalism (DBJ) held their final year screening premiere online as Covid-19 cases continued to surge in Malaysia.
The e-screening event was entitled ‘Chapter VII’, the title alluding to the precious time and effort invested by the students in their academic pursuits.
Eight student production groups showcased their final work which consisted of short films, public service announcements (PSAs), television commercials and documentaries.
To add excitement to the e-screening event, several categories of awards were announced to reward the production teams with the most professional creative output. One team that stood out was a group named ‘2 PM Production’ that pursued the theme of recycling in their project. Their PSA video portrayed a mother obsessed with the use of plastic bags, who was humorously juxtaposed with the habits of her environmentalist daughter passionate about the reduction of plastic bag usage. Titled Ma, Plastic Bag is Not for Everything, 2 PM Production won the Most Favourable Short Video.
Meanwhile, Lee Xian Ying’s Dad-dedication and Dream heartwarming documentary bagged the award for the Most Favourable Individual Documentary. The story of a dedicated father who sold ‘Bangali’ bread to provide for his family warmed the audience’s hearts.
“I didn’t expect to win this award. I am absolutely thankful for the support of everyone who enjoyed my documentary,” Xian Ying said.
Winners of both awards received prizes of RM 300 cash.
On the other hand, the Best Group Documentary award went to anyTHINK production with their documentary titled The Juno Effect which delved into the life of a teenage mother and highlighted the issue of teenage pregnancy in Malaysia. The winning team of this category bagged prizes of RM 500 cash.
“Sex education and teenage pregnancy are taboo topics that are seldom discussed in our communities. Many assume that these topics are either inappropriate or shameful and tend to avoid talking about them. Yet, the rate of teenage pregnancy is worsening which drove us to feature the issue in our project and create awareness about this phenomenon,” explained Chow Jing Yi, the director of The Juno Effect.
On the other hand, Sot Plug production’s Delusion won the Best Short Film category for the portrayal of a man’s traumatic childhood experiences that have resulted in his abusive manipulation of his present life partner.
Delusion’s assistant director, Lim Lee Yin stated that this film conveyed the significance of one’s childhood environment alongside parenting strategies in shaping a child’s behaviour and personality.
This is the third batch of final year DMC and DBJ students at HCUC who have organised a virtual screening since the pandemic hit the country. The virtual screening was premiered via Facebook live from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm on its Facebook page on July 22, 2021.
Leave a Reply