Recently, Apathy (2024), a short film by Syahirah Suhairi, a student filmmaker from Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) won the Best Poetic Film Award in the ASEAN UniFest 2025 short film competition for university students on the theme of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The winners were announced during the ASEAN UniFest Competition Award Ceremony in conjunction with ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) on 12th November 2025, in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
An ASEAN UniFest Kick Off & Road to AIFFA 2025 ceremony was held on 6th October 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia, which officially paved the way for ASEAN UniFest SDG Short Film Competition as part of AIFFA 2025.
Among the eight award winners, Apathy (2024) was the only Bruneian film that stands out from more than 150 submissions from universities across the ASEAN region to win the prestigious Best Poetic Film Award, according to ASEAN UniFest Chairman, Andrew Trigg. All of the winners of the SDG Short Film Competition have been published on Instagram (@aiffa_official).
The Best Poetic Film Award is presented for ‘Films that communicate an SDG issue and the need for change in a non-conventional, highly creative, visual or poetic way.’ The ASEAN UniFest SDG Short Film Awards empower student filmmakers to address SDG themes, including gender equality, environmental sustainability, and human and civil rights, reinforcing ASEAN’s vision of ‘One Identity, One Community, One Strong Voice.’
Apathy (2024) was produced by Syahirah Suhairi, a third-year UBD student majoring in Design and Creative Industries (DCI), as her assignment for AX-3307 Transmedia Production module offered by the FASS DCI programme. The film was premiered in the 7th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival in November 2024; along with other three DCI short films, it was showcased in Bali International Short Film Festival Minikino Film Week (MFW 11) 2025 in mid-September, Bali, Indonesia. The film will be screened once more during the S-Express Brunei programme on 24th November 2025 in conjunction with the 8th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival, at UBD Pro Chancellor Arts Centre.