On 20 November 2025, the 8th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival commenced with an opening screening lasting over three hours at the Pro-Chancellor Arts Centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
This annual regional film festival celebrates student short films from universities across the ASEAN region. The 8th edition introduced an expanded programme, featuring the S-Express 2025 short film screenings and a local feature film showcase.
Now in its fourth year as an official event under the ASEAN University Network on Culture and the Arts (AUN-CA), the festival received more than 80 short film submissions from 17 higher education institutions across ASEAN, including Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Additional diversity came from Myanmar’s participation through the S-Express 2025 Myanmar programme and a co-produced submission by students from UBD in partnership with the University of Seville, Spain.
Following the opening screening, a two-week online showcase is being held via the ‘FASS UBD Official’ YouTube channel, where all 27 finalists can be viewed across six competition categories: Best Animation Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Fiction Short Film (Drama), Best Fiction Short Film (Horror/Mystery), Best Smartphone-made Short Film, and Best PSA (on SDG themes).
During this period, the public can register for free and vote for their favourite short film to win the ‘People’s Choice Award’.
This year’s jury panel is chaired by Nurain Abdullah, Producer and Co-Founder of Regalblue Production, and includes four judges: representatives from Visual Dimensions Production (one of Brunei Darussalam’s leading production houses), Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB), the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI), and an international jury member—a film producer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Winners in each category will receive a cash prize of BND500 and a certificate of achievement.
Running alongside the online screenings are two on-site programmes: S-Express 2025 Short Film Screenings, curated by producer Nurain Abdullah, which is held at the Pro-Chancellor Arts Centre from 24th to 28th November; and PRISM Feature Film Screenings, taking place at both the Pro-Chancellor Arts Centre and Aman Hills Cineleisure from 18th November to 2nd December.
The PRISM Feature Film Programme showcases five Bruneian films, from the nation’s first feature film Gema Dari Menara (1968) to the latest releases: Gadong (2024), Durang Hadir (2025), Cam Cam Brit (2025), and Para.Doc (2025).
This marks the first time the PRISM UBD Short Film Festival has included a feature film screening programme and themed short film showcases, complementing its traditional celebration of outstanding student films from across ASEAN. AITI and Brunei LNG are sponsoring most of the prizes, while Regalblue Production, Visual Dimensions Production, AJ Film Production, Paperplane Media, and Arman Hills Cineleisure are key partners of the 8th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival.