Five Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) short films produced by current students and alumni of the Design and Creative Industries (DCI), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) were presented to international audiences through an exclusive programme “Universiti Brunei Darussalam Presents,” which was the only student short film screening among the total 16 non-competitive programmes at the XXII Kazan International Film Festival, “Altyn minbar” held from 4th to 8th September2026 in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
The Kazan International Film Festival “Altyn minbar” has been held since 2005 under the motto “Through the dialogue of cultures to the culture of dialogue.” It aims to fostercultural exchange among artists from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and non-CIS countries, while introducing the achievements of filmmakers who promote universal spiritual and cultural values. “The best films appealing to kindness, peace, and fairness, regardless of the author’s religion,” are selected for the programmes, according to the organiser of “Altyn minbar.”
Thismarked the first time UBD short films participated in the Kazan International Film Festival, “Altyn minbar” while Kazan was awarded the title of “Cultural Capital of the Islamic World” in 2026 by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). Representing UBD, DCI programme coordinator Dr Yong Liu attended the 2026 “Altyn Minbar” and answered questions from local audiences and members of the press following the successful screening of “Universiti Brunei Darussalam Presents” in a fully-packed Hall 4 of Korston Cinema in Kazan. The audience expressed curiosity about how the student filmmakers at UBD selected their characters to portray and the diverse genres of their stories to tell. Meanwhile, the local press were interested in how the film education was established in Brunei Darussalam and how the Bruneian government supports film education in UBD. Both the local audience and the press sincerely wished for the future success of the Bruneian student filmmakers because of their talented audiovisual creativity and unique cultural expressions demonstrated in their short films.
The five selected short films in the “Universiti Brunei Darussalam Presents” programme screened in the XXII Kazan International Film Festival “Altyn minbar” were:
- Langkah Depan (2025, 16 min., dir. Liysa Zahiah)
- Serupa (2025, 13 min., dir. Mohammad Aziq Zulhazmin),
- Smile. Nur. Smile (2024, 9 min., dir. Syahirah binti Suhairi),
- Séance (2023, 4 min., dir. Aqil Hannan & Azhar Khir)
- Bunga (2019, 10 min., dir. Hanis Hashim, Izzuddin Jali, Rahim Sofri & Azman Ahmad)
During the 2026 “Altyn Minbar,” Dr Yong Liu conducted a masterclass titled “How to Bring a Character Alive and Relatable in Short Filmmaking” for students majoring in Film and TV Production from Kazan State Institute of Culture; he also introduced DCI programme under the newly formed Academic Cluster of Culture and Creative Innovation in FASS at UBD in the Kazan International Film Market to representatives from both industry and academic delegations. He also served as a jury member on the expert panel for the international pitching of film projects, evaluating both Feature-length films and Vertical series (lasting up to 2 minutes and a minimum of 20 episodes).
As the organiser of the annual PRISM UBD Short Film Festival, Dr Yong Liu expressed his interest in a long-term partnership and cooperation with the Kazan International Film Festival, to which, the organisers of “Altyn Minbar” are also willing to look forward to future engagements and collaborations with UBD PRISM.