TWO Year Five pupils of SK Temong, Serian, won the Best Jury Film Award (Primary School Category) at ‘Festival de Cinema Escolar de Alvorada’ (Fecea) in Brazil, for their animated short film ‘Batuh Bijanji’ (The Promised Stones).
Produced by Macgres Sawet and Nabiatul Dania Zulfiqa Mohd Zulfadhli, with the help of teachers Zulfadli Ad-Dinnie Wan Azmi and Mohd Reduan Patah, the film was previously listed a nominee in the Official Selection and the Best Animation (Primary School Category) at the same festival, reported New Sarawak Tribune.
Mohd Reduan he was proud of the students’ success at the international level despite the financial and time constraints during the making of the film.
“The project came about during and after they attended a Digital Storytelling Animation (Dista) workshop jointly organised by the Sarawak Technological Education and Resource Sector, Ministry of Education, Science and Research Technology and Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) in 2019.
“The production of the film took only 10 days. Two days at the workshop itself and continued on for eight more days at the school including the new recording,” he recalled.
The short film tells the story of a friendship between Sarah and Bibi which can be compared to the ‘seremban stone’ that they played when they were little.
The title ‘Batu Bijanji’ is taken from the Bidayuh Serian dialect which means promised stone.
They faithfully promise that friendship is like a ‘seremban stone’ that is played and will not be released and greeted warmly by a handshake because the value of friendship complements each other.
The animated short film can be viewed below and D-Mulsion Production Youtube channel at https://youtu.be/DrQv6NoRpWg and https://youtube.com/user/DmulsionProduction. – The Vibes, December 13, 2020
