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December 08, 2025,Kuala Lumpur, – The 19th BMW Shorties 2025, Grand Prize Winner ‘Anak Omputeh’ by Darwish Syahmi from Multimedia University Cyberjaya (MMU),makes history as the first director to win both the Grand Prize and the Best Student Shorties Award in the same year, marking a significant milestone for student filmmaking and digital content creation in Malaysia.
Sashi Ambihaipahan-Director of Corporate Communications and Sustainability, BMW Group Malaysia said, “The BMW Shorties, as our longest-running Arts & Culture initiative, remains at the heart of our mission to discover and celebrate Malaysia’s immense creative talent. For 19 years, this programme has championed emerging voices, and this year’s Grand Prize Winner represents a truly remarkable achievement, showcasing the exceptional calibre of local student talent. Our commitment has always stood for nurturing creativity and innovation, and this extends across our other initiatives, including ENVision.Next, BMW Technical Trainee, and BMW Product Genius programmes, all designed to cultivate a society driven by creativity, innovation, and progress.”
Inspired by his own childhood, Darwish’s ‘Anak Omputeh’ tells the story of Lan, a young Malay boy who returns to his father’s kampung after growing up overseas for five years. Finding himself a fish out of water in this unfamiliar traditional setting, Lan struggles to connect with the local boys and navigate a culture that feels foreign to him. Through a series of comedic and heartwarming adventures, he finds himself slowly growing fond of both the kampung life and his peers. The story explores the experience of ‘Third Culture Kids’ with authenticity and fun, capturing the reality of cultural reintegration while celebrating the universal bonds of friendship and belonging.
‘Anak Omputeh’ also won the hearts of the wider BMW Shorties community, earning them the celebrated People’s Choice Award after weeks of public voting came to an end.At just 20 years old, Darwish Syahmi entered the BMW Shorties with an impressive creative foundation. Hailing from MMU Cyberjaya’s Faculty of Cinematic Arts, Darwish developed a specialty for weaving comedic irony with hard-hitting reality, which he had honed from a very young age. His previous works include ‘Kapak’ (2023), nominated at the 20th Mini Film Festival in Sarawak; the experimental film ‘FORYOU32GODSAVEOURCHILDREN’ (2023), nominated at Taylor’s University Film Festival 2024; and the mini-documentary Kintsugi (2024), which won 1st Runner-Up at Echo Film Fest: The Sequel. Looking to the future. Darwish has one clear goal in mind – to make his mark in Malaysian cinema through writing and directing a feature film.
Reflecting on his win, Darwish shared, “This entire experience has been absolutely amazing. ‘Anak Omputeh’ came from a very personal place of wanting to show the experience of ‘Third Culture Kids’, that even when you do not speak the same language, you can be united on the universal language of kindness and compassion. I am very grateful to my cast and crew who took a chance on this story, and to the BMW Shorties for giving student creators a chance to be seen on such a prestigious platform. Winning both the Grand Prize and Best Student Shorties Award has given me the confidence to take this passion even further, and I am thrilled to have the chance to keep making projects that feel honest and rooted in the Malaysian experience.”
Darwish Syahmi was awarded RM50,000 as part of a production grant to bring his next project to life. In addition to the production grant, Darwish also received the latest OPPO Find X9 Pro, courtesy of OPPO Malaysia, allowing him to continue creating visually striking digital content with their newest cutting-edge mobile technology.
‘Anak Omputeh’, was selected for its authentic cultural exploration and compelling storytelling by a panel of award-winning industry luminaries, including filmmaker and documentarian Zan Azlee (The Life & Times of an Islamic Insurgency), distinguished veteran actress and writer Fatimah Abu Bakar (Tiger Stripes, Imaginur), celebrated auteur Nadiah Hamzah (Motif), internationally acclaimed director Saw Teong Hin (Puteri Gunung Ledang, You Mean The World To Me), and pioneering voice in Malaysian Tamil cinema Ts. Dr. Vimala Perumal (Vedigundu Pasangge, Tamiletchumy).
Nadiah Hamzah said, “This story handles the complexities of cultural identity with both sensitivity and warmth. The non-judgmental way the story unfolds, and how the community naturally embraces Lan, reflects a deep understanding of human connection. Darwish has shown a maturity in his storytelling that speaks to his potential as a director who can explore complex themes with heart and nuance.”
Fellow judge Saw Teong Hin commented, “What makes ‘Anak Omputeh’ special is its sincerity – there was no forced perfection, and that allowed its authenticity to shine through. Darwish and his team have demonstrated that great storytelling just needs honest voices and genuine passion. If they can maintain this playful spirit and level-headedness as they develop their craft, I am excited to see how far they will go.”
‘Anak Omputeh’ exemplified the essence of this year’s ‘New Dimensions’ theme, which called upon participants to venture beyond conventional storytelling and explore bold new perspectives. Through its authentic examination of cultural identity, rendered with both humor and emotional depth, the story reflected the same innovative spirit that drives BMW Group Malaysia’s approach to mobility and design. Darwish’s dual achievement as both Grand Prize Winner and Best Student Shorties recipient stands as a testament to the exceptional calibre of talent emerging from Malaysia’s academic institutions and broader creative community, and reinforces the BMW Shorties’ ongoing commitment to discovering, nurturing, and celebrating the nation’s next generation of storytellers.
The BMW Shorties 2025 Award Winners are:
Grand Prize Award
Anak Omputeh – Darwish Syahmi
People’s Choice Award
Anak Omputeh – Darwish Syahmi
Best Director Award
Shamalan Nagayai & Wong Zhao Quan for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Actress Award
Kimberly Chuah for ‘Flat No. 4’
Hana Roanne for ‘tragedy of youth.’
Best Actor Award
Dexter Zhen for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Student Shorties Award
Darwish Syahmi for ‘Anak Omputeh’
Best Cinematography Award
Vishnu Attiappan for ‘Sayap’
Best Editing Award
Shamalan Nagayai for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Story Award
Wong Zhao Quan for ‘Perfect Family’
Best Sound Design Award
Teo Wey Yinn for ‘Sayap’
Best Production Design Award
Khor Chin Joe for ‘Kedai Runcit Jiwa’
Meanwhile, BMW Group Malaysia premiered ‘Flame of the Forest’, a BMW Shorties funded project by Krityishaa A/P Karunagaran, Grand Prize Winner of the BMW Shorties competition in 2024 at the BMW Shorties Festival 2025.
‘Flame of the Forest’ follows the story of a young nurse who, while meant to be caring for her grandmother, sneaks out for a brief taste of freedom, only to return to a loss that shatters both her family’s delicate balance and her own sense of self. Set in the roots of the Malaysian Indian community in the small town of Kuala Terla, Cameron Highlands, the story explores generational expectations, cultural pride, and the quiet longing for freedom beneath conservative family structures.
Her work has since earned recognition both locally and internationally, with ‘Tomorrow is Spring (வருங்காலம்வசந்தகாலம்)’ winning both the BMW Shorties 2024 Grand Prize and the Malaysian Open Competition at SeaShorts Film Festival 2025, and has been screened at festivals across Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, and Thailand.
As she continues to hone her craft as a director and writer, Krityishaa is most drawn to grounded, emotionally resonant work across films and commercials, drawing from the diverse experiences of Malaysians from all backgrounds.
Sashi Ambihaipahan– Director of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at BMW Group Malaysia, said, “Krityishaa has brought a remarkable depth and nuance to stories told from the communities present here in Malaysia, in not shying away from the tensions between tradition and self-discovery, and between the traditional family construct and values versus a more modern expression in the wants of today’s society. Her honesty and willingness to explore this complexity is what makes ‘Flame of the Forest’ so powerful, showing a maturity in storytelling that goes beyond technique. At BMW Group Malaysia, through the BMW Shorties platform, we are committed to championing local talent with this kind of creative courage and distinctive voice, creating space for stories that challenge perspectives and demonstrate the changing society of a developing culture.’
Through this project, Krityishaa captures the emotional tension of a young woman navigating the space between personal desire and family expectations. Altogether, ‘Flame of the Forest’ speaks to the deeply resonant struggle of defining oneself against the weight of tradition.
“’Flame of the Forest’ began with a completely different storyline but the more our co-writer, Gogu and I discussed the project, the more we shaped this story to what it is now and that this is the right story that is meant to be told, in this time and space. It is rewarding, confusing, exhausting, and liberating all at once. The project does not just represent the stories of the women around us, but also the men, the people whom we co-exist with, and the chaos that very often exists in our own minds,” said Krityishaa. “To have this story come to life through the BMW Shorties platform has been both humbling and empowering. It is a reminder of what storytelling can do – which is to help us see and be seen, in all our complexity.”
With over seven years of experience as a director, writer, and producer, Ipoh-born Krityishaa has shaped a distinctive voice as a Malaysian storyteller. After initially graduating in Biotechnology, she pivoted to pursue her passion for creative storytelling, earning a degree in Digital Film and Television from Lim Kok Wing University.
