Vote for the best shortlisted film online and win attractive prizes!
Emerging from a total of 109 submitted entries, the top 15 finalists have been announced for this year’s Cathay Motion Picture Awards. The countdown begins from now till the Awards Night on 18 July 2013, when the top three winners and Viewer’s Choice award winner will be revealed.
A shortlisting committee consisting of six industry professionals including Anthony Chen, Director at Zhao Wei Films, Zaihirat Banu, CEO of Oak3Films and Isnor Dzulkarnain Jafaar, Founder of Singapore Malay Film Society, shortlisted the 15 films from 23 May to 30 May 2013. The shortlisting process was based on three criteria – originality, production quality and entertainment value.
The judges in the shortlisting panel found the short film entries to be creative and commendable, especially with the stringent criteria and deadline the participants were presented with – to submit a motion picture of 78 seconds that was created within 78 hours. This is in conjunction with Cathay Organisation’s 78th Anniversary this year.
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Isnor Dzulkarnain Jafaar said, “It’s interesting to know that there are lots of young and talented individuals in our industry. Platforms like Cathay Motion Picture Awards will definitely boost the level of creativity and confidence for international platforms in the near future. This is just one of the few reasons why we need to support our local productions.”
Participants also had to adhere to the competition theme, “Tomorrow”, that was unveiled during a briefing session held just before the commencement of the 78-hour deadline. This did not limit the participants’ creative minds as they showcased imaginative stories through their motion pictures – ranging from poignant tales that tug at viewers’ heartstrings to witty stories that elicit laughter.
Local filmmaker Chai Yee-Wei, who is part of the shortlisting committee, said, “Some of the short films made me laugh, some made me cry. But all of them made me proud of the fact that Singaporeans can be a creative lot!”
From now till 23 June 2013, all 15 shortlisted films will undergo rigorous evaluation by a panel of judges. Cathay Organisation has invited esteemed members of the local film industry to sit on the judges’ panel for Cathay Motion Picture Awards 2013, namely:
1. Jack Neo, Founder/CEO/Director of J Team Productions
2. Philip Cheah, Film Critic
3. Lee Thean-jeen, Writer-Director
4. Stuart McAra, Executive Producer for Industrial, Light & Magic
5. Boon Chan, The Straits Times Life! Media Correspondent
6. Nicholas Yong, Managing Director of United International Pictures, Singapore & Malaysia
The top three winners will be determined solely by the judges on three criteria – originality, production quality and entertainment value. The 15 motion pictures are also available for public voting and viewing via the official competition website (www.cmpa.com.sg) until 23 June 2013. The Viewer’s Choice award will be given to the motion picture with the highest number of public votes garnered through the website.
Platinum Movie Suites vouchers and Awards Night invites for lucky voters
Voters who submit votes via the competition website will stand a chance to win five pairs of exclusive invites to the Cathay Motion Picture Awards Night 2013. These selected voters will get to experience a high dosage of red-carpet glamour and rub shoulders with the participants and industry players! Five other lucky voters will also win a pair of Platinum Movie Suites vouchers worth $76, when the entry that they vote for wins the Viewers’ Choice Award.
The winner of the Best Motion Picture will take home $15,000 in cash,while the first and second runners-up will win $8,000 and $5,000 cash respectively.
All participants from the top three winners and the Viewers’ Choice award will receive an exclusive Cathay VIP card worth more than $4,000. With the card, each member of the team will be able to watch free movies at Cathay Cineplexes for a year. These winning entries will also be screened on Cathay Cineplexes’ circuit for a period of four weeks in 2014 – helping to realise the aspiring filmmakers’ dreams of watching their own productions on the silver screen.
The four winners – Best Motion Picture, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up and Viewers’ Choice award – will be announced at an awards ceremony on 18 July 2013, which is also Cathay’s anniversary date.