Malaysian Ibtisem Ben Nasib to be honoured in Singapore

Malaysian Ibtisem Ben Nassib will be specially flown to Singapore to receive prize from Singapore’s emeritus senior minister Goh Chok Tong on May 17.

Ibtisem is one of the five winners of the international short film contest organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation and New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

The five winners will also participate in a two-day filmmaking workshop at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia while in Singapore.

Ibtisem who is born in Malaysia and grew up in France, shot and produced a short film titled “Colours”, believes that Asians and Europeans are always connected and this bonding will strengthen with time

Ibtisem tried to take her audience on a journey from day to night through her film, which is about humanity and love.

The five winners took part in an international short films contest organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation and New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

This contest was organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), on occasion of its 15^th anniversary.

Young filmmakers, film enthusiasts and students from 46 Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) countries, had been invited to join. They were to express their ideas of Asia-Europe relations through a short, up-to-3 minute long film. The films cover topics such as culture, arts, environment, education and individual relationships.

“Film is a wonderful medium to showcase the beauty and diversity of cultures, while highlighting the similarities to bring two regions closer together,” said Michel Burke, chair of the Department of Graduate Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

Over 100 young filmmakers from about 30 countries took part and the jury had selected Pedro Miguel Resende from Portugal, Ibtisem Ben Nassib from Malaysia, Lorenzo Ciani  from Italy, Riyanto Lasmana and David Saputro Sugianto both from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the winner of the ASEM prize, Pedro Miguel Resende will receive SGD 5,000.

“Thanks to the ability to communicate and express our cultures through online and multimedia technologies, the stereotypes created through centuries of misinformation are disappearing, along with the gap between these two regions” said Pedro.

The jury who selected the films were Michel Burke, chair of the Department of Graduate Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Daniel Yun, founder and CEO of “Homerun Asia”, a Singapore-based movie company, and Natacha Devillers, producer of film company Les Petites Lumières.

They selected four short films that best communicate and represent the Asia-Europe connections theme. The fifth winner was chosen through public voting on Facebook.

All short films can be viewed at www.asef.org/index.php/winners