The creative industry embodies innovation and has the potential to develop Brunei Darussalam’s economy as the country takes a step forward to better prepare for the future.
Despite obstacles brought about due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the creative industry continues to produce new creators, innovators and streams of income, even gaining notice from those outside Brunei.
Various organisations have acknowledged the importance of the creative industry not only by recognising individuals and key players but also finding ways to further develop and stimulate the industry. In June 2022, the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) organised the inaugural Brunei Content Festival Awards Night 2022 in conjunction with Digital Technology Week of the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2022 (Brunei MYCE 2022).
During the event, AITI Chief Executive Ir Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar said the awards act as a competition platform to recognise content creators, producers, directors, filmmakers and local content arts activists in the broadcasting sector as part of AITI’s efforts to stimulate innovation and creativity in content creation. The awards were also held to encourage the development and production of high quality content with the potential to be commercially distributed and broadcast on television platforms or over-the-top (OTT) services.
“AITI hopes that the platform provided by the Brunei Content Festival will encourage content creators in the country to produce more high quality content that can compete on the international stage to penetrate regional and global markets,” he added.
The competition was open to two categories – Industry and Open. The Open category featured four awards: Best Social Media Content, Best Short Film, Short Music Video and Best Short Film under the Institute of Higher Learning. Meanwhile, the Industry category competed four awards namely Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Horror and Best Performance Advertisement. Seventy-two entries were received during the period of the competition.
Another existing platform which has been substantial in aiding the creative industry is the Progresif Media app, an online streaming app featuring content from home-grown creators. As reported in June 2022, Progresif Media has expanded into 27 countries and garnered more than 4,000 users globally since its launch in September 2021.
Progresif Media is committed to empower content producers by providing them the resources and opportunities they require to expand and monetise their work as content creators.
The subscription-based platform takes pride in being the ‘Home of Bruneian Content’, which includes short films, series, music and podcasts. In supporting local content creators, Progresif Media aims to provide fresh content to local and global audiences with new content releases and live radio shows every week. The platform allows creators to generate revenue through a revenue sharing scheme that will see the content creators paid for every stream.
“Progresif Media is committed to empower content producers by providing them the resources and opportunities they require to expand and monetise their work as content creators,” said Head of Progresif Media Olivia Ong.
Local talents such as singers and songwriters have also been recently acknowledged by artistes outside of Brunei. In August 2022 during the Pelangi Express E-Hits 2 Awards – a programme that showcases local singers, lyricists and composers – one of the invited judges Malaysian singer and songwriter Aina Abdul stated that it was difficult to judge the competition due to the outstanding songs and performances of the local talents.
Meanwhile in January, Bruneian artiste Dila Junaidi with band The Stars participated in the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival’s Round 2021 where she performed five songs at the concert. The festival featured 15 musicians from Korea and nine ASEAN member states. The six-hour online festival was hosted by state-run broadcaster KBS and sponsored by Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) and the ASEAN Secretariat.
Artistes who started in Brunei have proved that they can be marketed internationally, such as the case of Bruneian born Aziz Harun who started his humble beginnings by taking part in Bintang Kecil – a talent competition aimed and polishing and nurturing young stars in the making. He is now a staple name in the regional music scene, making his mark in Malaysia.
“This is the journey that I’m pursuing, which might not be the conventional path for a Bruneian. But I hope to set an example, just like my Bruneian singer friend Jaz in Indonesia, who’s shown that it is possible to make a career out of something you love,” said Aziz in an interview with the Borneo Bulletin last year.
With the development of local platforms and initiatives put in place as well as acknowledgement and success evident, the local creative industry still maintains high potential and will continue to grow.
Copyright 1993 Borneo Bulletin Yearbook All rights reserved.
