TAR UC Alumna’s Maiden Film Wins Award

Reinforcing its reputation for producing top-notch graduates, one Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) graduate has made the country proud for having won an international award for her maiden film. Mickey Lai Loke Yee, a TAR UC graduate of the Bachelor’s Degree in Communication (Broadcasting) who directed her first short film won the Best Performance Award in the SeaShorts Film 2020 Festival, an annual celebration of Southeast Asian Short Film held from 12 – 20 September 2020 online. The icing on the cake is that apart from this award, Loke Yee’s film has also been officially selected to compete in the 25th Busan International Film Festival, one of the most significant film festivals in Asia, Norwich Film Festival, UK and National Film Festival for Talented Youth, US.

Mickey Lai Loke Yee’s story entitled “The Cloud Is Still There” is a semiautobiographical short film that is based on her real-life experience. It is also the thesis film that she had made when she was studying MA in Film and TV Production in London, UK. The film was written in the UK, and then shot in Malaysia. The film revolved around the relationship between the Christian daughter and her Taoist mother. “In this film, one would see how both the mother and daughter make their own plea to their God in order to save the terminally ill grandfather, who is lying on his deathbed. The reason why I wanted to make this film is because, I would like to explore the clashes between the religious and cultural beliefs in the heart of a Malaysian Chinese family. As this is my debut short film, I wanted to make something that really matters and that is close to my heart,” said Loke Yee.

“Making this film reminded me of who I am and what my responsibility is as a filmmaker. I would like to share an underrepresented topic or issue that is often avoided to the audience through the film and make it as authentic as possible,” she added.

Finally, Loke Yee mentioned that studying the Diploma and Degree in Broadcasting at TAR UC had provided her with a strong foundation and sparked her interest in pursuing her dream of becoming a filmmaker. The practical teaching style has equipped her to always be prepared, from pre-production to post-production stages.