Awards Closing Ceremony: Malaysian Student Film Festival

Dato’ Dr. Faridah Merican
Acting Judge

Co-Founder & Executive Producer, The Actors Studio, klpac & penangpac
Adjunct Professor & Programme Development Director, TUTAS

Known as the First Lady of Malaysian Theatre, Faridah’s early acting credits include such plays as ‘Lela Mayang’, ‘Tok Perak’, ‘Uda dan Dara’ and ‘Alang Rentak Seribu’, works that defined the Malaysian theatre in the 60s and 70s, and determined the direction that theatre would take in the next few decades. In the early 60s, she joined Radio and TV Malaysia. Simultaneously, she was involved in the formative years of Malaysian Advertising, and is today a member of the board of directors of Ogilvy & Mather. She also sits on the board of several other institutions.

In 1989, Faridah co-founded The Actors Studio with her husband Joe Hasham OAM. In June of 2003, floods destroyed the entire complex of The Actors Studio in Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka. Out of that devastation, Faridah’s ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude generated yet another ground-breaking event – the birth of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, set up by the YTL Group, Yayasan Budi Penyayang and The Actors Studio.

Over the years, Faridah has been awarded the Ahli Mangku Negara in 1973, the Darjah Johan Negeri in 2001, the Johan Setia Mahkota in 2004, the BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2005, Faridah was conferred the ‘Darjah Dato’ Paduka Tuanku Ja’afar by the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan on the occasion of His Highness’ 83rd Birthday. The following year, she received an Honorary Master of Letters at University Sains Malaysia’s 35th Convocation. Finally in 2014, Faridah received the Outstanding Achievement award under the Arts, Culture and Entertainment category from the Inaugural Malaysian Women of Excellence Awards. Faridah now sits on The Laureate Advisory Board and is also the Executive Producer and co-founder of The Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac).

She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by Taylor’s University in 2018. Faridah is currently the Adjunct Professor & Programme Development Director of TUTAS, Malaysia's first performing arts conservatory degree programme by The Actors Studio and Taylor's University.

Joe Hasham OAM
Acting Judge

Co-Founder & Artistic Director, The Actors Studio, klpac & penangpac
Adjunct Professor & Programme Artistic Director, TUTAS

Joe was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, did his schooling in Sydney, Australia, moved to Malaysia in 1984 and is now a proud permanent resident of his adopted country. Joe is the Artistic Director of The Actors Studio, which he set up with his wife Faridah in 1989 and also Artistic Director of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) and The Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac). Joe is a graduate of NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) at the University of NSW, Sydney, Australia. Before he made the decision to come to Malaysia, he was one of the most sought after actors in Australia. Joe is a multi-award winning film director, actor, writer and recording artist.

Joe was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), within the Australian Honours System "For Service to the performing arts through The Actors Studio (Malaysia) and The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; and, as an actor, writer, producer and director".

Joe is currently the Adjunct Professor & Programme Artistic Director of TUTAS, Malaysia's first performing arts conservatory degree programme by The Actors Studio and Taylor's University.

Harry Nott
Screenplay and Production Judge

Harry is a script consultant and writer with a background in award-winning independent filmmaking. Having been a script editor on several feature and short length projects, he has since worked with international production companies, festivals, competitions and distributors, providing detailed coverage reports, evaluation and feedback. This includes a growing list of partners, including BAFTA Rocliffe, Beta-Film GmbH and the British Independent Film Festival.

In addition, he has led screenwriting workshops for new writers at the University of Kent, where he also won an award in the Best Writing category from the National Student Television Association.

Harry holds master’s degrees in both screenwriting and film. Originally from West Yorkshire, Harry lives and works in South London.

Edward Lim
Production Judge

A Vancouver Film School graduate, Edward Lim has been active in the Malaysia independent film scene and commercial. He produced a branded short film The Last Day of School that won the Silver Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2016 and bagged a total of 7 awards at the Singapore GONG 2015 Creative Circle Awards. Together with director Tan Ce Ding, after the success of Hawa in BMW Shorties 2016, they ventured into making The Masseuse and travelled to many festivals like Kaohsiung Film Festival, Short Shorts Film Festival, Cambodia International Film Festival and many more.

Korrie Powell
Cinematography and Production Judge

Korrie Powell is a director and photographer of Jamaican heritage based in North London. With a strong commitment to creating story-based concepts, his art drives from his own and shared life experiences captured and showcased through poetic narratives and imagery. An up and coming talent in the London photography & film scene, Korrie’s projects embody the everyday complexities of modern-day life through the lens of cinematic surrealism.

Vincent De Leon
Film Scoring and Music Composition Judge

Vince currently studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he majors in Film Scoring as well as Electronic Production/Design. He has arranged and performed for numerous productions at Berklee and beyond, and most notably directed Berklee’s pioneering concert of Malaysian traditional and pop music. Vince is also an avid composer of classical, metal, jazz, and electronic music, usually opting to combine disciplines to create hybrid styles and sounds.