Home Car Brands ‘Fly By Night’ Movie Marks First BMW Shorties Winner’s Directorial Debut

‘Fly By Night’ Movie Marks First BMW Shorties Winner’s Directorial Debut

by Zachary Ho - Apr 10, 2019

BMW Group Malaysia_Fly By Night Movie_A Film By Zahir Omar, Grand Prize Winner Of The First BMW Shorties In 2007 — Sashi (4th from left) with Zahir (5th from left) and the cast of Fly By Night.

Over a decade ago, BMW Group Malaysia started the BMW Shorties initiative as a platform for local filmmakers and content creators to share their talent and vision, and to support the local creative scene. The first BMW Shorties competition was held in 2007 with the ‘Mobility’ theme. The winner of the inaugural event was Zahir Omar, whose submission ‘K-Hole’ topped the 74 short films. Beside taking home the Grand Prize, Zahir also took home the People’s Choice and Honourable Mention awards, along with a RM50,000 production grant.

The inaugural BMW Shorties was held in 2007 with the theme ‘Mobility’. Amongst 74 short film submissions, Zahir Omar took home the coveted title of the first-ever BMW Shorties Grand Prize Winner with his short film titled ‘K-Hole’. He also took home awards for People’s Choice and Honourable Mention, along with RM50,000 in production grant.

Twelve years on, Zahir is making his directorial debut with the motion picture, Fly By Night. Fly By Night is a gritty action thriller following the life of two petty criminals, played by Sunny Pang and Fabian Loo, who run an extortion racket in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. They double as taxi drivers at night, extorting wealthy passengers to fund their criminal dealings. However, greed and ambition get to the best of them as they struggle to evade the suspicions of policeman Kamal, played by Bront Palarae.

“The BMW Shorties has given me and so many others a stepping stone into the world of filmmaking. It is truly humbling to have their support not just in 2007 but even now as I venture into my first film. Their continuous support towards my projects even after all these years really means a great deal to me,” said Zahir.

Since its release, the Malaysian-made film has garnered widespread international recognition. To-date, the film has been screened at the Busan International Film Fest 2018, Santa Barbara Film Fest 2019 and New York Asian Film Fest 2019.

BMW Group Malaysia and the BMW Shorties are proud to support Zahir’s directorial debut feature, Fly By Night. “Through the years, Zahir has sharpened his craft as a film maker. His name is already established in the commercial industry as an experienced director and now, he takes a bold step from making independent shorts to a full-length feature with Fly By Night. For Zahir to have begun his journey with the BMW Shorties twelve years ago, we are extremely proud to see how far he has gone. His achievements are the very reason we began the BMW Shorties and we will continue to identify and support Malaysian filmmakers and digital content creators – whether as a platform to be heard or as a platform to become successful storytellers through the programme,” said Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications of BMW Group Malaysia.