Sabah teen wins top prize at Young Creator Fellowship 2025
The film, by 19-year-old Duncan Cheng Kai Guan from Sabah, clinched the top spot in the programme that was co-organised by Malaysiakini and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
His film, 'How the Sabah State Government Suppresses Protests', documents how state authorities clamped down on anti-corruption demonstrations led by university students in Sabah.
Malaysiakini English news editor Zikri Kamarulzaman, who was one of the judges, commended the film for its timeliness and thorough research.
'The presentation is solid technically and in terms of the content. There are professionals out there who don't do work half as good as this. Well done.'
Second place went to Noor Ainun Jariah, 24, for her short film, 'The Yasmin Effect: A Digital Changemaker's Story,' which follows career counsellor Sharifah Hani Yasmin as she sets up One Step Closer (OSC) during the pandemic to provide free employment counselling for the jobless.
The three winners of the 2025 Young Creator Fellowship
Ian Yee, co-founder of independent media outlet The Fourth and a member of the judging panel, said:
'The legwork that went into this project is impressive. The director didn't just make it a personality piece, but also explored other themes, such as unpaid care work, which many women in Malaysia have to undertake, demonstrating a good journalistic sense.
'The creator can improve in terms of camera angles for the interviews and graphics work. There was also too much stock footage for my liking.'
Third place was awarded to Nor Alya Khairina Mustafa Anuar, 24, from Penang for her film, 'From Langkawi to Baku', which follows a primary school teacher in Langkawi who advocates for climate education by instilling environmental awareness in her students.
The following finalists received consolation prizes for their submissions:
Daneyaa Ganesan - 'Voices of Change: Nadine Azman on Feminism, Voting, and Activism'
Gareth Woo Yun Hao - 'How One Malaysian Youth Pivoted from Law to Combat Racism'
Najwa Farhana Binti Yahya - 'No Child Left Behind - Voices of Champions for Forgotten Classrooms'
Nur Hidayahtul Aisyah - 'The Unfinished Painting (Lukisan Yang Tidak Siap)'
Nurfatihah Irdina Adlan - 'A Story of Upcycled Fashion Artisans in Malaysia'
Poongkodi Rabichandran - 'Stray Guardians: A Malaysian Couple's Shelter of Hope'
Telford Engan Tan - 'Sape - A Beacon of Unity'
The Australian High Commission, Monash University Malaysia, and Hawana - the National Journalist Day initiative by the Communications Ministry - also supported the inaugural Young Creator Fellowship programme.
Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Danielle Heinecke
'Democracy and the role of media are really important to our Australian identity and our way of life, and to make sure that we have a really strong democracy where transparency is key.
'We want to share our common story about democracy and its evolution with Malaysia, and that's one of the reasons we work really closely with the media, including this year, which is our 70th year of diplomatic relations,' said Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Danielle Heinecke.
The Young Creator Fellowship 2025 consisted of two phases. On June 15 and 29, 30 selected participants took part in two days of online journalism training and submitted short film proposals centred on the theme 'Changemakers'. Ten were shortlisted for the next stage.
The finalists received mentorship from four trainers and were given two weeks to complete their short films. They then joined a fully funded residency held in Kuala Lumpur from July 16 to 18.
During the residency, participants engaged with media professionals, visited leading Malaysian news outlets, including Media Prima, RTM, Astro Awani, and Bernama, and presented their work during a final screening and awards ceremony hosted at Monash University Malaysia.
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