Malaysia’s emerging filmmaking scene has plenty of creative talent waiting to be discovered, and the latest short horror film competition has given these aspiring storytellers an opportunity to prove what they can do behind the camera.
The inaugural season of CUT!, Malaysia’s premier short horror film competition, has officially wrapped up with an exciting finale at SCREAMING NIGHT: CUT! Awards & Screening. Taking home the biggest share of the evening’s recognition was SULUH, which dominated the competition with an impressive nine awards, including Best Horror Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay.
Organised by Ampersand Advisory, CUT! was created to discover emerging Malaysian filmmakers and provide a platform for new creative voices to showcase their storytelling abilities. With horror as its central theme, the competition challenged participants to produce an engaging short horror film within a five-minute runtime.
The first season attracted 40 film submissions from aspiring filmmakers across the country, with 24 shortlisted entries making it to the final screening.
SULUH Leads the Winners at CUT! Awards 2026
Held on 30 October 2026 at GSC, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, SCREAMING NIGHT brought together filmmakers, industry judges, creative professionals and film enthusiasts for an evening celebrating Malaysian filmmaking talent.
The event featured big-screen screenings of the shortlisted horror films before announcing the winners across 20 award categories.
Among all the participating entries, SULUH stood out as the biggest winner of the night. The film secured the prestigious Best Horror Film award, receiving RM10,000 in prize money together with Canon imaging equipment.
But that was not all. SULUH also collected eight additional awards, recognising its achievements in different aspects of filmmaking.
Its nine awards included:
- Best Horror Film
- Best Director
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Screenplay
- Best Scare
- Best Costume
- Best Hair & Make-Up
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role, awarded to Nur Humaira.
Winning across storytelling, technical production and acting categories is a significant achievement, particularly for an emerging filmmaking team competing in the country’s inaugural short horror film competition.
NIZHAL and FREKUENSI Also Impress
While SULUH took centre stage, other shortlisted films also received recognition for their creative contributions.
Taking second place was NIZHAL, which received RM7,500 in prize money. The film also earned acting recognition, with Thurgga Sharon winning Best Actress in a Leading Role and Kuhan Vijayakumar taking home Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Meanwhile, FREKUENSI secured third place and RM5,000 in prize money.
The competition also recognised individual acting performances, with Liishvaar from RESULT winning Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Two additional finalists, MIMICRY and SANNIDHI, each received RM1,500 for making it into the final selection.
MIMICRY also picked up the Best Use of Music award, highlighting the importance of sound and music in creating an effective horror experience.
Another interesting winner was SANDARAN MANZIL from KKTM Rembau, which received two special recognitions: Best Student Film and Best Film Shot Entirely on Phone.
This is particularly encouraging for aspiring filmmakers who may not have access to expensive filmmaking equipment but still have the creativity and determination to produce compelling visual stories.
Taylor’s University was also recognised for submitting the highest number of entries from a single university.
More Than Just Another Film Competition
One of the most interesting aspects of CUT! is its focus on providing opportunities for emerging filmmakers rather than simply organising another filmmaking competition.
With a five-minute runtime, participants had to think creatively about how to develop suspense, build atmosphere and deliver an effective horror experience within a limited amount of time.
Horror filmmaking requires more than just jump scares. A successful short horror film needs a strong storyline, effective cinematography, sound design, editing and convincing performances to keep audiences engaged.
Through CUT!, participants were given the opportunity to explore these filmmaking elements while showcasing their individual creative approaches.
According to Sandeep Joseph, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ampersand Advisory, the inaugural competition reinforced his belief that Malaysia has plenty of untapped filmmaking talent.
He explained that CUT! was never intended to be just another competition, but rather a launchpad for promising filmmakers to gain exposure and opportunities to develop their craft.
As someone who is also a filmmaker, Sandeep understands how important that first opportunity can be for individuals looking to enter the film industry.
He also expressed his hope that the next edition, CUT! 2, will discover even more original voices and help Malaysian stories reach audiences beyond the country’s borders.
Canon Supports Malaysia’s Emerging Filmmakers
An important part of CUT!’s inaugural season was its partnership with Canon Marketing Malaysia, which came onboard as the competition’s Official Imaging Partner.
Canon supported the initiative by providing Canon imaging equipment as prizes for the winning filmmakers, giving them additional resources to continue developing their filmmaking skills.
Edward Chang, Head of Image Communication Business Division at Canon Marketing Malaysia, said the company believes powerful storytelling begins with imagination, while the right technology helps bring creative visions to life.
Through its partnership with CUT!, Canon hopes to encourage aspiring Malaysian filmmakers to explore new ways of storytelling, express their creativity and push the boundaries of visual filmmaking.
The imaging equipment awarded to the winners is also intended to help them further improve their technical abilities and bring more compelling stories to the screen.
The collaboration highlights how partnerships between creative platforms and technology companies can help nurture local talent and provide aspiring filmmakers with access to better tools and opportunities.
CUT! 2: More Malaysian Horror Stories to Come
With 40 submissions, 24 shortlisted films and winners recognised across 20 categories, the inaugural CUT! competition has made an encouraging start in creating opportunities for Malaysia’s emerging horror filmmakers.
More importantly, it has demonstrated that aspiring filmmakers do not necessarily need a full-length production or a huge budget to tell an interesting story.
Sometimes, all it takes is a creative idea, a good understanding of storytelling and the determination to bring that idea to life.
The announcement that CUT! 2 is set to continue the platform is certainly something for local filmmakers and horror enthusiasts to look forward to.
Hopefully, the next edition will attract even more creative submissions, encourage greater participation from universities and independent filmmaking communities, and provide opportunities for new Malaysian talents to showcase their work.
For now, congratulations to SULUH and all the winners, shortlisted filmmakers and participants who made the first edition of CUT! a success.
Who knows? Some of the filmmakers celebrated at SCREAMING NIGHT today could be the creative talents behind Malaysia’s next big horror movie tomorrow.
Further details on CUT! 2, including the opening date and submission guidelines, will be announced through CUT!’s official channels and its website: https://ampersand-advisory.
Keywords
- CUT! Awards 2026
- CUT! Screaming Night
- SULUH horror film
- Malaysian horror filmmakers
- Malaysia short horror film competition
- Ampersand Advisory CUT!
- Malaysian independent filmmakers
- Canon Malaysia filmmaking
- Best Horror Film Malaysia
- Malaysian film industry 2026
- Emerging Malaysian filmmakers
- SCREAMING NIGHT 2026
