14th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards sets new standards of excellence for Malaysian artists

0

KUALA LUMPUR: The 14th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards this year is incorporating a new element in the form of the ‘Best Of 2016’ list featuring the most outstanding shows.

In so doing, BOH Plantations and Persatuan Kakiseni said they were directing the Awards in a new direction and raising the bar for artistic excellence.

The shows on the ‘Best Of 2016’ list were selected by the panel of Awards judges from across all performing art categories, according to a statement from the event organisers.

It said the shows would be given top priority by Kakiseni for exclusive meetings with potential investors and sponsors as well as international festival curators and directors.

“In this way, making the ‘Best Of’ list becomes something for Malaysian artists and producers to aspire to as it drives competition and encourages them to make bolder choices to produce shows that are outstanding and with impact,” the statement said.

On the same subject, Kakiseni president Low Ngai Yuen said: “Starting this year, the Awards will be reinvented as a platform for producers to meet potential sponsors who are keen to financially back local performing art companies.”

BOH Plantations chief executive officer Caroline Russell said BOH was delighted to work with Kakiseni on the 14th edition of the Awards.

“We are excited with the new direction that the Awards is taking to bring about meaningful change and drive Malaysia’s performing arts industry to the next level. The new direction – raising the bar for artistic excellence – will, we hope, encourage production and artists to push the envelope,” Russell said.

The shows on the Best Of 2016 list are ‘Black & White @ Variation Rerun 2016’, ‘From Soho to Shinjuku – Half Man Half Myth’, ‘Into the Woods’, ‘Richard III’, ‘Shakespeare Goes Bollywood’ and ‘The Language Archive’.

BOH and Kakiseni are hopeful that the ‘Best Of’ list and the Awards in general would act as a catalyst by inspiring a generation of artists and producers to be bold game changers.

To this end, Kakiseni has launched the #gamechangers social media campaign to go hand-in-hand with this year’s Awards.

It highlights Malaysian talent and creative personalities who have not only made a huge impact within their chosen fields but also stamped their mark in the international arena.

They include Rani Moorthy, a United Kingdom-based theatre producer and filmmaker; Rendra Zawawi, a chart-topping music producer based in Los Angeles; and Kun Seng Keng Lion and Dragon Dance Association, the 11-time title holder of the Genting World Lion Dance Championship.

The BOH Cameronian Arts Awards is endorsed by the National Department of Culture and Arts under the Culture and Tourism Ministry. – Bernama