By Ashna, Digital Marketing Executive

For more than 46 IACT College students, a seven-week filmmaking challenge became something far bigger than a classroom assignment — and ended with a clean sweep at the 3rd Raintown Film Festival 2026 in Taiping, Perak. 

IACT College students won all three awards presented in the Raintown Horizons tertiary student competition. Off, produced by TGBG Studio, received the Best Student Short Film Award, while Before We Became Strangers, produced by The 5 Girls and Nevertheless, produced by 5dB Production, received Special Mention Awards. 

Behind those three awards were eight production teams, weeks of filming, script revisions and the challenge of turning ideas on paper into stories that could connect with an audience. 

Raintown Horizons: The IACT × WCE Student Cinematic Showcase was a collaboration between IACT College, West Coast Expressway (WCE) and the Raintown Film Festival. Students were asked to develop original narrative short films rather than conventional commercial work, while responding to an authentic industry brief and telling stories rooted in Malaysian experiences. 

Seven Weeks, Eight Teams, One Shared Challenge 

The project brought together more than 46 students across eight production teams. Over seven weeks, they had to take an idea and turn it into a completed short film.

That process was not always straightforward. Ms. Ain Syafiqah Binti Rosdi, Supervising Lecturer from the School of Digital Media Production, reflected on the teams’ early script revisions, tight production timelines and location shooting. The students also had to balance client expectations with creative freedom.

For the students, this meant that a story could not simply remain an idea on paper. Scripts had to be revisited, production decisions had to be made within a limited timeframe and plans sometimes had to change once the teams were on location.

These moments became part of the journey. The students were not only creating films; they were learning how to keep a production moving while protecting the story they wanted to tell.

Three Films, Three Different Voices

What makes the achievement particularly meaningful is that the three recognised films tell very different stories.

Off, produced by TGBG Studio — Atone, Eeh Wen Bin, Manish Sathiya Silan, Rhea Khandhar, Sik Khai Wen and Sriraam A/L Thiyagarajan — received the Best Student Short Film Award. The film explores creative burnout and mental fatigue through an artist who breaks out of an emotional prison during a road trip with a supportive friend.

For the team, the story came from something close to their own experience as students.

“When we first started working on ‘Off’, we just wanted to tell an honest story about creative burnout, something so many of us struggle with as students. Seeing our film on the big screen at Paragon Cinemas in Taiping was surreal on its own but winning the Best Student Short Film Award and the RM1,000 prize is beyond anything we expected! We’re so grateful to IACT, WCE, and the Raintown Film Festival for giving student filmmakers a real platform to share our work.”
— TGBG Studio

Before We Became Strangers, produced by The 5 Girls — Liew Wen Li, Esther Loh Zi Yew, Ng Su Qian, Chloe Tan Koh Xin and Hayley Zi Yen Barnes — received a Special Mention Award. It follows a young man travelling to Morib Beach alongside memories of his partner as he learns to accept grief and let go.

For The 5 Girls, the project became an experience of learning as much as filmmaking.

“We are very grateful to have been a part of the WCE X Raintown X IACT Project. It was a meaningful experience that allowed us to learn new things, work together as a team, and step out of our comfort zone. Winning the project was definitely unexpected but it was an exciting achievement, and we are thankful for everyone who supported and helped us throughout the filming of the short film. Overall, it is an experience we will remember for a long time!”
— The 5 Girls

Nevertheless, produced by 5dB Production — Crystal Au Yong Yu Zheng, Faith Chan Xinyi, Lim Xin Rou, Samuel Lee Zhi Hong and Tan Yik Xuen — also received a Special Mention Award. Its story follows two best friends whose beach getaway is disrupted by a vehicle breakdown, leaving them stranded beside a paddy field and discovering that companionship can matter more than a perfect destination.

For 5dB Production, the experience was also about seeing an idea develop into something real.

“We’re grateful to be part of the WCE X Raintown X IACT Project and to have the opportunity to be one of the winners. It was a meaningful experience where we got to learn more about teamwork, creativity, and the process of producing a project from an idea into something real.

Winning the project was a great surprise and gave us more confidence in our skills. We would like to thank WCE, Raintown, IACT, and everyone involved for giving us this opportunity and making the experience memorable.”
— 5dB Production

Burnout, Grief & Friendship. Three different themes, three different approaches and three different groups of students — each finding their own way to tell a story.

The People Behind the Films 

For the students, the recognition was also a reflection of the work that happened long before they stepped onto the awards stage.

Ms. Ain Syafiqah Binti Rosdi, Supervising Lecturer from the School of Digital Media Production, saw that process closely. She described the students’ determination throughout what was an intensive production cycle, from early script revisions and tight production timelines to shooting on location.

“I am immensely proud of our students’ determination and passion. From early script revisions and tight production timelines to shooting on location, they approached every obstacle with professional grit. Balancing client expectations with complete creative freedom is no easy task, and seeing their hard work recognised with every award on the table for films like ‘Off’, ‘Before We Became Strangers’, and ‘Nevertheless’ is an extraordinary milestone.”

The awards may have been announced on one evening, but the work behind them happened over seven weeks. It happened in scripts that had to be revisited, production decisions that had to be made and moments when the teams had to keep going despite the pressure.

By the time the students saw their work recognised at the festival, they were not simply receiving an award. They were seeing weeks of work become something that other people could recognise.

When the Work Leaves the Classroom 

For the students, the project did not end when the films were completed. Their work was presented as part of the 3rd Raintown Film Festival, a community-driven cinematic event in Taiping focused on regional heritage, authentic Malaysian storytelling and emerging creative talent.

The award ceremony was held on 6 September 2026 at Paragon Cinemas, Taiping Mall. Work that had started in classrooms, production meetings and location shoots was now being seen by a wider audience. The winning films will also continue to be showcased as part of the main festival programme in September, giving the students further exposure to festival audiences and regional industry practitioners.

That exposure gives the students something they can carry forward — not only the recognition itself, but a completed body of work and the experience of seeing their ideas presented beyond the college.

More Than a Brief 

The project also reflects what can happen when students are trusted with a real creative brief.

Mr Timothy Chan, Chief Executive Officer of IACT College, described the clean sweep as a proud moment for the institution and highlighted what can happen when academia and industry trust young talent.

The collaboration gave the students a clear framework and an external platform, while allowing them to retain creative ownership of their stories. They had to respond to expectations, but the films were still theirs — shaped by the decisions they made as teams.

That balance is closely connected to IACT College’s industry-driven and project-based approach as the students had an opportunity to experience the realities of production while still having the freedom to find their own creative direction.

When Technology Changes, Story Still Matters 

Creative industries are changing quickly, particularly with the growing use of artificial intelligence and new production technologies. But as Mr Timothy Chan highlighted, authentic visual storytelling remains an important differentiator as the industry evolves.

For these students, the Raintown experience shows that while tools can support production, the story still comes from the people creating it. They still had to decide what to say, how to tell it and how to bring it together as a team.

Beyond the Trophies 

Winning all three awards is an achievement these students can be proud of. But what they experienced is what it means to take an idea from the page to the screen, work through revisions and production pressure, and eventually see that work presented on an external stage.

The three films may tell different stories, but they share the same starting point: a group of students willing to take an idea and see where they could take it.

The Raintown clean sweep is therefore not only a celebration of three awards. It is a celebration of the students behind them — their ideas, their teamwork, their persistence and the work they put in over seven weeks to bring those stories to life.

Perhaps that is what makes the achievement worth remembering. The trophies mark the moment of recognition. The films will remain as a record of what these students were able to create when given the opportunity to take their ideas beyond the classroom.