Taylor's University Film Festival (TUFF) 2024, organised by Taylor's School of Media and Communication, launched with a three-night film screening on Taylor's campus on 29 May, 5 June, and 19 June, featuring 35 documentaries, animations, and experimental films. The Impact Lab Documentary Selection followed the film screening nights on 25 June, culminating in the final Film Showcase Night on 26 June, both events held at GSC the Starling Mall. Furthermore, TUFF also arranged four film seminars and workshops during these two dates that focused on various intriguing aspects of film studies before neatly concluding this year's spectacular festival with the Awards Night on 3 July in The Grand Hall.

In a heartfelt welcome letter, festival director Kok Jia Wern  invited aspiring filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and all art patrons to revel in the splendour of cinema, the captivating world of movies, and, most importantly, the infinite imaginations of student filmmakers from around the globe.

I had a wonderful chance to attend the Film Showcase Night at The Starling Mall. As I approached the hall, I observed that the TUFF committee members, event organisers, and front-of-house staff were stationed at every route step to welcome, assist, and direct people to their seats. This created a friendly and comfortable environment while improving the efficiency of event activities. The entire event was meticulously planned with much care and attention to detail. The showcase featured eleven short films, one of which was a documentary, and another two were animated, among which one of the films was submitted from Taylor's University. Every seat in the hall was taken by enthusiastic audience members.
 

The night began with a bittersweet melancholic story of two people who loved each other in the life they built together. Distributed by London Film School, ''Kisah-Kasih,'' also known as ''A Lover's Tale,'' recounts a story about love, companionship, pain, and loss. As a grieving widower, Hariz navigates the abandoned house, which now stands silent and empty. Every nook and cranny of the desolate walls transports him back to his past, to the days he spent with his beloved wife, lover, and life partner, Dina, who is now simply his deceased wife. The film portrays the agony of losing a loved one to a terminal illness and witnessing their gradual decline day by day. Hariz's vivid memories transport him to the past as he grieves, allowing the audience to witness more of Hariz and Dina's married life. In the end, Hariz has to let go of the physical and tangible traces of his loss while cherishing the memories of the woman he loved. He takes a step forward toward acceptance and healing in honour of Dina's enduring spirit. Director Fauzan Hak conveys the colourless state of Hariz's wistful melancholy to the audience by juxtaposing his present in black and white with the colours of his past with Dina.

The second short film, ''A Tale of a F*cking Desk,'' distributed by Universitas Padjadjaran and directed by Fransiskus William Ferdinand, is a comedic, clever, and witty portrayal of Altha, an office employee who detested her job. The audience is transported into Altha's mind, where she makes sardonic remarks about all of the taxing and frustrating aspects of her work life, eliciting hearty laughter from the audience. The audience's time with Altha's day at the office ends with her losing her temper and putting on a dramatic spectacle of slamming the conference desk in front of her boss while her colleagues start to panic about the disaster that would soon follow.

Titled ''VAPE FOR CHILDREN,'' the third film was a nuanced, informative, and solemn documentary on vape culture among teenagers and adolescents in Malaysia. The documentary was directed by Mohd Akmal Bin Abu Samah and distributed by Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA). Vapes, initially marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, have now gained widespread use. Similar to cigarettes, vapes also promote urination as a safer alternative. Vaping has grown in popularity among non-smoking youth. In 2022, 307,109 adolescents aged 13 to 17 used electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs, according to the Adolescent Health Survey Malaysia AHS 2022; an increase of 45% over 2017. Not only does this surge highlight the lack of regulation, but it also reinforces the incorrect belief that vaping is safe. Influencers on social media also often encourage vaping among their younger audience members. The flavours and packaging of vaporizers appeal to adolescents and teenagers which leads to e-cigarettes being sold to young individuals who have never smoked before. This documentary exposes the absurdity of the vaping trend, in which kids start vaping at the ridiculous age of eleven.

Alicia Lee Kai Xin directed the fourth short film, "Before Sunset," distributed by Taylor's University. It is a bittersweet and heartwarming film about Ah Lim, a 68-year-old Alzheimer's patient. He checks off his to-do list on his notepad every day, and we learn that he photographs the sunset every day for a reason. However, a cyclist collides with him, causing his camera to fall out of his grasp. His friend's granddaughter, Xiu Ling, then takes us on a journey, chauffeuring Ah Lim to various electronics repair shops in the desperate hope of repairing his camera. When he is unable to get his camera repaired due to its outdated model and the lack of spare parts available in any stores, we discover the tragic and heartbreaking reason behind his desperation. A sympathetic Xiu Lim then teaches Ah Lim how to take a picture of the sunset using his phone, alleviating Ah Lim's concern over being unable to capture sunsets. ''Before Sunset'' brings tears to one's eyes and reminds them to be grateful for the presence of their loved ones.

“MASTER-PIECE’’ directed by Afiq Affendi and distributed by Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), is an artfully crafted short film that explores complex themes of tradition, sacrifice, art, and treachery. The audience is immersed in the realm of a tortured artist who is haunted by her past and grapples with the loss of her traditional theatrical roots while attempting to carry on her family legacy. 

One of the two animated films, “KARMA”, directed by Elenna Marrissa Zahra Cheze of Multimedia University (MMU), was a dark comedy that explores the concept of one's terrible deeds returning to haunt them as karma. The animation direction is witty and the characterisation is creative and unique. The story follows a young child who has always been abused by his inattentive, greedy, and cruel stepfather, who starts drowning in an attempt to retrieve his ball from a swimming pool. Witnessing all that was going on, his stepfather never bothers to help or save him. When the stepfather faces a similar incident, he gets a taste of his own karma.

The other animated film, “Whirl”, directed by Wang Shu En from Multimedia University (MMU), tells the tale of a little girl seeking refuge with her octopus plush toy from the chaos of her parents' heated argument. Scared, the little girl crawls inside the washing machine, only to discover the gateway to a magical underwater realm full of adventures. The animated short film gently and skillfully warns adults about the perils that can befall young children living in an unhealthy and unsafe home environment.

B. M. Crowley, a director from the University of the West of England, explores the disturbing reality of algorithms spying on us through social media and other virtual platforms in his film "The Pub Where Everyone Knows Your Name". The film's dark comedy genre, combined with its meticulous world-building and realistic atmosphere, radiates professionalism.

Chandra Kirana Saputra of the Jakarta Institute of Art directed the film “Penalty”, which tells the story of Japra, a cheerful ten-year-old child, selected by his coach to take a penalty kick due to his excellent skills on the team. However, Japra feels pressured by his coach's high expectations and overhears others criticising him during the game, adding to his anxiety. 

Loo Yuan Ling from Multimedia University (MMU) directed the short film “The Manggis in Ah Gong's Hand”, which tells the story of a grandfather who forms a bond with his grandson during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The boy’s parents, who are both doctors, are forced to leave their son in the care of his traditional Chinese grandfather. The grandson's mixed ethnicity with a  Muslim Malay mother and a Chinese Malaysian father, frequently leads him to disagree with his grandfather. However, as time passes, they both realise that their seeming differences cloak a common thread: a concern for the well-being of their loved ones. 

Muhammad Adib Bin Mohd Azhar from UiTM directed the night's final film, a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, bringing the showcase night full circle by beginning and ending with films about love and the pain of losing a loved one. Ammar and Hani save for their wedding by selling thrifted clothing at a car boot sale with the help of their friend Noh. Hani notices Ammar's deteriorating health and regrets that she won't be able to assist him due to her own illness. Following a disagreement the previous night, Ammar finds that she has been in an accident when he arrives to pick her up the following day. As time passes, Ammar finally opens his own clothing store, as he and Hani hoped in the past. 

The audience welcomed each short film with applause, cheers, and encouragement. The night was successfully wrapped up by a closing speech.