KUCHING, March 15: Albert Tang Swee Chung, the 30-year-old winner of the ‘The Heartbeat of Sarawak’ Sarawak Tourism Short Video Contest, expressed his surprise at winning and revealed his intention to reinvest his RM10,000 prize into his production company.
Organised by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sarawak (ACCCIS), it invited video creators, YouTubers, and students across Sarawak to participate in the contest by promoting the local tourism industry through their short videos.
Hailing from Sibu and working at a local film production studio since 2018, Tang shared that the video shoot and editing process took about four days before submission.
“I am thrilled that our efforts paid off and resulted in winning the competition. We are grateful to the organizer ACCCIS for selecting our video.
“Our aim was to showcase Sarawak’s natural beauty and attract visitors to the region,” Tang said after receiving the prize from Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performance Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting at KCGC Innovation Hub Level 7, Wisma Chinese Chamber today.
The concept for Tang’s winning video, titled ‘Nature Pulse: The Enchanting Midin,’ stemmed from brainstorming unique attractions to promote Sarawak.
Inspired by the state’s lush forests, Tang and his colleague focused on the wild fern species of midin, endemic to Sarawak, as their subject.
“With the assistance of my colleague, we thought of what unique products could be offered to attract visitors to Sarawak.
“We focused on nature and the forests of Sarawak so that is where the idea of our wild fern species of midin came to mind, as it is a wild fern that is endemic to Sarawak,” he explained.
Filming took place in various locations including Kanowit, Julau, Sibu, and Kuching within a short timeframe.
Despite the tight schedule, Tang admitted that they did not expect to win the competition.
Tang, originally a telecommunication engineer, was influenced to join the production industry by his best friend, a cinematographer.
He expressed his passion for storytelling through video and film production and hopes to create more documentaries on unique Dayak costumes in the future.
Encouraging young people to pursue careers in the industry, Tang emphasised the importance of conveying meaningful messages through storytelling.
He also called for increased government financial support and access to free resources to enhance video production quality and reach wider audiences.
In the same competition, Phan Chan Chin of Kuching won first runner-up with the video ‘Heartbeat of Sarawak,’ receiving a prize of RM6,000, while Ling Ching Sieng of Sibu secured second runner-up with the video ‘Heart of Sarawak,’ earning a prize of RM5,000. — DayakDaily
