Putrajaya, 19 August 2019 – The Minister of Primary Industries Yang Berhormat (YB) Puan Teresa Kok officiated the prize-giving ceremony of the Love MY Palm Oil 90 Short Film Contest, which was organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) in collaboration with IOI Corporation Berhad (IOIC) on 17 August 2019 at IOI City Mall (ICM), Putrajaya.

The contest, which ran from 15 May to 28 July 2019, was aimed at raising public awareness and instilling a greater sense of appreciation as well as national pride in Malaysian palm oil. Open to all Malaysians, participants submitted originally produced short films, not exceeding 90 seconds each. This contest is part of the year-long Love MY Palm Oil campaign, which was launched earlier this year by Yang Amat Berhormat Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The campaign is an initiative by the Ministry of Primary Industry, undertaken by MPOC to instill pride and greater appreciation of the benefits of Malaysian Palm Oil.

IOIC Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor, who is also the MPOC Chairman said, “The Love MY Palm Oil campaign, and in particular, this contest, is a great opportunity to educate the public regarding the truths of palm oil. IOIC is glad to be a co-sponsor of this contest and supporter of the Love MY Palm Oil campaign, together with MPOC. We hope that the public will be exposed to these truth and palm oil will gain greater acceptance in the world as a sustainable, healthy and nutritious oil.”

The contest, receiving over 70 videos, was effective as it reached out to mostly the young and ICT-savvy segment of the Malaysian society. In her speech, YB Puan Teresa Kok said, “The contest allowed young minds of our next generation to share with the nation the benefits and positive impact that palm oil has, to both the nation and our individual well-being, through the short films.” A total of seven videos comprising three winners and four special mentions were selected. Izudin Saedon won the first prize of RM10,000 with his short film titled “The Environmentalist” while Sashvin Raj Batumalai received the second prize of RM5,000 with his “Earth Year 2576” video. Azmi Hud bagged the third prize of RM2,500 with his “Hari-Hari Seorang Pemalas” video. There will be a professional remake of the winning videos.  

The Love MY Palm Oil 90 Short Film Contest’s prize-giving ceremony was held in conjunction with the Love MY Palm Oil Carnival which ran from 16 to 18 May 2019 at ICM for the general public to learn more about the attributes of palm oil. Various interactive and educational activities were held such as cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Florence Tan, soap making session, children’s colouring contest, palm oil product promotion, sales and product sampling, games and a virtual reality tour of oil palm estates. 

IOIC fully supports the campaign that focuses on highlighting the socio-economic, health, nutritional, food, environment and non-food aspects of palm oil. The year-long campaign encompasses promotional and physical activities at the national level through educational elements combining visual appeal, aesthetic value and social media platforms. It also engages Malaysians from all walks of life through various community-based events. In support of the campaign, IOIC also sponsored the installation of buntings and posters at various parts of ICM to highlight the various benefits and uses of palm oil.

Despite having only three prize winners, there were four other videos that received a Special Mention award.

Members of the public took the opportunity to tour the oil palm estate via virtual reality.