Our Purpose
Cultures are rooted in nature — and we want to give people a chance to explore that. We provide opportunities for youths to create theatre productions in nature, inspired by the stories they hear from communities who live in them, and for our audience to feel a greater sense of investment in their theatrical experience.
Vision
To inspire young people to consider local ecosystems from new perspectives, as places of cultural heritage and community living
Mission
By providing mentorship and opportunities to create film pieces inspired by stories, culture, and natural history
Strategy
1. Incubate
We invite youth to join our workshops on film production, historical storytelling and natural heritage
2. Film
Youths will work with local production companies, filmmakers and mentors to produce short films that highlights natural heritage and immerse audiences in the historical settings of our stories
3. Inspire
We hope that the stories we create will inspire filmmakers and audiences alike to see natural environments as part of our cultural heritage
Our Setting
Tasek Merimbun
Brunei's largest natural blackwater lake
As Brunei's only ASEAN Heritage Park,
Tasek Merimbun is of conservation significance due to its beauty, rich biodiversity, and the cultural history of its indigenous Dusun community. Despite its status, Tasek Merimbun has fallen into a state of disrepair due to a lack of funding and maintenance. While it was once a popular weekend destination for Bruneians and tourists alike, now, the only people who visit are locals there to fish recreationally. (image by Khairul Syazwi)
A home for the Dusun community,
the Dusun community at Tasek Merimbun has lived there for generations, depending on its surrounding forests and waters for sustenance and their way of life. Their traditions, cultures and stories are intricately linked to their environment. As more and more Dusuns move away from their ancestral homes in pursuit of jobs and city life, we need to recognise and celebrate their unique culture and history with all of Brunei. (image by @inafrac)
Who We Are
Co-Founders
Jazie Zaini
Brunei
Jazie is an Environmental Education Graduate Assistant who mentors student leaders in developing Environmental Sustainability programs in Jerudong International School. With Play Naturally, Jazie hopes to combine her theatre experience and passion for environmental issues to raise awareness on how humans and nature can co-exist and better each other. In her spare time, she enjoys meeting people of different backgrounds, cooking and farming.
Gan Sylvia
Singapore
Sylvia is a Field Biologist at Ecofieldtrips Singapore, where she leads students on environmental education programs around Southeast Asia. She enjoys changing students’ perspectives about what the natural environment has to offer and exploring new ecosystems. With this lab, Sylvia hopes to open people's eyes to the rich cultural heritage of scenic places. In her free time, Sylvia works on her lab’s first prototype.
Team Members
Md Bubba
Theatre & Filmmaking Lead
Md Bubba has been involved in various theatre productions and short films since 2012. Bubba strives to collaborate with local talents in creating productions with the finesse and style that is unique to the nation, and to introduce Brunei Darussalam to the performance art realm with its own brand of flair and identity. Bubba spends his down-time fiddling with the guitar and rewatching classic films.
Farhan Jafar Ali
Finance
Farhan is a graduate of UBD's Professional Communication and Media programme and a professional barista. With Play Naturally, Farhan hopes to work with fellow youths to bring passion and activism to film and theatre productions. As a frequent delegate of international programmes, Farhan is our resident ASEAN affairs expert and even represented Brunei in ASEAN Foundation's Model ASEAN Meeting 2019.
Shaima Misli
Conservation Lead
A Biologist by training, Shaima co-founded Save Kampong Ayer, a programme which aims to raise awareness on correct environmental management practices. With her work, Shaima hopes that young people in Brunei can appreciate the culture and the environment that the country has to offer and work together to preserve them. In her free time, she enjoys meeting different people to gain new perspectives or cuddles with her cat, Dots.
Hilmi Sanif
Programme Coordinator
Hilmi Sanif is a Travel and Tourism student and part-time event emcee who is super passionate about theatre. He started his theatre journey with Seeds Brunei, branched out to Relentless Brunei and even took part in Play Naturally's first production in 2020. As PN's Programme Coordinator, Hilmi hopes to meet and work with people from different backgrounds to learn more about conservation in Brunei, and to become involved in more creative projects.
Alya Halid
Intern
Alya is a current UBD student majoring in Sociology and Anthropology doing her Discovery Year with Play Naturally. From this internship, she hopes to discover and help amplify the beauty within Brunei’s rich nature by integrating it to the creative arts scene/film industry. During her spare time, she enjoys painting portraits and meeting her friends. Alya is also Play Naturally's first ever intern and the only person working on Play Naturally full time.
Azeez Danial
Mentor
Azeez Danial is a director, scriptwriter and...comedian. He has written, produced, acted and directed commercials, short films, series and sketches with Filterworks Productions, as well as with various other production houses. His short film, Hamsterwheel (2019), has been shown in various film festivals, namely the 5th edition of Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival in Davao City, Philippines. With over 3 years of filming experiences, Danial brings fresh perspectives, bold ideas and a certain discomfort at being called a filmmaker.
Abdul Zainidi
Mentor
Abdul Zainidi is an indie filmmaker and a scholarship recipient of Busan Asian Film School. An American Film Showcase, YSElI and FLY alumni, he was the first Bruneian filmmaker to be selected to enter the Asian Film Academy and Tokyo Talents programme. He is currently finishing up his award winning feature film ‘The Worm and the Widow’ due to be released later this year during the Brunei December Festival and is also one of the faces of Sukarelawan Belia as an active volunteer in the fight against COVID19.
Aznniel Yunus
Mentor
Aznniel Yunus is a filmmaker mainly focused on Directing and Cinematography. He is an alumni from FLY2016 in Cambodia. He has directed shorts films, music videos, drama series and some marketing works. One of his short films called 'Masa' has premiered in Shorts Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan as well as on other short film festivals in Thailand and West Malaysia. Aznniel's favorite film genres are drama sci-fi and horror.
Partners
247 Studios
247 is a theatre production start-up passionate about promoting new theatre forms in Brunei and the host of Play Naturally's creative programmes. Not only is 247 Studios our key collaborator for theatre and storytelling workshops, direction, staging and overall theatre production, they are also great advisors in filmmaking and production planning.
Filterworks Productions
What started out as 3 friends who are passionate to create sketches with a local twist, has now made its name in the creative community in Brunei. Filterworks Productions has grown to achieve making short films, series, commercial projects and passion projects. One of their series The Bungsu Story was nominated for "Best Asia Drama' category at 'First Asia Contents Award' in Korea. To know more about us, visit our Instagram page at @filterworksproductions
Shazanas Studio
Shazanas Studio was established to provide Brunei Darussalam with high quality video production services and aims to work with a diverse talents and clients. Shazanas' vast experience in filmmaking has led them to be involved in multiple projects with governments, regional and international partners and clients.
Otter Company
Otter Company is a creative mastermind in visual marketing and brand advancement. They believe that every asset is unique in its own way and has its own stories to tell. They bring to Play Naturally their wealth of experience in video production, 2D and 3D animation and their mission to create local products with international standard-visuals.
Sponsors
Links
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