These filmmakers reconnected with loved ones in video challenge

Rishi Varman's father had been stuck in Brunei for work when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, meaning he wasn't able to return home when the circuit breaker was implemented.

Coupled with having to work from home, it wasn't long before both Rishi and his brother realised they had been so occupied with work that they neglected their mother.

His mother had grown increasingly lonely, despite having her sons under the same roof. The physical distance between them might have shrunk, but the emotional distance had grown before they realised it.

The family's situation ultimately served as an inspiration for Rishi's short film, titled The Love Within Us. 

The video was submitted to mm2 Entertainment's film challenge, which called for budding filmmakers to create a short film documenting heartwarming stories of family life during the circuit breaker period. 

The rules stipulated that participants were only allowed to film within the confines of their homes with only those who lived with them.

Straightforward as that might sound, Rishi and many other participants found themselves having to address the uncomfortable emotional distance from the people they lived with. 

But the rules also meant having to engage his mother and brother for help for filming and acting, which ended up being the antidote that brought his family, including his father via a video call, together again.

Rishi's family weren't the only ones who reconnected with one another.

Bambby Cheuk and her friends were similarly pushed to dial up their grandparents - who had been forgotten in an increasingly digital world — only to realise how much their lives and relationships have changed, yet in certain ways haven't changed at all.

Tears were also shed as Rifqi Hairi's siblings sought forgiveness from their parents during Hari Raya and as his relatives said they missed one another during a video call later in the day.

Rishi added: "[My] film serves as a reminder to hopefully not just me, but also many other people, that it is important to stop and smell the roses.

"Share the love within your family for they have always been there for you, especially more so in this period of uncertainty we are all going through."

Love Within is organised in collaboration with AsiaOne and Cathay Cineplexes.

The pandemic has seen daily life upended as the country enforced social distancing in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

"We are looking for messages of hope, positivity and love — all the things that the world needs right now," said the Managing Director of mm2 Entertainment, Ng Say Yong. 

The challenge is split into two categories — Professional and Open — and three winners will be picked from each.

Catch all 16 finalists' entries as they premiere on AsiaOne's Facebook page tomorrow (Aug 8) at 5pm.

rainercheung@asiaone.com