By MELLY LING
alltherage@thestar.com.my

EVERYTHING seems to be going in favour of young filmmaker Bradley Liew, whose short film Sunrise will be screened at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival in France.

Despite a late submission, as he was busy shooting in Philippines last month, Liew was ecstatic to receive the email from the Cannes officials stating that his short film made the cut.

“I’m extremely excited,” said the 24-year-old movie maker, who added that this is the highest achievement in his career so far.

Raised in Petaling Jaya, Selangor Liew has spent his early years watching movies by his favourite film directors such as Quentin Tarentino and Guy Ritchie.

Even then, he already knew that film making is what he wanted to do.

Although he was a Science stream student in secondary school, his passion for art brought him to direct and write for his school’s drama team, and even won a local drama competition in 2005.

However, despite being online casino a film enthusiast, he didn’t pursue film studies as parents were dead against the idea.

“It’s not that my parents aren’t supportive, they, like other parents, just want me to have a good future,” said Liew who graduated from Monash University with a double major in Economics and International Business.

Nevertheless, he managed to win his parents hearts in the end, and the good news is that his parents are supportive of his career choice now.

While Liew was in college, he experimented with video editing and even uploaded some of his work on YouTube.

After he graduated, he went on to work at a production house making corporate videos and documentaries as a freelance video director and editor.

Being a full time freelance filmmaker, Liew has a lot on his plate as he is works not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in the Philippines.

Often working on a tight schedule, he always makes sure that he manages his time well for his family, friends and work.

“It’s important to balance your time so you won’t overwork yourself.”

Currently, Liew is working with Philippine’s renown indie filmmaker Pepe Diokno for an upcoming feature film.

He is also one of the founders of The Weekend Projects along with his good friend Lim Sheng Feixiang, where they create short films together.

Their short film MACK was a success that was showcased at the 2012 Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival.

Besides making films, Liew also loves rock climbing and is even a certified barista.

As for his future plans, Liew wants to start his own production company but is content on completing his feature film first. “I hope to release my feature film at prestigious film festivals soon.”