University production wins London International Film Festival award
‘Breach Investigation’, a short film by Associate Professor Sean Maynard and Associate Professor Atif Ahmad in the School of Computing and Information Systems in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, has won the award for ‘Best Original Screenplay of a Short Film’ at London International Film Festival 2022.
The three-part film on cybersecurity and intellectual property theft was developed for teaching and training purposes, and showcases innovative ways of teaching and learning. This unique teaching tool has been recognised both domestically and internationally, having secured competitive funding worth $178,000 and attracted prestigious accolades, with 17 awards in film festivals.
"Sean and I are humbled and honoured to be sharing this award with Rachael James and the creative geniuses at MSPACE, without whom we would not have been successful,” Professor Atif said.
Each scene demonstrates the real-world application of a knowledge principle taught in lectures. The film presents a realistic narrative of the conflicts and dilemmas experienced by managers in organisations when responding to a catastrophic cyber incident.
The scenarios were informed by 40 ethnographic case studies of organisations conducted by Associate Professors Ahmad and Maynard. These studies ensured that the content was reflective of incidents observed in industry and enable students to be equipped with the skills necessary to address these issues in the future.
"The films are embedded in our MSPACE-designed online teaching on the topic of Cybersecurity Management,” Professor Atif said.
Shot with the backdrop of the University of Melbourne campus, the films were directed by a professional director and scriptwriter from MSPACE and feature professional actors. The quality of work is further acknowledged in a number of other award schemes, including Best Educational Short at several film competitions, and Best Narrative Short at the Helsinki Education Film Festival.