Malaysian wins international digital VFX challenge

Mohamad Sofian (left) with ZachKing after receiving his Ultimate VFX Challenge trophy.

PETALING JAYA: Following the triumph of Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh on the world stage, another young Malaysian has risen to the occasion to make the nation proud.

Beating out contestants from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Malaysian social media influencer and digital creator SofyanK won the Ultimate VFX Challenge organised by American internet personality ZachKing.

"When ZachKing announced that I won the challenge, all I wanted to do was find a way to tell my fellow Malaysians.

"I wanted to share the joy with everyone who has continuously supported me on this journey.

"This win is not just for me, but for all of you," said SofyanK whose real name is Mohamad Sofian Abdullah in an Instagram post on Friday (April 21).

The Ultimate VFX challenge held in Los Angeles, United States, was organised by ZachKing.

It required all contestants to produce a magic video within 72 hours.

ZachKing is most known for his "magic vines," which are six-second videos digitally edited to look as if he is doing magic.

For his stint, the 26-year-old Kelantanese was handcuffed for 30 minutes as a "punishment".

This awed the judges, which included Mythbusters personality and special effect designer Adam Savage, VFX artist and engineer, among others.

"To mum and dad, Alhamdulliah. My biggest goal has been achieved this year," SofyanK said in the post.

His achievements have also not gone unnoticed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulating the young man for his achievement.

"Congratulations! Your achievement has surely made the country proud on the international stage," Anwar said in a Twitter post on Friday.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil too extended his congratulations to SofyanK.

"His talent in content creation is extraordinary. God willing, we will have some collaborations with him following this.

"The most interesting part is that he is very polite and humble. Keep up the good work!" Fahmi said in a Twitter post.

Prior to his win, Mohamad Sofian’s work also caught the attention of not only Malaysians but also Hollywood stars.

Among them were Paul Rudd who plays Scott Lang in the Ant-Man series Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as Jonathan Majors who played Kang The Conqueror in the movie ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, with SofyanK also having the chance to meet them.