The second press conference was held for the 1st International Film Festival & Awards Macao

The 1st International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) will be staged from 8th to 13th December. The Organizing Committee held a press conference on 14 November to share the latest progress of event preparation. Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA) and Executive Vice President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Alvin Chau, famous Korean actor and IFFAM Talent Ambassador, Jang Keun-Suk, other personages as well as members of the press coming from Hong Kong, Macao, Mainland China and around the world were present in the press conference. The number of attendees aggregates over a hundred. 

 

During the press conference, President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee Senna Fernandes presented the event program in detail, and awards were handed to the judges and winner of IFFAM – “Macao Audience Choice Award” Trophy Design Competition. The press conference also introduced members of the jury, comprising film directors from Hong Kong and Macao, for the Chinese Language Short Content Competition, which will be held to encourage participation among the local cultural and creative sector and inspire young local talents to create their works. 

 

In response to Mr. Marco Muller’s resignation from his post of Festival Director of IFFAM earlier, President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee Senna Fernandes will take up the post of Acting Festival Director and all the work and responsibilities concerned together with the Secretariat.

 

Spanning six consecutive days, the IFFAM program encompasses an opening ceremony, an array of film premieres and red-carpet presentations, Industry Hub, media exchange sessions after numerous film screenings, Masterclass, closing ceremony and award ceremony, etc. 

 

 

The 1st International Film Festival & Awards Macao will commence with an opening ceremony at Macao Cultural Centre on the night of 8th December. Many internationally-acclaimed film stars and personages will appear on the red carpet. A French movie titled “Polina, danser sa vie” will unveil the opening night. The closing ceremony will also be held at Macao Cultural Centre, on the night of 13th December, when winners of the Competition Section in IFFAM will be announced followed by a grand award ceremony. 

 

The 1st IFFAM will screen a total of 50 films from over 20 countries and regions across the globe. For most of the films, this will be their world or Asian premiere. 

 

As one of the highlights in IFFAM, the Competition Section will pit 11 feature films against each other for a total of 9 awards, including the Best Film, Jury Prize, the Best Director, the Best Actor Award, the Best Actress Award, the Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress, the Best Screenplay, Award for Best Technical Contribution and Macao Audience Choice Award. The 11 films will debut at Macao Cultural Centre or Macau Tower. 

 

In addition, a range of film screenings including Gala, “Hidden Dragons”, Best of Fest, Special Presentation and “Crossfire” will feature recommended films for appreciation and special film genres. Among them, Gala will present seven of the most important films of the year including “Polina, danser sa vie”, which has been chosen to kick-off the Festival.  

 

In recent years, more local directors have directed local films in Macao which have gained wider recognition over time. Directed by local director Emily Chan and starring Sean Pang, the movie “Yesterday Once More” will be lined up alongside other films in the category of “Hidden Dragons” (Genre of Asian films in original and distinctive style). Another movie “Sisterhood”, starring Gigi Leung and jointly directed by local director Tracy Choi and a Hong Kong director, will run in the Competition Section.  

 

The three-day Industry Hub will take place at Macao Science Center from 9th to 11th December. Film industry professionals from worldwide have been invited to participate in the event, so as to enhance interchanges and create new business opportunities in the industry. The Industry Panel and Crouching Tigers Project Lab will also be rolled out along with other activities.  

 

Demonstrating the advantage to host mega events in Macao, the activities and screenings of IFFAM will take place at various venues across Macao Peninsula and Taipa this year, including Macao Cultural Centre, Macao Science Center, Galaxy Macau, Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, Wynn Macau and The Venetian Macao, etc. 

 

 

To gear up for the 1st IFFAM, the Organizing Committee visited various film festivals in different countries and regions this year to promote the upcoming event and learn from its counterparts’ experience, including Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), Cannes Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, London Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival, etc. 

 

The Organizing Committee also promotes the event in partnership with TV stations, newspaper, magazines, ferry operators, bus companies and banks, etc. As for online promotion, a website and theme pages on social networks have been set up for the event to give wider publicity to IFFAM. A mobile interactive game has also been launched to capture the attention of mobile users for their participation. 

 

Beyond the city, the Organizing Committee has specially invited over 100 representatives of film media from across the region and the globe to cover the event in depth especially through feature articles about IFFAM’s feature films, thus widening media coverage of the event. As a result, it will produce dual effects of wide publicity and in-depth coverage directed towards the film industry, which will raise Macao’s profile to a new level. 

 

Apart from the opening and closing film, all the feature films will be shown to the public at Macao Cultural Centre, Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, The Venetian Macao and Galaxy Macau. Residents and visitors can buy the film tickets at the outlets or website of Kong Seng Ticketing Service starting from 21 November.

 

 

Photo caption: The second Press Conference for 1st IFFAM