15th Macau Literary Festival to feature cinema, theatre, and music

Macau will host the 15th edition of the Macau Literary Festival – The Script Road from March 5 to 15, returning to its historic base at Casa Garden.

The annual event has established itself as a platform for cultural dialogue, bringing together writers, artists, and audiences from Eastern and Western traditions.

According to a press release issued yesterday, this year’s festival will feature a broad program spanning literature, cinema, theatre, music, and visual arts.

The 15th edition will pay tribute to Portuguese poet Camilo Pessanha on the centenary of his death. Pessanha, who maintained strong ties to Macau, will be remembered through a series of initiatives exploring his literary legacy and the city’s historic role as a cultural bridge.

Authors participating in the tribute include António Carlos Cortez, Carlos Morais José, and Christopher Chu.

The festival will open on March 5 with the inauguration of the exhibition “Human Territories: Photography, Belonging and Memory,” featuring Portuguese photographer Alfredo Cunha and Chinese photographer Liu Zheng.

The exhibition explores identity and intersecting narratives and will be accompanied by the launch of two photography books.

A wide range of international and local authors will also attend.

Highlights among global figures include Amitav Ghosh, noted for his trilogy on the Opium Wars; Pulitzer Prize winner Hernán Diaz; writers Lawrence Osborne and Mike Goodridge, associated with the Macau-shot film “Ballad of Small Players”; biographer Adam Sisman; French-Swiss novelist Elisa Shua Dusapin; travel cartoonist Guy Delisle; and poet and spoken-word artist Carlos Andrés Gomez.

Chinese-language literature will be represented by award-winning authors such as Bi Feiyu, Xiao Bai, Gu Shi, Lu Jian, and Xie Youshun.

Portuguese-language journalism will also be part of the festival, with João Miguel Tavares and Miguel Carvalho presenting investigative works, alongside returning journalists Filipa Queiroz and Andreia Sofia da Silva, who will screen the documentary “Salatinas” and present the book “Lápis Vermelho,” respectively.

Local authors will feature prominently, with Yao Feng, Rai Matsu, Zita Si Tou Chi U, Cheung Wai Man, Ka Lo, Kam Um Loi, Nick Groom, Konstantin Bessmertny, and Veiga Jardim among those participating.

The work of the late Macanese architect José Maneiras will be commemorated by Rui Leão, Maria José de Freitas, and other local writers.

Beyond book launches and discussions, the festival will present a multidisciplinary program. Portuguese director Tiago Guedes will showcase two films, “A Herdade” and “Restos do Vento.”

Theatre will feature the performance “À Primeira Vista,” directed by Guedes, marking the return of actress Margarida Vila-Nova to Macau. The play, originally titled “Prima Facie,” is by Australian playwright Suzie Miller and has been staged in major cities worldwide, including Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Musical programming will include a performance by Portuguese musician Rodrigo Leão at the Macau Cultural Centre on March 11. Additional participants are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Macau Literary Festival, launched in 2012, has become a fixture in the city’s cultural calendar, promoting dialogue across languages and artistic traditions.