IFFAM 2020 | Film festival to go digital for the first time

From top: Scenes from the movies ‘The Cloud in Her Room’, ‘Tragic Jungle’ and ‘Limbo’

The annual International Film Festival & Awards – Macao (IFFAM) is preparing to roll out the red carpet — virtually for the very first time — from December 3 to 8 this year.
As part of the ‘new normal’ era, the festival, in its fifth edition this year, will screen a total of 31 flicks worldwide on a dedicated video streaming platform.
In an exclusive interview with the Times, IFFAM Artistic Director Mike Goodridge said, “This year is a very complicated year due to Covid-19. It is heartbreaking for us to go online. Nonetheless, we’re still proud to present a diverse selection of wonderful movies to audiences in Macau through a digital platform.”
The awards ceremony will also take place online on December 8, where Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the festival’s ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award.
Other digital endeavors include the pre-recorded talk series “In Conversations” with five renowned directors, which will go online for free. Goodridge discloses that the talks with Hirokazu Koreeda will revolve around his early career and his life journey, which has had a significant impact on who he is today.
In addition, there will also be a virtual “IFFAM Project Market” (IPM) held between December 3 to 5. It will involve 14 projects – both presentations and meetings – conducted virtually with members of the global industry. The handpicked projects will compete for four cash awards and secure a chance to meet potential international collaborators.
Competing this year’s International Competition will be 11 feature movies produced by first and second-time filmmakers, as the organizer aspires to “nurture and support the young voices in the industry,” Goodridge said.
A competition jury of five high-profile movie personalities, such as Chinese film director Ning Hao, will be responsible for appraising and awarding the Best Feature — which will receive a cash prize of USD60,000.
The Artistic Director said that the selected 11 features cover a wide selection of genres and are all “phenomenal,” adding that, “it will be a tough task for the juries to pick the best among the best.”
The Shorts Film Competition will consist of 10 short films. Three jurors for handpicking the Best Short Film will be Chinese Producer Fu Jia, French Producer Mathilde Henrot and Chinese and Canadian Writer Johnny Ma.
Other highlights will be the “Flying Daggers”, which showcases films of the latest style of genre cinema, and the “World Panorama” strand of films, which honor directors.
There will also be a “Special Presentations”, comprising Chinese blockbuster “My People My Homeland”, French animated film “Calamity” and Japanese comedy “Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro” and more — which are all recommended by Goodridge.
The global movie industry has suffered huge losses caused by the pandemic. Yet, the artistic director remains optimistic about its prospects, confirming the industry is still “alive and kicking.”
Mike is enthusiastic about showcasing the 31 world-class titles produced in Asia and the West to people in Macau through this year’s digital film festival.
“Hopefully, the festival will return to normal next year,” Goodridge said, adding that there is nothing quite like an experience sitting in the cinema, enjoying a movie, sitting elbow-to-elbow with others.
He also said that he is working closely with IT technicians to ensure the digital streaming would run as smoothly as possible during the festival.
He said the experience of hosting the virtual film festival for the first time was a “steep learning curve”, but is confident that the event will pan out and looking forward to introducing the wonderful movies to the world.
The film festival, which enters its fifth edition this year, is co-hosted by the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association. Staff Reporter