IFFAM announces theme, confirms running dates

Artistic director of the IFFAM, Mike Goodridge

The organizing committee of the International Film Festival & Awards – Macao (IFFAM) has confirmed this year’s theme and running dates.
In a statement, the IFFAM organizers confirmed that the festival will take place between December 3 and 8 with the theme “A Celebration of Life & The Big Screen.”
Additionally, the organizers have announced that, from June 15, industry professionals interested in participating in this year’s IFFAM can submit their film entries online using the festival’s official website.
According to organizers, the festival aims to present a complete program with both feature and short films.
Earlier, the government has cancelled a series of its events due to the Covid-19 outbreak. However, IFFAM is one of the events that will go ahead as planned.
In their statement, IFFAM noted that they had chosen the theme “A Celebration of Life & The Big Screen” since this year has been marked by the world battle against Covid-19.
Under the theme, the festival will also include a specially curated section dedicated to films that define the out-of-home “big screen” experience.
The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and president of the IFFAM organizing committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said, “The coronavirus pneumonia pandemic has created sweeping global impact and has posed new barriers between people. Film, however, possesses the invincible power to transcend such barriers and continue to foster human connections around the world. In these times of adversity, our hope is kindled, as the film industry never ceases moving forward with perseverance, like film reels that keep rolling. Bringing new film productions into the cinematic world, filmmakers weave boundless possibilities out of the impossible,” adding, “At this moment, the IFFAM organizing committee is embracing a positive outlook for the future and is actively gearing up for the 5th International Film Festival & Awards – Macao to be unveiled this December. We look forward to sharing with all of you the fruits of the hard work from worldwide filmmakers and contribute to steering the film industry forward, and build a brighter future together.”
Complementing the MGTO director, the artistic director of the festival, Mike Goodridge, said, “It has been heartbreaking to see cinemas around the world closed this year, so IFFAM would like to celebrate the return to cinemas and the joy of this beautiful communal experience.”
“There is nothing quite like sitting in the dark and sharing a movie with strangers, laughing together, crying together, screaming together,” said Goodridge. He added that IFFAM would be an opportunity for local audiences to get back into theatres.