IFFAM | French filmmaker Laurent Cantet to lead jury

The second International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) will be held from December 8 to 14.

The Organizing Committee of IFFAM hosted a press conference on Friday at the Macau Science Center, where IFFAM artistic director  Mike Goodridge introduced the new event program and announced that French filmmaker Laurent Cantet will head the event’s jury.

“I am so delighted to unveil our program for the festival this year. I am very proud of the line-up, which brings a feast of world cinema to the audiences of Macau. From our outstanding crowd-
pleasing opening night film “Paddington 2”, to the exciting competition line-up of [directors’] first and second features, our thrilling galas and special presentations and our best of festival panorama, I believe we are showcasing the very best films of the year to the people here. I can’t wait for the filmmakers to come and present their films.”

Aside from Cantet, this year’s international jury comprises four other members: Chinese- American actress Joan Chen, Austrian director Jessica Hausner, British author Lawrence Osborne and Singaporean director Royston Tan.

The jury will select the winners of various categories: Best Film, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best New Young Actor or Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Technical Contribution. There will also be other awards for the ten films submitted for the Competition section.

The regional premiere of Paul King’s “Paddington 2” will open the event. In this year’s edition, more than 40 international films will be screened in categories ranging from the Competition and Gala sections to “Flying Daggers,” “Best of Fest Panorama,” “Crossfire,” “Special Presentation” and more categories.

The ten films in the Competition section include “Beast,” “The Cakemaker,” “Custody,” “Foxtrot,” “The Hungary,” “Borg McEnroe,” “Hunting Season,” “My Pure Land,” “Three Peaks,” and “Wrath of Silence.” This lineup is composed entirely of films made by first and second-time directors.

British war film “Journey’s End” will be featured in the Gala section. Two Hollywood films, “The Shape of Water” and “Suburbicon” – both screened at the 74th Venice International Film Festival – will be shown in the Hollywood Special Presentation section.

“Love is Colder than Death,” which is the work of a local director, will be screened in the Macao Special Presentation section.

In line with Macau’s recent designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the Organizing Committee has arranged for two food-related movies, “The Last Recipe” and “The Cakemaker,” to be screened at the festival.

The Organizing Committee also announced that action star Donnie Yen and Korean star D.O. will be this year’s Talent Ambassadors. Last year’s Talent Ambassadors were Hollywood star Jeremy Renner and Hong Kong actress Miriam Yeung.

Directors John Woo and Pang Ho-Cheung will share their skills and experiences in this year’s masterclasses, which are designed to help young talent to gain insights into the film industry.

Following last year’s BFI Film Academy Project – co-organized by IFFAM and the British Film Institute – the festival will also offer a training program in filmmaking.

For the first time, IFFAM will include winning films from the “Local View Power” contest. Organized by the Macau Cultural Centre, the “Local View Power” contest has given rise to more than 90 local productions in the last decade.   

This year’s IFFAM Industry Hub will be held at the Macau Cultural Centre. The Organizing Committee will invite over 250 industry professionals from more than 20 countries and regions, in addition to 165 media from 36 countries and regions, to participate.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee and the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said “IFFAM is such a young and vibrant film festival, brimming with new possibilities and potentials to tap into. With our theme of this year, ‘A New Avenue to the World of Films,’ we aspire to tailor a high-quality programme fuelled by fresh new elements to fascinate our audience, as we strive for the vision to forge IFFAM into a prestigious brand in the world.”

Speaking to media on the sidelines of the press conference, Senna Fernandes announced that a big change in this year’s IFFAM would be to the Competition section, which will feature directors’ first or second movies. She said this would provide an opportunity for industry newcomers to gain experience.

“We also added a new programme to the Competition section, in which the best movie will [win] a prize,” revealed Senna Fernandes.

The MGTO director also noted that approximately 10 percent of all tickets have been reserved for the festival’s sponsors.

“Most of the tickets will available for the public to buy […] This year, we have worked on the Chinese subtitles […] hoping that they [the audiences] can still see the movies even if they don’t understand [the language],” said Senna Fernandes.