Inaugural film festival seeks local entries

An inaugural international short film festival in Macau is calling for local entries until Dec. 15, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has announced.

Officially known as 1st Macao International Shorts Film Festival and co-organized by the IC and Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), the call for entries welcomes all local residents. The winner will receive a trophy and a prize of MOP40,000.

Set for next year, the festival will have an opening ceremony and opening screenings, screening activities, workshops, seminars, as well as a closing and award ceremony. The screenings will be divided into three sections, namely “Macao Short Film,” “Emerging Short Film” and “Filmmaker in Focus.”

The sessions will also feature the participation of senior filmmakers who will form a jury, and will host workshops and seminars to create an international platform for the exchange and screening of short films, with the aim of actively promoting local film and television productions.

At the same time, the Cultural Development Fund is also calling for applications for a grant targeting original music album productions.

The application period starts today and will be open until Jan. 12, 2024.

Productions must not have been previously published and must not be commissioned works. The grants will target both Extended Play (EP) and album productions. The former should have at least three songs, and the latter six. The subsidized repertoires must be published on at least four commercial digital music platforms, with at least one of them being from mainland China.

There will be six EP and four album quotas. Each of the former will get a maximum of MOP135,000 and each of the latter MOP270,000. The funds can be used for production, transport, marketing, as well as studio or equipment hire. The grants will be valid for 18 months.

The fund will arrange for industry experts to provide input and expertise on the productions.