Int’l film festival to close with Hong Kong film

The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macau – slated to commence in two days – has announced that it will close the festival with Hong Kong film, I’m Livin It.
The film revolves around social issues in Hong Kong. The main character, Bowen, once a member of the banking elite, sleeps in a 24-hour fast food restaurant all the time. There, he encounters fellows with whom he can share mutual support and walk together out of the dark valley of life.
The film was produced by Cheang Pou Soi and directed by rising film director Danny Wong Hing Fan, starring Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yeung.
The film has recently been screened in the Tokyo International Film Festival and featured as the closing film in the London East Asia Film Festival.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the SAR, the “20th Anniversary Macao Special Presentations” will screen local films directed by nine directors in the non-competition section.
The Organizing Committee hopes to showcase the dynamic of the cultural and creative industries in Macau and pay tribute to the city’s filmmakers.
Among other categories, this year’s Director’s Choice recommends three acclaimed classics: The 400 Blows (1959), Tokyo Story (1953) and Blowup (1966). The latter was directed by Italian film director and modernist master, Michelangelo Antonioni.
Also, launched last year, New Chinese Cinema will bring more Chinese films to the stage of IFFAM and feature a stronger line-up this year.
Seven entries are pitted against each other: Better Days, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Lucky Grandma, To Live to Sing, Wet Season, Wisdom Tooth and Over the Sea. Five accolades will be presented to winners of this section, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress.
(More in IFFAM supplement)