Local production ‘Macau Stories 3 – City Maze’ premieres at Galaxy Cinema

A scene from “INA”

Macau Stories 3 – City Maze,’ a CUT Audio-Visual Association production, is premiering at UA Galaxy Cinemas on January 29. The movie brings together three directors from Macau – Doug Chan, winner of the Golden Digital Award at the 27th Hong Kong International Film Festival, Portugal-born António Caetano Faria and Chao Koi Wang.
‘City Maze’ is a suspense-thriller, a genre which local filmmakers believe could be further explored in Macau. It focuses on three individual stories, namely ‘The Roar of a Mother Bear’ (directed by Doug Chan), ‘INA’ (by António Caetano de Faria) and ‘Come, the Light’ (by Chao Koi Wang).
Portuguese filmmaker António Caetano Faria is a two-time winner of the Jury Award at Macau Indies at the Macau International Film and Video Festival. Chao Koi Wang, however, took out first prize in the international competition category of the Bangalore International Short Film Festival.
‘The Roar of a Mother Bear’ focuses on a mother’s struggle to find the truth behind her daughter’s mysterious death. ‘INA’ tells the story of a young girl born to a wealthy family, who later becomes a drug addict under the influence of her boyfriend. With her life turned upside down, she begins to hallucinate about being haunted by the spirit of death. Finally, ‘Come, the Light’ touches on a matter familiar to the people of Macau, by telling the story of Wei, a casino host who is forced to choose between money and love.
Speaking about the production, a press release stated that “Against the backdrop of this ever-prospering city, ‘Macau Stories 3 – City Maze’ is an urban fable that unveils the dark secrets and desires that have long been buried in our hearts”.
The film will also be released in cinemas in Hong Kong and Taiwan as an effort to foster opportunities for Macau’s commercial film industry, while building “ a solid foundation for local movies” to develop into feature films.
Other filmmaking professionals were involved in the project, including Tu Du-Chi, a sound-effects master and winner of the technology award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as local actors and actresses, such as Kenji Wong, Eliz, Lao I Lum, Kate Leong, Ieong Pan, Hui Koc Kun and Chan Sai Peng.
The film will also be released at UA Galaxy Cinemas and Cinema Alegria following the premiere.
CUT Audio-Visual Association started working on the Macau Stories four years ago, encouraging local film directors to shoot short-films, which were later merged into a feature film. The first edition was launched in 2008 and the second in 2011.
The third edition of Macau Stories “City Maze” premieres on January 29 at Galaxy Cinemas. A cocktail event will also be held at the Grand Theatre of UA Galaxy Cinemas to mark the film’s launch.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macau Foundation provided financial support for the production of ‘City Maze.’ The production is sponsored by the Galaxy Entertainment Group. CP