Sands China film camp selects 16 emerging directors from 450 applicants

Sixteen filmmakers gathered in Macau on Friday for the third International Film Camp, where eight projects will be awarded HKD300,000 production grants as organizers seek to help develop the next generation of Asian directors.

The third edition of the camp runs from Sept. 18 to 22 at Sands China’s integrated resorts. It brings together filmmakers aged 21 to 40 for masterclasses, panel discussions and mentoring sessions with directors, producers, festival programmers and other industry professionals, according to organizers.

The program opened Friday at the Adelson Advanced Education Center at The Venetian Macao with remarks from Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman of Sands China, chairman of the Asian Film Awards Academy and chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council. Wong described the selection process as the first stage of a far longer professional journey.

“Today, you have passed level one, because you’re one among 450 applicants. 16 of you are chosen here,” he said, likening the process to progressing through levels in a video game.

The next stage, Wong said, would see eight filmmakers receive funding for their first short films, followed by the challenge of completing the projects, securing screenings and building careers in a competitive industry.

“Filmmaking is a long journey,” Wong said. “A lot of people fall by the wayside, because either they don’t get support, or they feel they’re not good enough. Only a few will persist until the end.”

Wong urged participants to balance ambition with resilience. “It’s a tough life.” He added, “If you have a dream, go for it.”

Roger Garcia, the camp’s co-director and a veteran film festival executive, producer and writer, said the camp’s concept originated from a discussion about what more could be done to support Asian cinema beyond recognizing established work through the Asian Film Awards.

Wong said Garcia proposed creating a camp for emerging filmmakers and has served as co-director for all three editions. “The idea of the International Film Camp came from him,” Wong said.

Garcia told the participants that the camp was intended to offer more than vocational training. It would provide a concentrated setting for filmmakers to learn from speakers and from one another, he said.

“We’ve assembled a group of industry experts and veterans who will be giving some talks, masterclasses, panel discussions on different aspects of the film industry,” Garcia said. He encouraged participants to use the sessions to raise creative and professional questions, adding that “the film industry runs largely on relationships.”

The International film camp was established by the Asian Film Awards Academy, with support from Hong Kong’s Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and Film Development Fund, Sands China and Shaw Studios.

This year’s Film Camp theme is “When Strangers Meet.” Garcia said the title reflected the camp’s aim to form lasting connections among filmmakers from different backgrounds and markets. “We meet here as strangers, but I hope we’ll part as friends in five days,” he said. “The network you build now will have some dividends pay off in the future.”