The geography of crafty filmmaking in THE COMPETITION – II

Eleven feature films of a variety of topics and origins are in competition for the top IFFAM Award 2018. They will be shown in Macau venues – from December 8 to 14 – as Asian or international premieres. In this second supplement, MDT presents the remaining five competing movies

Suburban Birds

The main character, Hao, and a team of engineers are sent into a suburban area to investigate the cause of some ground subsidence. After some days of walking through the now empty area trying to figure out what happened, Hao enters a primary school where under some rubble, he finds a diary that tells the story of an intimate group of friends and the disappearance of a boy. As he continues to read, the engineer begins to think that the diary might also contain prophecies and clues regarding his own life.

It is no surprise that Qiu Sheng has chosen an engineer for the main character in his feature film as he too earned a bachelor degree in bio-medical engineering. Sheng then moved on to cinema at the Hong Kong Baptist University and gained an MFA degree. He has been making short films, that have gained multiple awards, since 2010. “Suburban Birds,” his first feature, was awarded Best Narrative Feature in Xining FIRST International Film Festival and was also selected to be screened at the 2018 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

Well-known actor Mason Lee, born in 1990, stars in the role of Hao. Lee is a Taiwanese-American actor and son of Ang Lee, three-time Academy Award-winning director, and Jane Lin, a renowned microbiology researcher. Lee is best known for playing Teddy in “The Hangover Part II” and has acted in over 15 films. His counterpart Huang Lu is a Chinese actress famous for her role in “Blind Mountain” (2007).

The Good Girls

It is 1982 and a great economic crisis is hitting Mexico severely. Different social classes hardly mix with each other. Good girls is the story of four friends who presume to be at the top of the social pyramid, making it impossible to be affected by the crisis. They continue to have a lifestyle full of luxuries, cars, jewelry, trips and dinners. When the devaluation of the “peso” happens, Sofía, leader of the group, begins to suffer the consequences of the increasing debts that her husband has contracted. Little by little, Sofia faces what she thought would never happen to her: a fall in social status due to lack of money. As much as she tries to keep up appearances, now it is she who becomes the topic of gossip and begins to experience rejection by her own friends.

Raised in Mexico City, Alejandra Marquez Abella studied at the Centre d’Estudis Cinematographics de Catalunya in Barcelona. She is best known for her short film “5 Memories” (2009) as it was screened in over 140 film festivals. Her first feature “Semana Santa” (2009) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was received with great interest. Her second feature “The Good Girls” also had its world premiere in Toronto this past September.

Starring as Sofia is Ilse Salas, a Mexican-born actress who has appeared in over 15 films including “Cantinfias” (2014), “Sabrás qué hacer conmigo” (2015) and “Güeros” (2014). She was nominated for the Ariel Award for Best Actress and for the TVyNovelas Award for Best Co-lead Actress. Alongside her we have Flavio Medina, born in 1978 in Mexico City. The actor is best known for “Estar o no estar” (2015), “Alma de hierro” (2009) and “Valiant Love” (2012).

The Guilty

When former police officer Asger Holm is demoted to be an alarm dispatcher he is convinced he will no longer have any excitement in his professional life until he answers an emergency call. On the other side of the line, Holm talks to a seemingly calm women who appears to have dialed the wrong number. This prompts the officer to ask a series of questions and as he understands the woman has been abducted, the call is abruptly disconnected. As he is stuck at a desk job, Asger has to use the other officers as his eyes and ears as he tries to save the endangered women.

Besides having directed the film, Gustav Möller also wrote the script in cooperation with Emil Nygaard Albertsen. The film was produced by Lina Flint for Spring, Nordisk Film’s talent development unit and won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Möller, born in Gothenburg in 1988, graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2015. His graduating film was “In Darkness,” winner of the Norwegian International Film Festival’s Next Generation Award. “The Guilty,” starring Jakob Cedergen as Asger Holm, is his first feature film.

Lead actor Jakob Cedergren, was born on January 10, 1973 in Lund, Sweden. The Swedish-born Danish actor, who started his career in 1998, has played in over 40 films and television shows. He is no stranger to the Film Festival scene as he starred in “Dark Horse” which was shown at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. He is best known for his roles in “Submarino” (2010), “Terribly Happy” (2008) and most recently, “The Guilty.”

The Man Who Feels No Pain

Surya is a boy who suffers from Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, a life threatening rare disorder that makes it impossible for him to feel pain. “The Man Who Feels No Pain” tells the story of how his friend Supri, his playful grandfather and a host of martial-arts films on VHS help him live his life, escaping the prison that is his condition. Eventually Surya sees a VHS tape in which a one-legged man, Karate Mani, fights off 100 combatants and wants to become a batman-like vigilante. A couple of years later, he goes back to his childhood neighborhood where he begins a journey involving strange and dangerous adventures.

Making his film debut in 2012, Indian director and screenwriter Vasan Bala’s first feature “Peddlers” (2012) was screened at the Cannes Festival Critics Week segment. Bala also has credits as a screenwriter, having worked on Anurag Kashyap’s “Bombay Velvet” and “Raman Raghav 2.0”. The director is also an award-winning TV commercials director. This film, “The Man Who Feels No Pain”, is the director’s second feature film and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section.

Starring in this film is Abhimanyu Dassani, a relatively newcomer to the movie scene. He is the son of famed Indian actress Bhagyashree and Himalaya Dasani, a businessman and actor. By his side is Radhika Madan, an Indian film and television actress. Before starting her film career, the actress was a dance instructor in New Delhi. She was awarded with Best Debut award at the 2015 Zee Gold Awards. Jimit Trivedi is another protagonist of this film. He is known for “Bhool Bhulaiya” (2007), “Gujjubhai The Great” (2015) and “Polam Pol” (2016).

White blood

As they cross the border from Bolivia to Argentina, Martina and Manuel, a couple working as drug “mules” decide to rest in a border-town hotel. While doing so, Manuel dies suddenly of an overdose as the cocaine capsules inside his body leak. However, the drug traffickers don’t care. Martina is still demanded to deliver both the drugs she swallowed as well as the ones inside her dead boyfriend. She can’t escape and is alone. She can only think of one person she can ask for help: her estranged father, Javier.

Directing this movie is Barbara Sarasola-Day. Born in Argentina in 1976, Sarasola-Day received her communication sciences degree from the University of Buenos Aires. While living in London, she took screenwriting courses as well as workshops in documentary creation in Barcelona. Her first short film, “El Canal,” aired in 2005 with her first feature film “Deshora” airing in 2013 that was nominated for a Silver Condor Award for Best First Film. White blood is her second feature film.

Starring as Martina is Eva De Dominici, born in 1995 in Argentina. She is an Argentinean actress, singer and model. She began her artistic career as a model, taking pictures for campaigns at an advertising agency. From there she began to do theater and fell in love with acting. She is known for her role in “Chiquititas Sin Fin,” the soap opera. Playing her father is Alejandro Awada, an Argentinean actor of Syrian and Lebanese descent. He has been in over 30 films.

IFFAM FAQ

Q    WHAT IS THE LINE-UP FOR THIS YEAR’S DIRECTOR’S CHOICE SEGMENT?

A   Artistic Director Mike Goodridge has chosen six classic films to be part of this segment ranging from Hollywood, Japan and Hong Kong. Yasujiro Ozu’s “An Autumn Afternoon”, a classic Japanese film about love and marriage. “The Truman Show”, directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey, revolves around Truman Burbank who unknowingly is the protagonist of a long-running documentary soap opera. Directed by Hong Kong-born John Woo, “Hard Boiled” tells the story of Inspector Yuen and his unconventional yet effective methods. “Lawrence of Arabia”, David Lean’s Hollywood classic about an officer in WWI. Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America was also chosen. Lastly, “Bandit Queen” by indian director Shekhar Kapur, tells the story of Phoolan Devi, India’s most infamous outlaw. All films will be screened in the Cinematheque-Passion.

Q   WHAT IS LOCAL VIEW POWER?

A   The Local View Power is a program created by the Macao Cultural Centre. With the support of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, it aims to promote and support the creativity of local filmmakers. It was inaugurated 11 years ago and has already helped in the creation of over 100 films. This program intends to give impetus to new filmmakers so that Macau film culture is further propelled and more broadly known. The participants of the LVP program can compete in three different categories: Documentary, Short Feature and Animation. The LVP was first introduced to the festival in 2017, and has received high praise.

Q   HOW DOES THE LVP FIT INTO THE IFFAM PROGRAM?

A    At this year’s IFFAM, the Local View Power will screen a total of 14 movies over three different sessions. The first session, to take place on December 8 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., will screen five films including “The Crickets Dynasty” by Chang Seng Pong and “G.D.P. Grandma’s Dangerous Project” directed by Peeko Wong. The second screening is on the same day at 4:30 p.m.  Five films will be shown, such as “Halfway” by Ng Ka Lon and Sou Chan Tong’s “Keyboard Warrior.” The last session is on December 13 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m., where four movies will be shown including Lam Su Kei’s “Delicious!”

Q    WHAT FILMS WILL BE SCREENED AT THE GALA PROGRAM?

A    There will be four films played in the Gala segment of the 2018 IFFAM.“Old Boys” will be Screened at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium on December 9 at 3 p.m. Directed by Toby MacDonald, the film is set in the all-boys boarding school, Caldermount, famous for its sports achievements. “The Favourite” by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos will be screened on December 9 at 6 p.m. at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. Played on the same date and venue at 9 p.m. is “Nobody Nose,” a drama from Chinese director Kong Ruiliang. “Aruna & Her Palate” by Indonesian director Edwin will be shown on December 12 at the Macao Cultural Centre Small Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Q    WHO ARE THE IFFAM’S HONORARY ADVISORS?

A    The 2018 IFFAM has five honorary advisors in its organization. Akiko Takahashi, the Executive Vice President and Chief Officer, CSR/HR of Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited. Jorge Neto Valente, the Group Advisor of Galaxy Entertainment Group and the founding member of one of Macau’s largest law firms. Grant R. Bowie, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for MGM China Holdings Limited. Wilfred Wong, the President and Executive Director of Sands China Ltd. Lastly, Linda Chen, who is the Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau Limited, and President and Executive Director of Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A..