The director and cast of the Opening Film “Polina, danser sa vie” meet the guests and audience before screening
The 1st International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (“IFFAM”) officially commenced with an Opening Ceremony grandly held at Macao Cultural Centre at 8 p.m. tonight (8 December). Around 800 guests dazzled the red carpet and the Opening Ceremony, including the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Alexis Tam, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA) and Executive Vice President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Alvin Chau, various prominent film festival directors, internationally-acclaimed film directors and movie stars, industry professionals and personages coming from different parts of the world. IFFAM’s Honorary Advisor Eric Tsang, famous artists Bowie Tsang and Derek Tsang were invited to be the hosts and together created a lively atmosphere for the night. A dazzling lineup of guests graced the Opening Ceremony tonight including international movie star and IFFAM Image Ambassador Zhang Ziyi; IFFAM Talent Ambassador Jang Keun Suk; Directors and Festival Ambassadors Choi Dong Hoon, Clemens Klopfenstein, Kim Jee Woon, and Lu Chuan; Artistic Director of Toronto International Film Festival, Cameron Bailey; Director of Far East Film Festival in Italy, Sabrina Baracetti; Director of International Film Festival Rotterdam, Bero Beyer; Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival, Mark Adams; Busan International Film Festival Director Kang Soo Hyun and Chairman Kim Dong Ho; other film stars include Jessica Sooyoun Jung, Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam, Myolie Wu, Zhang Jin, Kara Wai Ying Hung, Vanessa Yeung, Ludi Lin, Celina Jade, Lisa Lu and Nanami Sakuraba. MGTO Director and President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, expressed in her remarks, “Macao is a place where cultures from the East and West were orchestrated into a beautiful symphony. It has served as the location for a number of film shootings. Events of international stature demonstrate our capabilities and introduce world-class exchange opportunities to the local cultural and creative industry. The synergy between culture and tourism enriches visitors’ experience in Macao, and steers the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industry towards sustainable development, ultimately supporting Macao's quest to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.” Following an eye-dotting ceremony officiated by 11 officiating guests: Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Alexis Tam; Spouse of Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Winnie Fok; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Xue Xiaofeng; Head of the Section of Public Diplomacy and Information of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Li Nan; Jury President of IFFAM, Shekhar Kapur; Jury members of IFFAM, Giovanna Fulvi, Jung Woo Sung, Stanley Kwan and Makiko Watanabe; MGTO Director and President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, MFTPA President and Executive Vice President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Alvin Chau; a 3D mapping show officially unveiled the 1st IFFAM with a symphony of visual art, music and dancing lions. Gracing the Film Festival with its unique color, the opening French film “Polina, danser sa vie” was shown. The story of the film revolves around its major character Polina, who grew up as a classic ballet dancer and embarked on a journey of self discovery in contemporary dance. Fascinating six-day program The IFFAM program encompasses an array of highlights and activities including the Competition Section, an array of film premieres and red-carpet presentations, Industry Hub, Masterclass, media exchange sessions after numerous press screenings, short film competition, screenwriting competition and Awards Ceremony, etc. A spectacular lineup of 54 international films IFFAM will screen a total of 54 films from over 20 countries and regions across the globe. For most of the films, this will be their world or Asian premiere. As a major highlight in IFFAM, the Competition Section will pit 12 feature films against each other for a total of 8 awards including Best Film, Jury Award, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best New Actor or Actress Award, Best Scriptwriter and Best Technical Contribution. The most popular film with the most votes cast by local audience will be presented the Macao Audience Choice Award. The 12 films will debut at Macao Cultural Centre or Macau Tower. Besides the above awards, the Career Achievement Award will be presented during the event; in addition, the Asian Blockbuster Film 2016 Award will be jointly presented by the IFFAM Organizing Committee and Variety Magazine while the “MFTPA Special Award for Contribution to Chinese Film” will be presented by Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association to selected winners. The above awards are set up to commend outstanding films and filmmakers. In addition, there will be a range of film screenings including Hollywood Special Presentation (1 film), Gala (3 films), Hidden Dragons (9 films), Crossfire (12 films), Best of Fest Panorama (9 films), Actress in Focus: Gwei Lun-Mei (3 films) as well as Special Presentation showing two European films and two short films from Korea. Hollywood and Oscar-winning master filmmakers share insightful experience Two Masterclass will be lectured by acclaimed master filmmakers on 10th and 11th December respectively. Famous Hollywood producer Gianni Nunnari, will share his experience regarding the topic of “Producing in Hollywood – Big budget blockbusters, independent genre films and what Hollywood and Asia can learn from each other”. The director and co-writer of Oscars 2016 Best Picture "Spotlight”, Tom McCarthy, will discuss and express his perspectives on the topic of “The Art of Storytelling using the Personal to Elevate the Political”. Three-day Industry Hub enhances interchanges The Industry Hub will take place at Macao Science Center from 9th to 11th December. Around 200 film industry professionals from worldwide have been invited to participate in the event, so as to enhance interchanges and create business opportunities in the industry. The three-day program includes Crouching Tigers Project Lab, Industry Panels, Industry Screenings and Networking Activities. Diverse and remarkable activities Other concurrent activities during IFFAM include “Macao Short Film Competition” Award Ceremony, “BFI Film Academy Project” Short Film Premiere and Certificate Presentation Ceremony, “CINEFANTASY International Short Film Screenwriting Competition 2016” Award Ceremony, etc. Among them, the “BFI Film Academy Project” Short Film Premiere and Certificate Presentation Ceremony will take place at Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre on 11th December. IFFAM Talent Ambassadors Jang Keun-Suk and Rhydian Vaughan will be in Macao to meet the audience and fans during the Film Festival. Jang Keun-Suk will present two short films at Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre and meet with the audience for an exchange of ideas, whereas Rhydian Vaughan will host a press conference at Macao Cultural Centre on 13th December to introduce a new film which will be directed by a Portuguese film director and filmed in Macao. Around 300 media accredited from home and abroad Besides local media, the Organizing Committee has specially invited over 200 representatives of film media from across the region and the globe to cover the event in depth especially through feature articles about IFFAM’s feature films, thus widening media coverage of the event. As a result, it will produce dual effects of wide publicity and in-depth coverage directed towards the film industry, which will raise Macao’s profile to a new level. TDM – Macao TV Channel has recorded and will broadcast the Opening Ceremony of IFFAM later and will live broadcast the Awards Ceremony on 13th December. FOX Networks Group will also produce a special TV program about IFFAM for broadcast later. For more information and latest news of the 1st IFFAM, please visit http://iffamacao.com/en/
