2nd China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival inaugurated
The “2nd China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival”, featured in the “2nd Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, was inaugurated on 4 July with an opening ceremony and a screening of the Chinese classic film Spring in a Small Town at the Macao Cultural Centre. A post-screening talk was held in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.
The opening ceremony was officiated by the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Wan Sucheng; the Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), Xu Yingzhen; the Acting Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Cheng Wai Tong; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chan Kai Chon; the Deputy Director of the Department 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 S.A.R., Zhu Ting; renowned researcher in Chinese films and culture, Dai Jinhua; and guest curator of this Film Festival, Joyce Yang.
The Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chan Kai Chon, referred in his speech that films produced by China and Portuguese-speaking countries have been under the spotlight throughout the world and have been awarded a number of accolades in recent years. Both China and Portugal screened their first film in 1896, and Macao also became a cinematographic shooting location for the first time in the same year. It can be easily noticed that the development of film industry in China has coincided with that in Portugal. This Film Festival was established to provide an exchange platform for the film industries of the two languages, and Macao, being a service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries under the development plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, will fully play its role to propel the cooperation and development of the film industries of the said countries.
The “2nd China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival” will be held from 4 to 17 July at Macao Cultural Centre and Cinematheque‧Passion. The Festival, divided in three sections, “Classics’ Review”, “New Vision of China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries” and “Olá Macao”, presents a total of 26 films from China (including Macao) and several Portuguese-speaking countries, complemented with a series of talks before and after the screenings. The opening film Spring in a Small Town is a restored version provided by the China Film Archive and was screened publicly in Macao for the first time.
The Film Festival will also include The Portuguese Woman, a poetic and experimental period film by Portuguese director Rita Azevedo Gomes, seven Chinese films which have won a number of accolades in film festivals at home and abroad in recent years, and six award-winning films from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau and Angola. In “Olá Macao”, outstanding local productions will be presented, giving a glimpse of the latest film industry development and unique film stories of Macao to local and worldwide audiences.
The Film Festival aims at providing a cultural exchange platform for films from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as giving Macao’s productions more screening opportunities. Tickets for the Film Festival are now on available at the Cinematheque‧Passion and the website (www.cinematheque-passion.mo), where detailed screening information is available. The Film Festival booklet can be obtained for free at the lobby of Cinematheque‧Passion and the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building. For more information regarding the “2nd Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”, please visit the webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/FCP, follow the “IC Art” page on Facebook or subscribe to WeChat account “ICMacao”.
