Exciting races and film fest
If you’re heading to Macao during the last two months of the year, you may want to include these thrilling events in your itinerary.
MACAO is well known for its entertainment scene, and gaming too, of course. And who can forget its history and culture.
But it’s also a hub for many prestigious international events. Here are some upcoming ones for the last quarter of the year that you can look forward to when you visit.
Macau Grand Prix (Nov 16-19)
Here in Malaysia, we just ran the last ever F1 Grand Prix in Sepang. But for racing fans, there’s still one of the oldest street races (for cars and bikes) around.
The 64th edition of the Macau Grand Prix will showcase three prestigious international car races: The Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix has once again been designated as the official FIA F3 World Cup; and the SJM Macau GT Cup is the FIA GT World Cup for the third consecutive year. The Suncity Group Macau Guia Race will also count as a round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
The Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 51st Edition is one of the four headliners on the sixrace programme. The lineup also includes the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup and the Suncity Group Chinese Racing Cup.
For more info, go to www. macau.grandprix.gov.mo or download the mobile applications.
Macao International Marathon (Dec 3)
First organised in 1981, this international marathon continues to attract large numbers of local and international longdistance runners.
The full marathon includes the Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane, while the halfmarathon and mini marathon are designed to attract not only professional athletes but also amateurs seeking to test their endurance.
The Macao Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon 2017 is organised by the Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government and the General Association of Athletics of Macau and title sponsored by the Galaxy Entertainment Group.
The marathon will start and finish at the Olympic Sport Centre Stadium.
The marathon and halfmarathon will start at 6am while the mini marathon will start at 6.15am.
For more info go to www. macaomarathon.com.
2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) (Dec 8-14)
Back for the second time, this year’s theme is “A new avenue to the world of films”.
Over 500 local and international media representatives, international buyers, directors, talents, producers, distributors and investors will join a stellar cast of iconic names at the festival this year.
This edition of the IFFAM will see Mike Goodridge take up the mantle of artistic director.
He has the experience of being on the jury of over 25 international film festivals and is the former CEO of Protagonist Pictures engaging in film finance, production and distribution.
“Local audiences will be drawn by a colourful and exciting programme, while international guests and industry will not only get to taste the excitement of Macao as a destination but meet the Chinese and Asian industries and explore the best of new films from Asia,” notes Goodridge.
Macao, a place renowned for its EastmeetsWest culture, is the perfect setting for a film festival that brings together local and international industry professionals. In the Crossfire section, six eminent directors (three Asian and three nonAsian) will each present a genre classic that has inspired them. This will introduce cinematic classics from different eras to a new generation of moviegoers and filmmakers.
There will also be some crossgenerational productions for family viewing (For All The Family).
The feature film competition programme will be dedicated exclusively to films by first and secondtime filmmakers (10 feature films in total). The prize for best feature is US$60,000 (RM253,285). A jury of five film personalities will appraise and award the best film works.
The other highlights of IFFAM are Gala, Flying Daggers, and Best of Fest Panorama. The IFFAM Industry Hub (industry professionals are tapped to participate or present in film forums) and Masterclasses (international film professionals are invited to share their experiences with local audiences and members of the industry) will also be held during the event.
> Gala – Three of the most important films of the year will be presented out of competition in a series of redcarpet presentations.
> Flying Daggers – A selection of six films representing the latest style of genre cinema in Asia.
> Best of Fest Panorama – Screening of eight awardwinning feature films from major international film festivals of the year.
Like an exquisite dish, a good film with creative spark is something to indulge in.
As Macao is one of the world’s great food centres, the festival will also feature a large gastronomic presence, both on and off the screen.