A GALA FOR ALL
Macao film festival seeks to bring movies to a wide audience
While casinos are the first thing most people think of when talking about Macao, the people behind the International Film Festival & Awards – Macao (IFFAMacao) are trying hard to make the city more culturally rich.
The 2nd IFFAMacao kicked off on Friday with a group of internationally famous stars – Hong Kong actress Miriam Yeung, actor Donnie Yen and director John Woo, US actor Jeremy Renner, Malaysia actress Michelle Yeoh and South Korean pop star D.O. – acting as its ambassadors and a list of more than 40 films from around the world.
A wide variety
Some attendees might be a little puzzled over the selection of film works since they don’t really belong to a common theme or genre. Veteran producer Lorna Tee, who is also the head of festival management, addressed this saying variety is exactly what they were looking for.
“While most film festivals prefer to be either artistic or commercial, we want to be more accepting of various works. That is why Paddington 2 was our opening film this year,” Tee told the Global Times. “Our festival is not just for hardcore film lovers, but the wider audience as well, including the family audience.”
In addition to Paddinton 2, the festival is also holding a special screening of Okja, the South Korean family film about a little girl’s love for a specially-bred super pig, for local primary school students and their parents.
While Hong Kong is a major force in the global film industry, Macao hasn’t had much impact in this area. According to Tee, the Hong Kong film industry had an advantage as a number of veteran filmmakers immigrated from Shanghai to Hong Kong during the industry’s early years, while “Macao had to start from zero.”
In order to promote local filmmakers and new directors from around the world, the competition section is limited to first or second directorial works.
Tee explained that the winner of the completion section will receive a $60,000 bonus to help them continue their filmmaking dreams.
As someone who mainly works behind the scenes, Tee is not wellknown to the public. Yet, she was one of the earliest promoters of Ning Hao’s Crazy Stone (2006), the black humor film that raised the profile of the director and the film’s lead actors. To ensure the film got the recognition she felt it deserved, Tee invited famous singer/actor Andy Lau to promote Crazy Stone at that year’s Shanghai International Film Festival. That very move helped ensure the film’s success.
Audience reactions
Shirley Lu, an artist from Macao, told the Global Times on Saturday that she heard about the festival from her daughter, who goes to a middle school near where the festival is being held.
“I prefer Hollywood films. Recent films from the mainland have caught my attention as well since they are very warmhearted, which makes them good films for my daughter’s generation,” Lu said.
“I think Macao does well when it comes to art, but not many people have devoted themselves to the film industry.”
Tou, a local primary school teacher applauded the festival for providing a special screening opportunity for her students and their parents.
“Okja is about how people should care more about animals, which is good for our children,” Tou said.
“I would also like to see more films on subjects like environmental protection and the importance of family,” she noted.
Coming from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, college student Samantha Xu said she chose the Macao festival over film activities in Hong Kong because she thinks the local people here are less “crazy” and therefore she would have more opportunities to interact with the stars attending the festival.
“I do hope stars can have more interactions with us, like an autograph signing or giving us a chance to take selfies with them,” she told the Global Times.
A fan of art films, such as Call Me By Your Name, Xu said she was very satisfied with what the festival has to offer in this area. Her only regret is that some screenings sold out before she could get a ticket.