Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), the 4th International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (referred to as “IFFAM” or the “Film Festival”) features the IFFAM Industry Hub as a platform offered for film industry professionals to connect and build partnerships. The Industry Hub culminated with the IFFAM Project Market Awards Ceremony held at Macao Cultural Centre today (8th December), presenting to winners four accolades including Best Project Award, Creative Excellence Award, Best Co-production Award and Macao Spirit Award. This year, the IFFAM Project Market brought together 14 promising film projects presented to industry delegates in the Public Pitching session held days ago. The production crews of the film projects also met with interested parties to explore partnership opportunities at the Project Meetings.
In this edition of the IFFAM Project Market, the Best Project Award went to Dear Wormwood directed by Dodo Dayao; the Creative Excellence Award went to The Day and Night of Brahma directed by Sheetal Magan; the Best Co-production Award went to Drum Wave directed by Natalie Erika James; the Macao Spirit Award went to Uk Kei directed by Leonor Teles. The IFFAM Organizing Committee invited three distinguished industry figures, namely Singaporean film director Eric Khoo, Director of the European Film Market at Berlin International Film Festival, Matthijs Wouter Knol, and Japanese film producer Shozo Ichiyama to appraise the 14 film projects in accord with the criteria for the four awards including the Best Project Award (the project with the most profound qualities in all aspects), Creative Excellence Award (the project with the most creative originality and ingenuity), Best Co-production Award (the project with the most promising co-production element between two countries/regions or above) and Macao Spirit Award (the project that best integrates disparate cultures for the purpose of celebrating the inclusive and distinguished nature of Macao). The awards were presented to the winners in tandem with a total cash prize of 40,000 US dollars. Furthermore, Nocebo by Lorcan Finnegan was recognized by the jury as an outstanding film project and was complimented through an Honourable Mention in the Awards Ceremony.
The three-day IFFAM Industry Hub unfolded activities including the Macao Forum, Forum Presentation, the IFFAM Project Market Public Pitching, the IFFAM Project Market Project Meetings and Work-in-Progress (WIP) Presentation. MGTO Director and President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, expressed that the IFFAM Industry Hub has fostered deeper and wider cooperation among film industry professionals this year, facilitated industry exchange and created a wealth of business opportunities. Launched last year, the WIP Presentation has gained enthusiastic participation and helped potential projects to keep moving forward. She looks forward to seeing more new films encounter with the audiences in the cinema.
For more information, please visit:
Website of the 4th International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao: www.iffamacao.com
