The Awards Ceremony of the 4^th International Film Festival & Awards．Macao (“IFFAM” or the “Film Festival”) was staged at the Macao Cultural Centre tonight (10^th December), gathering hundreds of guests including internationally-acclaimed film directors, film stars and industry professionals from around the world. The Film Festival screened 50 spectacular feature films and six short films this year, including 10 films competing for five awards in the International Competition section as well as seven film entries of New Chinese Cinema for five awards. Winners of various awards including the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award were unveiled at the Awards Ceremony tonight, and Hong Kong film I’m Livin’ It drew the 4^th IFFAM to a perfect end.

Director of the Policy Research Office of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Ran Bo; Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and President of the 4^th IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; Executive Vice President of the 4^th IFFAM Organizing Committee and President of Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), Alvin Chau; the three Vice Presidents of the 4^th IFFAM Organizing Committee, namely MGTO Deputy Directors Cheng Wai Tong and Ricky Hoi, and Vice President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chan Kai Chon; Council Chairlady of Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA) and Secretary General of the 4th IFFAM Organizing Committee, Alice Augusto; IFFAM Artistic Director Mike Goodridge; Head of Festival Management, Lorna Tee; IFFAM Head of Industry, June Wu, as well as internationally-acclaimed film directors, film stars and film industry professionals from worldwide marked their presence on the red carpet and attended the Awards Ceremony among the hundreds of guests. Hong Kong artists and emcees Timmy Hung, King Kong and Astrid Chan are the hosts of the occasion.

The Awards Ceremony was graced by other prominent figures including President of the Jury of International Competition, Peter Chan Ho-sun; members of the Jury of International Competition, Ellen Eliasoph, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Midi Z and Tom Cullen; the Jury of New Chinese Cinema including the President Cristian Mungiu and three other members – Kristen Tan, former Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Festival, Noah Cowan and Qiu Yang; the three members of the Jury for the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award, Deputy Artistic Director of Cairo International Film Festival, Ahmed Shawky, Soudade Kaadan, and Wang Yao; Festival Ambassador Wang Xiaoshuai, as well as Talent Ambassadors Juliette Binoche and Carina Lau.

Other prominent guests include Executive Director of Jerusalem Film Festival, Noa Regev; Director of London East Asia Film Festival, Hye-Jung Jeon; Busan International Film Festival Director, Jay Jeon; Actress in Focus of the 4^th IFFAM, Zhou Dongyu; acclaimed best actor and actress in Asia, Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yeung; rising Korean film star Lim Yoon A and famed Mainland actor Zhang Hanyu, among others. The red carpet of IFFAM was star-studded with eminent guests and bustled with media.

President of the 4^th IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, remarked in her speech that film can make a story freeze for the moment along its timeline, or travel past a century in just a few minutes. Film can narrate stories of real life or set the world of wide imagination alive. Film can touch our lives, make the audience enjoy a feast of laughter or burst into tears. The power of film is beyond description. In a span of six days, the Film Festival shared with the audience the fruit of hard work by filmmakers from around the world in making over fifty remarkable films come true and through the Industry Hub, witnessed new film projects under preparation fueled by unreserved passion of the production crews. She added that the Organizing Committee sincerely welcomes the guests to join Macao, a UNESCO Creative City, in unlocking doors of new collaboration in different fields. The committee looks forward to the valuable opportunity of joining hands with filmmakers from across the globe to explore the vast potential of the film world and create new possibilities together.

Festival Ambassador Wang Xiaoshuai and Talent Ambassadors Juliette Binoche and Carina Lau were presented tokens of appreciation by the Organizing Committee at the Awards Ceremony.

Winners of International Competition unveiled

The ten films in International Competition include Bellbird, Bombay Rose, Buoyancy, Family Members, Give Me Liberty, Goldie, Homecoming, Lynn + Lucy, Two of Us and Two/One, contending for five accolades attributed by the Jury and the Macao Audience Choice Award voted by local audience.

Best Film: Give Me Liberty (presented by President of the Jury of International Competition, Peter Chan Ho-sun)

Best Director: Fyzal Boulifa, Lynn + Lucy (presented by member of the Jury of International Competition, Ellen Eliasoph)

Best Actress: Roxanne Scrimshaw, Lynn + Lucy (presented by member of the Jury of International Competition, Tom Cullen)

Best Actor: Sarm Heng, Buoyancy (presented by member of the Jury of International Competition, Dian Sastrowardoyo)

Best Screenplay: Hamish Bennett, screenwriter of Bellbird (presented by member of the Jury of International Competition, Midi Z)

Macao Audience Choice Award: Buoyancy (presented by Festival Ambassador Wang Xiaoshuai)

New Chinese Cinema lines up outstanding contestants

Another competition section, New Chinese Cinema, pit seven films against each other: Better Days, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Lucky Grandma, To Live to Sing, Wet Season, Wisdom Tooth and Over the Sea, for five accolades.

Best Film: Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (presented by President of the Jury of New Chinese Cinema, Cristian Mungiu)

Best Director: Anthony Chen, Wet Season (presented by Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yeung)

Best Actress: Zhou Dongyu, Better Days (presented by member of the Jury of New Chinese Cinema and former Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Festival, Noah Cowan)

Best Actor: Xiaoliang Wu, Wisdom Tooth (presented by Talent Ambassador Carina Lau)

Best Screenplay: Johnna Ma, screenwriter of To Live to Sing (presented by members of the Jury of New Chinese Cinema, Kristen Tan and Qiu Yang)

An array of other accolades was also presented at the Awards Ceremony to commend outstanding films and filmmakers for their achievements. Graduated from the Department of Directing of the Beijing Film Academy, accomplished Mainland film director Li Shaohong embarked upon her career path as a film director in 1983. Her solo debut was a thriller that captured wide attention. She then directed a range of critically-acclaimed films including Bloody Morning, Blush and Stolen Life, garnering many international awards, while her various directed TV dramas won wide popularity. Her film A City called Macau was also screened in Special Presentations of IFFAM this year. In honor of her extraordinary achievements, President of the 4^th IFFAM Organizing Committee, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes (in representation of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture), presented the “Spirit of Cinema” Achievement Award to Li Shaohong At the Awards Ceremony.

In addition, the NETPAC Award went to To Live to Sing (presented by Soudade Kaadan, Ahmed Shawky and Wang Yao as jury members from NETPAC). The Asian Blockbuster Film 2019 went to the Korean film Parasite (presented by Talent Ambassador Juliette Binoche), whereas the Variety Asian Star: Up Next Award went to eight actors and actresses as follows: Lim Yoon A (Korea), Bea Alonzo (the Philippines), Jennis Oprasert (Thailand), Praewa Suthamphon (Thailand), Bhumi Pednekar (India), Lien Binh Phat (Vietnam), Ryota Katayose (Japan) and Asmara Abigail (Indonesia) (presented by Asia Editor of Variety Magazine, Patrick Frater, and Head of Festival Management of IFFAM, Lorna Tee). In the competition section of New Chinese Cinema, the Cinephilia Critics' Award went to Wet Season (presented by Vice President of Communication and Content Marketing of Sands China Ltd., Jeffrey Jiang, and Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, Grant Bowie). In the section titled “20^th Anniversary Macao Special Presentations”, the Cinephilia Critics' Award for Best Macau Film was presented to Years of Macao (presented by Group Advisor of Galaxy Entertainment Group, Jorge Neto Valente, Senior Vice President of Communications of Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, Katharine Liu and Senior Vice President, Corporate & Community Relations of Suncity Group, Gina Lei).  

Shorts Competition came to a conclusion

The new competition section “Shorts Competition” pitted four short films against each other including Little Red Riding Hood, Lonely Encounter, Nocturne and Room 13.  Lonely Encounter took home the Best Short Film Award. The film was directed by a student from Macao who is studying in Hong Kong.  The award has been presented prior to tonight.

Since the inaugural edition of IFFAM in 2016, the Organizing Committee has been dedicated to introducing world-class exchange opportunities for Macao’s creative and cultural industries, forging IFFAM into an internationally-prestigious film event on the global stage and steering Macao’s tourism development towards diversification and sustainability.

For more information, please visit the website of the 4^th International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao: http://www.iffamacao.com/