The Macao Films & Videos Panorama (澳門當代電影及錄像展 – MFVP) programme, which started last Friday at Casa Garden (東方基金會) near Luis de Camões Park, will continue to screen films and videos from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day (December 24-26). The festival is hosted by the Audio-Visual Cut Association of CUT Company (拍板視覺藝術團) and sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC). The event mostly consists of local productions but also includes films and videos from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to the host’s statement.
The statement noted that the programme presents 24 local films and videos, including 11 works subsidised by the Local View Power (澳門影像新勢力) programme of the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau, nine works selected from the open call for films and videos citywide, as well as four works recommended by four local tertiary education institutions – University of Macau (UM), Macau Polytechnic Institute (IPM), Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and University of Saint Joseph (USJ).
The 20 local productions (excluding the four works from the local tertiary education institutions) are vying for the Jury Prize which will be selected by curators from the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Hong Kong veteran film critic Joyce Yang (喬奕思) was invited as a juror in the preliminary round and selected nine productions for public screenings from nearly 40 entries. These nine productions, along with the other 11 works subsidised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will compete for the Jury Prize, according to the statement.
The statement added that key cinematographic figures from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong have been invited to be jurors. They are the founder of the FIRST International Film Festival in Xining, Song Wen (中國西寧FIRST影展創辦人宋文); the festival director of Hong Kong’s ifva Awards, Kattie Fan (香港ifva獨立短片及影像媒體比賽節目總監范可琪); and the curator of Fuzhong 15 – New Taipei City Documentary Cinema, Steven Hu (府中15新北市紀錄片放映院策展人胡延凱胡延凱). According to the statement, the purpose of the competition is to review the local productions and allow jurors to provide professional advice.
Ifva, formerly the Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards, was founded by the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1995. Over the years, ifva has established itself as Asia’s pioneering force in short film, animation and media arts, by providing a unique and professional platform for Hong Kong and Asian creative talents to unite, exchange and promote their works, according to the organisation’s website.
The programme also arranged a Youth Jurors Workshop where experienced film curators will guide young jurors in appreciating and discussing films, the statement said, adding the aim of the workshop is for young jurors to better understand the characteristics, skills, and mindset required to be professional jurors.
Aside from the workshop, the statement said that the MFVP has set up an Audience Choice Award, allowing spectators to support their favourite work by voting.
The statement underlined that the MFVP will arrange post-screening sessions which provide an exchange opportunity between local filmmakers and spectators, allowing the latter to gain a better understanding of the creative concepts behind local films and videos while local filmmakers can receive audience feedback.
The statement pointed out that the MFVP includes another 11 films, short videos and animated shorts from the four Chinese regions, adding that the diversity of content, creativity, and production quality in the works are “inspiring”.
For more information, visit https://cut-company.com.
At Least Not Today 廢照片
Daddy’s Little Dream P 爸正傳
For-get 未忘人
Murmur of Icebergs 冰山一覺
The Inhabitant 寄居情人
Unsettled 紙飛機
Photos: Cut Company
Director of Cut Company Limited, curator as well as coordinator of 2021 Macao Films & Videos Panorama (MFVP), Rita Wong Yeuk Ying, poses at the screening lobby at Casa Garden on Friday. Photo: Ula Cheang
