The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) announced in a statement on Friday that applications for the “Scripts in Focus – Film Scriptwriting Advanced Programme” is open until June 24.
The programme, the statement noted, aims to promote film production through the cultivation of filmmaking talent. According to the statement, shortlisted projects will have the guidance of professional directors and scriptwriters. Two projects each will be chosen from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, from which two will be selected and awarded 80,000 patacas each.
According to the statement, a sharing session for the programme was held on Friday at the Macau Grand Prix Museum, where director Huang Ji and screenwriter Xu Yimeng, both joining the session online, were invited to be the instructors for local projects. They will also help improve the shortlisted local projects through providing guidance and suggestions on aspects such as the scripts’ plot and structure.
The statement pointed out that Xu was the screenwriter of Better Days and Soul Mate and won “Best Screenplay” at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards, while Huang has had her productions shortlisted in the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) four times and won the “WIP Fiction Award” at the 19th HAF.
The statement underlined that applicants must be aged 18 and above, hold a permanent Macau ID card, and must be the project’s “original conceiver”. Up to four film projects will be selected for the instruction stage, which runs from July to November, based on three criteria: “originality and creativity of the story, connotation and narration of the story, and experience of the applicants”. The statement added that the instruction stage will only be conducted in Putonghua.
After completing the 40-hour instruction course, each shortlisted project’s applicant must submit their final script. The bureau will choose two out of the four to represent Macau in the joint project review of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, and two projects will be chosen to receive the award.
Programme and application details can be found at www.icm.gov.mo or www.macaucci.gov.mo. The statement said that applicants can submit the required documents at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building in Praça do Tap Seac within the submission period.
The programme is organised by the bureau in conjunction with the Film Administration of Guangdong Province and Create Hong Kong organisation.
Enquiries can be made by contacting IC representatives Mr Kuan on 8399 6295 or Mr Chong on 8399 6256 during office hours.
This handout photo taken on Friday and provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) shows participants in the “2022 Scripts in Focus – Film Scriptwriting Advanced Programme” sharing session.
