The 2^nd International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) will be staged from 8^th to 14^th December, presenting an eye-catching programme under the theme 'A New Avenue to the World of Films'. The event gathers local guests, internationally acclaimed directors, celebrities, film industry professionals and various individuals from around the world to attend the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and a series of red-carpet presentations. With family movie Paddington 2 screened as the opening film on the night of the Opening Ceremony, 47 international films will be screened throughout the Competition, Gala, Flying Daggers, Best of Fest Panorama, 'Crossfire', 'Special Presentation' and 'Actress in Focus: Michelle Yeoh' sections.

Ten movies vie for award

In the Competition section, ten films will be pitted against each other. These movies - new directors' first or second work - are Beast; The Cakemaker; Custody; Foxtrot; The Hungry; Borg McEnroe; Hunting Season; My Pure Land; Three Peaks; and Wrath of Silence.

This year's international jury, comprising five distinguished industry figures, will select winners for Best Film, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress, Award for Best Screenplay, Award for Best Technical Contribution and other awards from the ten films in the Competition section.

Presided over by acclaimed French Director Laurent Cantet, jury members comprise famed Chinese American actress Joan Chen, Austrian Director Jessica Hausner, United Kingdom author Lawrence Osborne and Singaporean Director Royston Tan.

Gourmet related movie

In recognition of the recent designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the Organizing Committee has arranged movies related to gastronomy to be screened during the Film Festival; namely, The Last Recipe and C'est La Vie, while The Cakemaker screened in the Competition section will also include gastronomic features. Meanwhile, Macao director Fei Ho's Love is Cold and Lorence Chan's Passing Rain will be screened in the Macao Special Presentation section.

UK war film Journey's End will be featured in the Gala section; while two Hollywood films -The Shape of Water and Suburbicon, both screened at the 74^th Venice International Film Festival - as well as this year's Toronto International Film Festival Special Presentation adaptation film I, Tonya, will be shown in the Hollywood Special Presentation section. The 'Crossfire' will present classic genre films selected by six heavyweight directors; namely, Shekhar Kapur, Im Sang Soo, Penek Ratanaruang, Martin Koolhoven, Guillermo Del Toro and Ivan Sen. The six selected classics are 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Silence of The Lambs, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Rashomon, Mad Detective and One Nite In Mongkok.

Two heavyweight guests at IFFAM

Aside from the glittering lineup of Talent Ambassadors, which includes famed Hollywood star 'Hawkeye' Jeremy Renner, internationally acclaimed action star Donnie Yen, famous Asian film actress Miriam Yeung and rising Korean star D.O., as well as other IFFAM Ambassadors, two heavyweight film stars will also be featured in this year's Film Festival.

Actor Udo Kier, whose movie Brawl In Cellblock 99 will be screened at the Flying Daggers section, will receive the Career Achievement Award. Born in Germany, Udo Kier has devoted his career in the film industry for over half a decade, casting in over 300 movies.

Meanwhile, internationally acclaimed film star Michelle Yeoh will be featured as this edition's 'Actress in Focus'. With movie Reign of Assassins being screened during IFFAM, Michelle Yeoh will grace the Festival with her presence together with movie Director Chao-Bin Su. She will also share her precious experiences of working for 30 years in the film industry in a talk during the Film Festival.

IFFAM nurturing local filming industry

This year's IFFAM Industry Hub will be held in the Macao Cultural Centre from 9^th to 11^th December. Over 250 industry professionals from more than 20 countries and regions will join hands to tap into the vast business opportunities of the industry through the Macao Forum and IFFAM Project Market.

The 2^nd IFFAM has invited internationally acclaimed film director John Woo and famous Hong Kong director Pang Ho-Cheung to share their skills and experiences in the Masterclasses. This year, IFFAM continues to co-operate with British Film Institute (BFI), offering a film-shooting training programme designed to provide opportunities for budding local filmmakers to engage in international filmmaking experience and exchange perspectives with their European counterparts. Twenty-four of Macao's most promising young filmmakers will participate in the programme, working together to produce two short films.

With the direction of 'New Platform, New Perspectives' in mind, IFFAM has offered full support to the latest edition of Local View Power by offering a platform to screen the outstanding works supported by this programme. Moreover, IFFAM Industry Hub will be held in the Macao Cultural Centre during the Festival to provide a platform for industry professionals to exchange with one another and tap into the vast business opportunities of the industry together. In addition, 165 media representatives from 36 countries and regions are expected to participate in the event.

Films in the IFFAM programme will be shown to the public in Macao Cultural Centre, Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, and Cinematheque・Passion. Residents and visitors can buy film tickets through www.macauticket.com or at the screening venues during the Film Festival. For more information, please visit the IFFAM website:www.iffamacao.com.