The 16th Macau International Short Film Festival opened yesterday at the Teatro Capitol, celebrating a milestone year with over 6,000 submissions from 123 countries and regions – a record in the event’s history.
The director of Creative Macau and president of the festival, Paulo Canelas de Castro, expressed particular pride in the strong local and regional representation. Nearly a quarter of the record-breaking submissions originated from Macao and mainland China.
From now until next Wednesday on 10 December, 122 selected films will be screened, spanning documentary, animation and fiction, with 30 of the selected films submitted from Macao and mainland China. The public is invited to vote for the “Audience’s Favourite” award.
Fifteen cash prizes are on offer across the festival’s competitions, with the “Shorts Best Film of the Festival” award carrying a prize of 16,000 patacas. The awards ceremony will be held at 7 pm on 10 December, followed by a screening of the award-winning films at 8:30 pm.
[See more: The Macau Artist Society’s annual exhibition showcases the best of local talent]
There are also masterclasses in film production during the festival.
Canelas de Castro expressed to TDM that the mission of the festival is to “to promote local talent, to promote an industry, which when we started was very fragile”.
The jury unanimously noted the exceptionally high standard of this year’s selections across all four competition categories. Canelas de Castro called it a “very high moment” in the festival’s history.
He also emphasised Macao’s unique role as host. “Cinema is a universal language that promotes dialogue between cultures. Historically, Macao is a place where East meets West, making it the most appropriate place for this festival to take place.”
Entry is free, and the festival continues at Teatro Capitol on Rua de Pedro Nolasco da Silva until next Wednesday. The full schedule is available on the festival’s website.
