The Macao Government and Galaxy Entertainment Group, one of Asia’s leading casino and hotel operators, have forged a partnership with the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori to help promote Macao as a film-friendly destination.
Macao, a former Portuguese colony, which is a special administrative region of China that returned to full Chinese control in 1999, is the only place in China where casinos are legal. Since its handover, it has become the world’s gambling capital.
The tiny territory, that is under increasing pressure from Beijing to diversify beyond gambling, is using the tie-up with the Giornate – that is also known as Venice Days – to launch the Galaxy Entertainment Group Macao International Shorts Film Festival, the second edition of which will run Sept. 14-21 in Macao, following an under-the-radar first edition.
Venice Days artistic director Gaia Furrer served as chair of the international advisory board for the event’s inaugural edition last year.
The Macao International Shorts Film Festival will feature a selection of short films from around the world as well as masterclasses, industry forums, and networking events, “further solidifying Macao’s role as a key hub for international film and cultural exchange,” a joint statement said.
Macao’s new shorts film fest follows the launches of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) that debuted in 2016 and was shut down a few years ago during COVID and the more recent Macao-based Asia-Europe Young Cinema Festival and Film Market.
As one its parallel sections, Venice Days this year will host a Macao Day on Aug. 30 comprising screenings of Macao-made shorts, an industry session, and a networking reception with the aim of “providing a comprehensive platform to promote Macao’s cinematic creativity and cultural identity to international industry professionals and audiences,” according to the statement.
Courtesy Venice Days
