The 1st Macao International Shorts Film Festival, jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Galaxy Entertainment Group, was concluded successfully. The Festival's closing ceremony and awards ceremony was held on 29 March, where “FÁR” directed by Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter was honored with the Best Short Film Award, and “BUBBLE” directed by Ellen Wong received the Best Macao Short Film.
The closing and awards ceremony was held at the Galaxy Auditorium of the Galaxy International Convention Centre on 29 March and was attended by the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Wan Sucheng; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Advisor of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Lo Hou Chi; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Cheang Kai Meng; the member of the Administrative Committee of the Cultural Development Fund, Hoi Kam Un; the Vice President of Public Relations of Galaxy Entertainment Group, Linda Wong; as well as the Chairperson of the Shorts Film Festival International Advisory Board, Gaia Furrer; the International Advisory Board members Shen Yang and Aokbab Chutimon; programmers Giovanna Fulv and Winnie Lau; jurors Fionnula Halligan, Jeremy Chua, Patrick Frater, Qiu Yang; "Director-In-Focus" director Shunji Iwai; and workshop instructors Huang Ji and Otsuka Ryuji. Additionally, participating directors, creative teams and representatives from the international film industry, including director Sasha Chuk Tsz-yin, actors Will Or, Raymond Lam, Kevin Chu, Jason Wu, Jessica Chan, Locker Lam, Tony Wu and Raymond Wong from the film industry graced the red carpet and joined the celebration.
A total of 26 short films from around the world competed in the Official Competition Section “New Voices from Horizon” for four awards. Ultimately, “FÁR” by Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter received the Best Short Film Award, "GREYLANDS" by Charlotte Waltert & Alvaro Schoeck was recognized for Best Technical Contribution, “BOGOTÁ STORY” by Esteban Pedrazza was awarded Best Director, and “THE MIRACLE” by Nienke Deutz won the Innovative Narrative Award, acknowledging the young filmmakers' contributions to the art of cinema. Moreover, 10 short films nominated in the “Macao Shorts” category vied for the Best Macao Short Award, which recognizes outstanding local short film works. “BUBBLE” by Ellen Wong emerged victorious.
The Festival featured an array of events including an opening screening, festival screenings, workshops, professional panel discussions, and the closing and awards ceremony. Over 50 local and international feature and short films were screened during the Festival, including a special “Director In Focus” section that showcased a collection of feature and short films by the renowned Japanese director Shunji Iwai. Iwai was invited to Macao on 29 March to engage in an in-depth dialogue with audiences and share the development process of his work “Last Letter (2018)” which evolved from a short film to a feature film. The Festival not only provided a platform to display the talent of new international filmmakers but also fostered more opportunities for exchange and learning among local film talents. By watching these splendid short films, audiences had the opportunity to appreciate the creators' boundless imagination and profound narrative skills.