The "2nd Galaxy Entertainment Group Macao International Shorts Film Festival" (hereinafter referred to as the "GEG Macao International Shorts Film Festival"), jointly organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) and the Galaxy Entertainment Group, has established a partnership with the "Giornate degli Autori" (Venice Days), a prestigious sidebar of the Venice International Film Festival. As part of this collaboration, a "Macao Day" event series will be held in Venice, Italy, in August. This partnership aims to elevate the international profile of the "GEG Macao International Shorts Film Festival", infuse new vitality into Macao's film culture, expand its global reach, and highlight the city's distinctive appeal as a Culture City of East Asia.
"Venice Days", one of the key parallel sections of the Venice International Film Festival, is dedicated to promoting independent films and works by emerging filmmakers, standing alongside the Venice International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Critics' Week as one of the Festival's three official programmes. A series of events under the theme "Macao Day" will be held from 29 to 30 August during the Festival. Highlights include a special Macao shorts screening and sharing session at the Casa degli Autori, one of the main venues of "Venice Days" at the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, featuring a selection of acclaimed Macao short films, followed by a reception to introduce international industry professionals and audiences to Macao's cinematic productions and cultural distinctiveness, thereby raising the global prominence of the "GEG Macao International Shorts Film Festival".
This collaboration marks a significant connection between the "GEG Macao International Shorts Film Festival" and "Venice Days", driven by the efforts of Venice Days Artistic Director, Gaia Furrer, and General Delegate, Giorgio Gosetti. It highlights the shared commitment of both platforms to discovering new cinematic talents and promoting diversity and inclusion, breaking boundaries of age, gender and geography through concrete actions. For the first time, "Venice Days" is welcoming the "GEG Macao International Shorts Film Festival", bringing greater international exposure to Macao's cinematic works and opening up opportunities for emerging filmmakers to step onto the global stage.
The "GEGMacao International Shorts Film Festival" will be held in this September at the Galaxy Cinemas, Galaxy International Convention Center and Andaz Macau in the Galaxy Macau™ Integrated Resort, as well as at the Cinematheque・Passion, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau. The Festival seeks to discover and promote outstanding local and international short films, foster exchange in film culture, and provide a showcase platform for emerging directors. Through this collaboration with "Venice Days", the Cultural Affairs Bureau aims to foster diversification of Macao's film and television industry, offering local filmmakers opportunities for in-depth exchanges with global professionals and audiences. As a co-organiser of the Festival for the second consecutive year, Galaxy Entertainment Group reaffirms its commitment to supporting the sustainable growth of Macao's filmmaking talent and facilitating the city to develop internationally influential cultural events.