To foster exchanges between local and international film and television industry professionals, showcase Macao as an ideal backdrop for films and further promote the International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM), the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Cultural Affairs Bureau (ICM) together participated in the 22nd Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center from 19th to 22nd March, with a jointly-run Macao Pavilion and a delegation of film and television industry professionals they led from Macao to take part in the event.  MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, IC Vice President Ieong Chi Kin, Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Betty Fok, Head of Tourism Product and Events Department of MGTO, Jennifer Si Tou, attended the FiILMRT together with others.

At the Macao Pavilion, six film and video production companies from Macao including Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), Bacalhau Entertainment Production Limited, Macau Film, maisOriente Consulting Limited, Manner Culture Limited and Marching Productions introduced their business and explored partnership opportunities with international filmmakers and industry delegates to enhance Macao’s global exposure.

MGTO has been striving to attract film crews from various regions to Macao for film or TV drama shooting, with the hope that audiences around the world can enjoy a glimpse of the city’s glamour through different angles while more visitors will be attracted to Macao for a first-hand experience of movie scenes. On the other hand, IC launched the “Coordination Service for Filming Permit Application” in collaboration with several other government departments last year to simplify the procedures for filmmakers to apply for filming permits in Macao. The facilitating service plays an enhancer for both the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industries to move forward in Macao.

As a great boon to local tourism development, the film and television industry effectively helps the destination to build up an image of diversity, which in turn promotes tourism progress and builds our city’s reputation. With the above factors considered, the International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) was first launched in 2016 to introduce world-class exchange opportunities to local cultural and creative industry professionals and further raise Macao’s international profile. By presenting a diversity of tourism and cultural products and events, the Macao SAR Government seeks to enrich visitors’ cultural experiences in Macao and promote sustainable development of the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industries in the long term, which pushes forward the city’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Organized by Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Hong Kong International Film & TV Market is one of the largest film and TV market fairs in Asia. The event attracted 815 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions and over 8,000 visitors from 52 countries and regions last year.