Poster of Fantasia International Film Festival 2016

At the time of writing, the inaugural International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao was just closed. Its news and discussions, usually with texts and pictures, have gone viral on social media. Artist Joe Lei has given a lot of comments on room for improvement in his column in Macao Daily. He suggested that “we should give the organiser time to make it”. This somehow is true. Time and effort are needed to build a cultural brand. It’s useless to rush. In conclusion, we should keep the good and improve the bad. This is the attitude we should have whenever we want to make advancement. Now I think it’s worth discussing the matter of “positioning”. A film festival can be of any scale. But how to organise an excellent film festival? How to attract local and overseas film lovers to attend the event? How to create a cultural brand for Macao? And how to expand cultural tourism as well as to boost related businesses like film and video rental, food and beverage, convention and public relations, design and souvenir industries? All of these involve the participation of the creative industry as well as the convention and exhibition industry. It’s complicated but the core of all matters is how to position.

The three prominent international film festivals in Europe – Venice Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival, as well as those in Asia like Tokyo International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Hong Kong Asian Film Festival can be a reference to Macao. If you think that such references are too unrealistic to Macao, then take a look at Fantasia International Film Festival, “the most outstanding and largest genre film festival in North America”.  The festival was founded in 1996. Now it is a showcase of all genre films like horror and fantasy films around the world. Even if I am in Asia, I have been thinking of going there for a visit. There is a reason for its success. It has the right positioning. In fact, an accurate positioning and high recognised film festival is not only able to connect with the local film industry and audiences. It can also bridge the film and television industry, audiences and resources regionally and internationally.  Now the question is how should Macao’s International Film Festival be positioned so as to stand out from an ocean of film festivals? It is necessary make an effort in positioning, execution and promotion. We have to, step by step, build up a film festival that is both internationally attractive and can showcase the character of Macao.

What is a positioning with Macao characteristics? In my opinion, it is the hybrid of the European and Asian cultures that the city and its people boast. With several hundred years of cultural exchange between China and Portugal, the city of Macao boasts some charming characteristics: both eastern and western architectural styles can be found here, old and modern buildings co-exist, Southeast Asian cultures, customs and culinary skills mix well with their European counterparts. The vibes in Macao are obviously different from those in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland. The charm of Macao is not about being majestic. It’s about being small but attractive. The city looks chaotic, but order can be found in chaos. And there is a beauty of inclusivity, co-existence and harmony.

I have thought of the Fringe Festival (now renamed Macau City Fringe Festival and this year is the 16th edition of the festival, which was held during 13-22 January ) launched in 1999, the year of the handover of Macao. Over the years, this festival has turned the whole city to a stage that allows different genres of arts to be performed. They can be avant-garde, funny and fun, even though they aren’t really big brands or big productions. And they have added artistic senses and creative vibes to the city. No matter it’s the Fringe Festival or the Film Festival, Macao already has platforms to showcase local arts and culture. Now what really matters is whether the organiser has heart and ability to accurately position the event. Careful execution and good management are also necessary to make the event impactful.