MACAU | American actor Jeremy Renner, best known for his roles as William Brandt in two “Mission: Impossible” movies and as Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye in “The Avengers” franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe led a star-studded international contingent that graced the opening night of the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao Friday.
Renner is one of the festival’s Talent Ambassadors along with famed Hong Kong actress Miriam Yeung and Korean sensation Doh Kyung-soo a.k.a D.O. from the K-Pop group EXO who walked the red carpet en route to the festival’s opening ceremony at the Macao Cultural Center.
During the ceremony, Renner was presented with the Macau East West Actor of the Year Award by Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, and Alvin Chau, President of Macao Film & Television Productions and Culture Association and Executive Vice-President of the Organizing Committee of the IFFAM.
In his red carpet interview, Renner revealed that this was his first time in Macao and said that he was very impressed with the grand manner in which the festival was being staged.
“Everything is big in China,” he quipped.
Other notable attendees include Chinese-American actress Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”), who is a member of the festival’s competition jury; Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Johnny Ma (“Old Stone”), who is a member of the NETPAC jury; and rising English young actor Asa Butterfield, who is starring in “Journey’s End,” one of the Gala exhibition films in the festival.
Also expected to arrive is Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,”) who will have a speaking engagement at the Macao Museum of Art auditorium; German acting legend Udo Kier who will be honored with a Career Achievement award; and Italian-American actor Giancarlo Esposito, best known for his role as drug lord Gus Fring in the hit series “Breaking Bad” and is part of the cast of the acclaimed Netflix film “Okja,” another Gala exhibition film in the festival.
Among the other noteworthy films in the line-up are “Borg McEnroe,” which is entered in the Competition section, “The Shape of Water,” “I, Tonya” “Call Me By Your Name,” “Sweet Country,” “The Florida Project” and “Paddington 2” which opened the festival.
“With ‘An Avenue to the World of Films’ as our theme this year, the festival spotlights first and second time feature filmmakers to inspire young industry professionals to soar higher. From around the world we have also selected a range of remarkable films highly worthy of the audiences’ appreciation and offering a springboard for young filmmakers to forge their careers in the industry,” said Director of Macao Government Tourism Office Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes during her speech.
Fernandes, who is also the President of the festivals organizing committee, expressed her optimism that the festival “will bring long term benefits for the development of the film, cultural, creative and tourism industries in Macao, as well as adding momentum to Macao’s quest to be a world centre of tourism and leisure.”
Last year, the Philippines was represented by Erik Matti’s “Seklusyon” which was screened as an exhibition film. This year, there is no Filipino film in the festival but filmmaker and QCinema International Film Festival director Ed Lejano was among the distinguished guests along with the festival directors of other international film festivals.
The 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao will run until December 14. The full line-up and additional information on the Festival can be found at http://www.iffamacao.com/en/.
Watch the official teaser video of the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao featuring Jeremy Renner here: