Cinematheque．Passion teams up with Comuna de Han-Ian to present “The 4thMacao International Documentary Film Festival” from 10 to 31 August. The highly anticipated festival opens with documentary gem Let’s Get Lost(newly restored version), revealing the turbulent life and spellbinding music of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Director-in-Focus session surely impresses with a gripping portfolio of Kazakh filmmaker Sergey Dvortsevoy, who will visit Macao and share his artistic methods and anecdotes. Aiming to create a dialogue with the city, the festival puts together new releases on this 20th anniversary of Macao’s handover under two themes – The Collective and Memories. The releases will also be Hong Kong and Macao premieres. Accompanying the exciting programme are talks and event.
Opening film Let’s Get Lost shines with meteor of jazz Chet Baker
“Prince of Cool” Chet Baker lives in the fond memory of jazz fans worldwide. His beautiful face and deep voice add a heart-breaking quality. On creating this documentary, Bruce Weber comments, “Everybody has a story about Chet Baker……I made this film about Chet because I had my own story about him.” A post-screening session with music expert Anson Ng brings us an hour of jazz and talk about this legend.
Director-in-Focus: Sergey Dvortsevoy
This session features six remarkable works of Kazakh filmmaker Sergey Dvortsevoy, charting his creative about-face from observational documentaries –Paradise, Bread Day, HighwayandIn The Dark– to the impressive features, Tulpan (2008) and Ayka (2018). He tends to apply long takes and minimal narration and action in an honest and humorous way. Dvortsevoy will also bring his creative vision in a masterclass for Macao filmmakers and audience.
“The Collective” and “Memories” manifest in a programme of HK-and-Macao premieres
Some new releases are programmed to explore two themes – The Collective and Memories. “The Collective” investigates how the self is constructed in a world where the Internet reigns. Los Reyes looks at a community from the perspective of two street dogs. Buddytouches upon the emotional therapy animals can offer humans.Honeyland follows the life of one of the last female beekeepers in Europefor three years. Director Hassan Fazili and his family are on the run after the Taliban put out a call for his death. He records his flight with three mobile phones and makes Midnight Traveler. Searching Eva shows how Eva publishes her thoughts online with her new identity – a sexual worker, model, feminist and writer. Edited out of several hundred hours of vloggers’ self-broadcast footage, Present.Perfect. reveals the power of the Internet over individuals. Treasure Island follows a group of people who attempt to escape from reality in a resort island.
“Memories” tells touching tales of individuals. A few weeks ago, music fans worldwide bid farewell to the father of Bossa Nova, João Gilberto.Where Are You, João Gilberto? tries to fulfil a dream of seeing the musician by following his life and music. Three Identical Strangersunveils dark scientific secrets by reuniting triplet brothers who were separated at birth. Minding the Gap follows sympathetically three young skateboarders’ experiences as they enter adulthood. Italian model-turned-feminist Benedetta Barzini refuses to be gazed at and her son tries to picture her different selves in The Disappearance of My Mother. Another Day of Lifeis a collaboration between Spanish director Raúl de la Fuente and Polish animator Damian Nenow, transporting the audience back to ambitious Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s first-hand updates on the Angolan Civil War. Photographer Khalik Allah depicts the rural and urban landscape and people of his mother’s country, Jamaica in Black Mother. InThe Best Thing You Can Do With Your Life, Zita Erffa records the life of her brother, who she has not seen for eight years, in the controversial Legionary of Christ.
Two gems shine anew in Classic-Doc session
Jonas Mekas, the Godfather of American avant-garde cinema, passed away earlier this year. With his Bolex 16mm camera, Mekas illustrates his journey in New York as an outsider and his return to Lithuania, to meet his friends in Europe again in Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania. Award-winning The Act of Killing surrealistically scrutinizes the Indonesian mass killing of communists in 1965 Indonesia by recording the perpetrators re-enacting the incident. The director’s cut version will be shown in two screenings. Indonesian history expert George Young will give a pre-screening talk on the historical background of this piece.
Tickets are available from 10am on Saturday 27 July online and at Cinematheque．Passion ticket office. Ticket price is MOP$60. Full-time students and senior citizens age 65 or above can enjoy 50% discount. Each purchase of 10 regular tickets or more can also enjoy 20% discount.
Cinematheque．Passion is located at Travessa da Paixão No. 13. The ticket office is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 11:30pm. (Closed on Mondays. Also open on public holidays) For enquiries, please call at 2852 2585.
About Cinematheque．Passion
Adjacent to Macao’s renowned and iconic world heritage listed Ruins of St. Paul’s, Cinematheque．Passion, located at Travessa da Paixão No. 13, is a three-storey multifunctional building offering film screening, local video archive, as well as film journals and book reading services. The ticket office, screening room and control room are located on the ground floor of the Cinematheque. Local film materials and videos, periodicals and magazines are available for residents in the film information room on the first floor.
As an interactive and exchange platform for audience and filmmakers, the Cinematheque is taking the role of promoting film culture and Macao films, cultivating the artistic sense of Macao people and film lovers. Locals and tourists can make good use of the Cinematheque and enjoy more high-quality films from different parts of the world.
CUT Ltd. will be responsible for the programming and operation of the Cinematheque. The ticket office is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 11:30pm; while the film information room is open from 10am to 8pm. The Cinematheque is also open during public holidays but is closed on Mondays.
The Cinematheque delivers its news, activities via its website and social media. You are welcome to visit to keep updated:
Website: www.cinematheque-passion.mo
Facebook page: 戀愛．電影館Cinematheque．Passion
Instagram: Cinematheque．Passion 戀愛．電影館
