MACAU, January 15 - Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) and Wynn Macau, the “Award Ceremony for the Film and Television Talent Training Programme” was successfully held on 10 January 2025, at the Grand Ballroom, Wynn Macau, with the presence of several guests and instructors to witness the achievements of the participants in the “Scripts in Focus – Film Scriptwriting Advanced Programme” and the “Film Arts Training Programme”. The President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Leong Wai Man, and the Vice President of Special Events of Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, Yolanda Lao, were invited to present the awards. The ceremony was also attended by the Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries of the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, Gary Mak; the Member of the Administrative Committee of the Cultural Development Fund of the Macao SAR, Chan Ka Io; the Member of the Cultural Development Consultative Committee of the Macao SAR, Choi Ian Sin; and several representatives from Hong Kong and Macao film and television industry.

In order to cultivate creative film and television production talents and promote the development of Macao’s film and television industry, IC and Wynn Macau launched film and television industry talent training programmes, namely the “Scripts in Focus – Film Scriptwriting Advanced Programme” in 2023 and the “Film Arts Training Programme” in 2024, respectively, with the participation of a total of 45 local trainees. Through the training courses and guidance from experienced instructors, participants enhanced their professional skills in the fields of scriptwriting and film arts. IC continues to invite, on a commission basis, local winners of the previous editions of “Scripts in Focus” to produce short films, allowing them to transform creative ideas into visual works. In turn, participants of the “Film Arts Training Programme” also have practical opportunities to be part of the teams, taking the roles in the areas of arts, scenery and costumes.

Several awards were presented from two programmes at the ceremony, including the Wynn Excellent Screenplay Award (2 winners) from the “Scripts in Focus – Film Scriptwriting Advanced Programme 2023” and the “Best Art Design” (1 group winner) and “Outstanding Performance Award” (1 winner) from the “Film Arts Training Programme 2024”. The President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man, stated that in order to promote the development of Macao’s cultural industries, boost the film and television service industry and enhance the city’s cultural dissemination capability, IC has launched a number of talent training programmes for the film and television industry in the past, hoping to cultivate more professionals for the industry through different types of training methods.

In addition, the President and Vice Chairman of the Board of Wynn Macau, Limited, Linda Chen, believes that the film and television talent training programme has successfully established an exchange platform with professional filmmakers, cultivated local creative film talents in various aspects, and improved the professionalism of Macao's film and television practitioners and the overall production standards of the industry, thus promoting the favourable condition for the  growth of the arts and cultural industries with Macao characteristics and advancing the development of Macao as a “City of Performing Arts”.

In the future, IC will continue to cultivate film and television talents, launching more professional training programmes in different areas to further enhance the skills and standards of Macao’s film production professionals, thus injecting new vigor into local film and television industry.