AwardsWatch

The 2nd International Film Festival & Awards • Macao (IFFAM) today announced that Udo Kier will be the recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award.  

Kier will be in Macao to receive the award and will also attend a Flying Daggers presentation of Brawl in Cell Block 99. The German born actor’s career has spanned over 50 years and more than 300 films. He has worked with some of the most acclaimed and controversial directors of the last five decades, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Gus Van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Werner Herzog, Alexander Payne and Dario Argento. Alongside roles in many US independent and world cinema classics, he has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Blade and Armageddon. He is also an icon of the horror world, having played Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll amongst many other genre roles. He continues to work with directors around the world and since filming Brawl in Cell Block 99 he has shot 11 films including the third in the Iron Sky series in China.  

Mike Goodridge, Artistic Director of the IFFAM, comments “With his high profile roles in Brawl In Cell Block 99 and Downsizing, we are reminded once again how unique and brilliant Udo Kier is, so there is no better time than to acknowledge that here in Macao with our career achievement award. He has many more films to make, so we are over the moon that he is visiting us for a few days to celebrate with us.”

The IFFAM today also announced more filmmakers and stars attending this year’s Festival, bringing talent from East and West together in a celebration of world cinema.   

The updated and confirmed line-up includes:

Competition:

Wrath of Silence: Director Xin Yukun, producer Gao Yitian and actor Song Yang; The Hungry: Director Bornila Chatterjee and producer Kurban Kassam; Hunting Season: Director Natalia Garagolia, producers Benjamin Domenech, Matías Roveda, editor Gonzalo Tobal and actor Lautaro Bettoni; Three Peaks: producer Philipp Moravetz; The Cakemaker: Director Ofir Raul Graizer and cast members Roy Miller and Sarah Adler – Adler will also present Foxtrot with director Samuel Maoz and producer Cedomir Kolar; Beast: Director Michael Pearce; Borg McEnroe: Producer Fredrick Wikström Nicastro; My Pure Land: Director Sarmad Masud, production designer Caroline Bailey and actress Suhaee Abro; Custody: Director Xavier Legrand, producer Alexandre Gavras and actor Denis Ménochet.

Galas:

Journey’s End: Actor Asa Butterfield, producer Guy de Beaujeu and producer and screenwriter Simon Reade; Okja: Producer Choi Dooho and cast members An Seo Hyun; Samui Song: Director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (who also curates in the Crossfire strand), producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon and cast members Vithaya Pansringram and Chermarn “Ploy” Boonsyasak.

Best of Fest:
Angels Wear White: Director Vivian Qu and producer Sean Chen; Sweet Country: Producers David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin; Goodbye Grandpa!: Director Yukihiro Morigaki and actress Yukino Kishii; Zama: Producers Benjamin Domenech and Santiago Gallelli and actress Lola Dueñas; Shuttle Life: Director Tan Seng Kiat, producer Ong Lay Jin  and actor Jack Tan; Oh Lucy!: actress Shioli Kutsuna and producer, Yukie Kito.

Special Presentations:

My Generation: Director David Batty; The Last Emperor: Actresses Joan Chen (also a Jury member); Stained: Director Patrick Kong and cast members Kara Wai, Tse Kwan Ho, Jumbo Tsang and Hedwig Tam, Passing Rain: Director Chan Ka Keong (Lorence Chan), Co-production Wang Hongwei, cast members Doug Chan, Dicky Tsang, Wang Ping and Kayden Lei. As previously announced, Jury president Laurent Cantet will present L’Atelier.

Flying Daggers:

A Day; Director Cho Sun-ho and actor Byeon Yo-Han; A Prayer Before Dawn: Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and actor Joe Cole; Good Manners: Director Juliana Rojas.

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Jury:

BFI London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart (Jury President),director Johnny Ma (Old Stone) and director and film critic Hassan Muthalib.

The above join previously announced guests including: Michelle Yeoh, Pang Ho Cheung, Im Sang Soo, Martin Koolhoven, Ivan Sen, Shekhar Kapur, Jessica Hausner, Lawrence Osborne, Royston Chan, Donnie Yen, Jeremy Renner, Miriam Yeung and Doh Kyung-soo (aka D.O.)

For more information, please visit the official website: http://www.iffamacao.com

Press contacts:

International press: PREMIER

+44 20 7292 8330 MacaoForeignPress@premiercomms.com

Notes to editors:

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

The 2nd IFFAM Organizing Committee comprises governmental representatives and film professionals. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes takes up the role of President, while President of Cultural Affairs Bureau Leung Hio Ming, President of Management Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau José Tavares and President of Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association Alvin Chau are the Executive Vice Presidents of the IFFAM Organizing Committee.  

INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL TEAM 

The International Professional Team for IFFAM includes Festival Director, Head of Festival Management, Ambassadors, an International Advisory Board as well as International Consultants. Mike Goodridge and Lorna Tee are Artistic Director and Head of Festival Management respectively.

The International Advisory Board consists of five film experts from the East and the West, including Chinese film director and producer Huang Jianxin, veteran Asia-Pacific based producer Michael J. Werner; Korean producer Oh Jungwan; Hong Kong producer and distribution expert Nansun Shi, French producer Philippe Carcossone, Chinese producer and film critic San Mu and renowned producer Luís Urbano from Portugal.

Ambassadors for the 2nd IFFAM include renowned Hong Kong director John Woo, last year’s jury president Shekhar Kapur, Hong Kong writer/director Pang Ho-cheung, Italian producer Gianni Nunnari, and South Korean director Choi Dong-hoon.  Talent Ambassadors are Asian actress and singer Miriam Yeung, Hollywood star Jeremy Renner, action movie star Donnie Yen and Korean actor and singer Doh Kyung-Soo (aka D.O.).

The team of International Consultants in charge of film selection includes Giovanna Fulvi for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan; Aseem Chhabra for India; Violeta Bava for Latin America; Fionnuala Halligan for the United Kingdom and Europe; and Hiromi Aihara for Japan. June Wu will also be returning as the Head of Industry for the 2nd IFFAM.

The Team of Honorary Advisors includes Maggie Ma, Chief Officer, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs, Melco Resorts & Entertainment; Jorge Neto Valente, Group Advisor, Galaxy Entertainment Group; Linda Chen, President and Executive Director, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A

UDO KIER BIOGRAPHY

Udo Kier was born October 14, 1944 in Cologne, Germany, during World War II. His entrance was just as dramatic as some of his roles. On the evening of his birth Udo's mother requested extra time with her new baby. The nurses had gathered all of the other babies and returned them to the nursery when the hospital was bombed. He and his mother were rescued from underneath the rubble. Udo didn't know much about his father. When Udo was 18 he moved to Britain in order to learn the English language. While there he took a few acting courses. He was eventually offered a role by director Michael Sarne as a gigolo in the film Road to Saint Tropez. While the role was small, it was the beginning of his career in films. His first "hit" film was Mark of the Devil. The film was rated "V" for violence and ticket buyers were offered vomit bags before the film started. It was banned in 31 countries but spawned two sequels (both without Kier). The film is notorious for its exploitation of sex and violence (the uncut version was remastered and re-released on video in 1997).

Kier met director Paul Morrissey on an airplane trip. Morrissey offered him the lead role in the 3-D Flesh for Frankenstein. It was this film, along with its sister film Blood for Dracula, that made Udo a cult figure. Both Morrissey films are also known as Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Dracula; however, Andy Warhol was not involved in the production or creation of the films. Both were rated X when released. One of Kier's most vivid memories from Flesh for Frankenstein was the infamous "internal organ" scene. Real animal organs were used that were left unrefrigerated on the set for several hours. Udo had to pull the organs out of a prop dummy with his bare hands and hold them up to his face. He has said he will never forget that smell. When this film was finished the cast and crew began immediately filming Blood for Dracula. Udo remembers both of these films fondly and regards "Dracula" over "Frankenstein" as his favourite of the two (in 1996 both films were released by Criterion on DVD totally uncut). 

In the 1970s some of Kier's work included The Salzburg Connection, The Story of O, Spermula and Trauma (House on Straw Hill). Much of his work has been dubbed with someone else's voice. In Suspiria there were some technical difficulties with the sound while his scene was shot. In the 1980s some of his work included Lulu, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (The Blood of Dr Jekyll), The Island of the Bloody Plantation (Escape from Blood Plantation) and Seduction: The Cruel Woman. In the 1980s Kier did very little work outside of Europe. In the 1990s he had a lot more visibility in America and his breakthrough role was as Hans in My Own Private Idaho (the soundtrack includes the song that Udo performs in the film). Even Cowgirls Get the Blues reunited Kier with his friend Keanu Reeves yet again. Udo was cast as Pamela Anderson's sidekick in Barb Wire and played Ron Camp in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective opposite Jim Carrey. In the 1990s some of the films he was in included The Kingdom, For Love or Money, Breaking the Waves, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Blade and Armageddon.

Over his 5O-year career Udo has worked with several brilliant directors: Paul Morrissey, Charles Matton, Dario Argento, Gus Van Sant and Walerian Borowczyk. He continues to work often with Lars von Trier and is the godfather of Van Trier's child as well as a good friend. Von Trier is currently working on a film entitled Dimension which is a project that spans 30 years. Every year the cast and crew (including Udo) meet to shoot footage. The film will show the actors age 30 years without make-up or special effects. Approximately seven years of footage has already been shot. The premiere will take place in 2024! Kier's acting career ranges from art house films (Europa) to gore fests (Blackest Heart (German Chainsaw Massacre) to television commercials. He says he loves horror films and wants to do more of them. He enjoys playing villains, as he feels it is more interesting because evil has no limits. Currently Udo lives in California and spends much of his time working in Europe, where he receives larger roles and more recognition.

Udo’s current films soon to be released are: Downsizing directed by Alexander Payne, Don’t Worry he Won’t Get Far on Foot by Gus van Sant, Iron Sky 2 directed by Timo Vuorensola, Brawl in Cell Block 99 directed by S. Craig Zahler, Puppet Master –The Littlest Reich directed by Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, The Painted Bird directed by Vaclav Marhoul and American Animals directed by Bart Layton, among others.