Eliz Lao

At 17, Xin lived a simple life in Macau. She enjoyed exploring the “world” with her DV camera, understanding the value of ordinary life. However, everything changed when she met her senior schoolmate Fei, who brought a new rhythm to Xin’s life. At 22, Xin embraced a free life in Taiwan, studying journalism and living with her girlfriend, Qing. Despite seeming ordinary, her life was also marked by graduation uncertainties. Xin wanted to stay in Taiwan but faced obstacles, and returning to Macau meant confronting her family. At 34, Xin lived a busy life shuttling between Hong Kong and Macau. Anxious to break free from the curse of being an assistant director, she felt pressured by her eligible actress girlfriend, Bei, to become independent. Facing external worries and internal conflicts, Xin finally realized that embracing her true self and being carefree might be the best way to survive.

"Years of Macau" is an anthology film consisting of nine short films set in different years and locations in Macau. They include "Go Back Home", "REC-Last Days", "Sparkling Mind", "The Last Show", "Till the End of World", "The First Cigarette", "A Moment", "Dirty Laundry" and "Summer". All nine directors are from Macau, most of whom were born and raised here. The stories of each film share what the directors feel about Macau using the language of cinema to convey their love for the city.

In an attempt to win back the public's interest, has-been Hong Kong film star Lau Wai-chi makes a comeback film with a major director. To prepare for his role as a peasant farmer in the 1960s, he travels to the mainland China countryside to experience rural life there, but his arrogance triggers a series of farces.

Ka, a common housewife, leaves her husband after big change in the family. Then she encounters Man, who has for years blamed her father Chow for bringing to light his relationship with his lover Tracy after the accidental death of Man’s mother. And so it seems that from departures stems relationships anew, but there are in fact little to be explained in the logic of cause-and-effect for existence, death, encounters, and love.

Nineteen-year old Ina inherits a sauna and decides to build a new future for the girls working there, but first she needs to confront her father's dangerous past.

Love intertwines at the wrong time. Sei and Ling, former masseuses in Macau, in retrospect, had the best time together. Decades after, Sei learns that her late best friend has kept a secret she never knew...

The Empire Hotel is a 30-year-old landmark in Macau's old quarter, inhabited by characters with their own stories and struggles. It is also Maria's home. One day, the burden of keeping lives together and the hotel standing falls on her shoulders. A young man who left Macau two decades ago returns, intent on revenge and reclaiming his mother's fortune – half the hotel. Inside the casino, Maria sings Fado and exotic dancers perform. It is against this illusory backdrop that the man lays eyes on Maria for the first time; they’re both mesmerized. The film cuts back and forth between film noir-style scenes of Macau’s past and present.

Wong Chi Wa’s uncle, Lee Ho Sang, was 20 years old when he disappeared one night without a trace during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Rumours about the incident have spread swiftly around the neighbourhood. Fifteen years later, without explanation about his disapearance, Lee suddenly showed up. Like a ghost tale, the story would be retold every year…