Jeremy Renner and Hong Kong star Myriam Yeung were on hand Friday to add a touch of glamour to the opening of the 2nd International Film Festival and Awards.

The festival is an ambitious attempt to put Macau, a former Portuguese colony, now a Special Administrative Area belonging to China and renown for its casinos, on the cultural map.

Under the artistic direction of Mike Goodridge, a former journalist and film executive, the festival is a carefully-balanced mix of accessible, audience-friendly features along with art-house titles that have stood out on the festival circuit in the last few months. Its modest 48-film selection keeps the event on a human scale and allows guests to quickly mingle.

The ceremony had the great virtue of addressing all the traditional Asian touch points of a festival – prominence for local officials, a formal gong ceremony, and a parade of celebrities – but also keeping things moving swiftly without lengthy speeches. Renner, sporting...