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International Film Camp Nurtures Asian Film Talent for Third Consecutive Year

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Advancing Macao as international exchange platform for film talent 
Contributing to Macao’s development as “City of Performing Arts” and supporting economic diversification

MACAO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy and sponsored by Sands China, the International Film Camp (IFC) 2026 held its awards and closing ceremony at The Londoner® Macao Tuesday. Following five days of intensive training and guidance from professional mentors, a panel of experts selected eight outstanding short film projects from among the submissions of the 16 participants, with each selected producer receiving production funding of HKD 300,000. Sands China has sponsored the programme for three consecutive years, underscoring its commitment to supporting the Macao SAR government’s policy of economic diversification. By bringing this exchange platform to Macao, the company aims to strengthen connections between veteran international filmmakers and emerging Asian film talent, advance the professional and international development of the local film industry, enhance Macao’s global cultural presence, contribute to the city’s development as a “City of Performing Arts,” while further supporting its diversified growth.

Since its inception in 2024, the film camp has been held annually in Macao. Backed by its professional line-up of mentors, the initiative has emerged as one of Asia’s most influential film training platforms within just three years, drawing nearly 1,400 applications to date. During the film camp, participants receive one-on-one professional mentoring, enabling them to further refine their short film concepts and pitching proposals. A panel of experts will ultimately select eight outstanding short film projects for this programme. Besides the HKD 300,000 in production funding, Shaw Studios, the programme’s official post-production partner, will provide professional post-production services for the selected projects, while the Asian Film Awards Academy will oversee the production process of the films and support the submission of some of the more outstanding works to major international film festivals. Over the years, the camp has nurtured numerous talented producers, many of whom have gone on to make their mark on the international film scene.

Now in its third edition, this year’s film camp once again drew strong interest from aspiring filmmakers, with over 450 applications received. Following a selection process conducted by a panel of experts, 16 up-and-coming filmmakers from the Chinese mainland, Macao, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and Kyrgyzstan were chosen to participate in the camp. This year, the film camp once again returned to The Venetian® Macao, bringing together a strong line-up of international film professionals as mentors and speakers. They include: Roger Garcia, renowned film festival executive and director of the IFC; Fala Chen, actress, writer and director; Gordon Lam, actor, writer, and producer; Sabrina Baracetti, founding member and president of the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy; and Jukka-Pekka Laakso, director of the Tampere Film Festival in Finland.

Themed on “When Strangers Meet,” the camp offered a series of masterclasses and seminars led by distinguished mentors, covering directing, screenwriting, funding, distribution, post-production, pitching and participation in film festivals, equipping emerging filmmakers with knowledge in film production, industry operations, and marketing practices. This year’s programme introduced a new panel discussion on artificial intelligence, examining how technology is shaping the future of the film industry.

Grant Chum, chief executive officer and executive director of Sands China Ltd., said: “This year marks the third consecutive year Sands China has supported the International Film Camp. In this year’s edition, the camp once again brought together emerging filmmakers from across Asia and film professionals from around the world to Macao to exchange creative insights and deepen collaboration, injecting fresh impetus into the growth of Macao’s film industry. By enabling filmmakers to experience Macao from their own creative perspective, we hope to inspire industry practitioners to see the city with fresh eyes and rediscover the depth and diversity of its cultural heritage. Through the lens of cinema, they can showcase Macao’s unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures to audiences worldwide, further establishing the city as a fertile ground for creative inspiration, a destination of choice for travellers, and a compelling hub for film production and storytelling.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR government, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government for their guidance, to the Asian Film Awards Academy for bringing this programme to life, and to the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and the Film Development Fund for their support of the programme. Their collective efforts have made this year’s film camp a success. Sands China will remain committed to advancing the development of the cultural and creative industries, contributing to Macao’s economic diversification, and harnessing the power of visual storytelling to bring the city’s stories to the world stage.”

Dr. Wilfred Wong, chairman of the Asian Film Awards Academy, said: “Our theme this year is ‘When Strangers Meet.’ In many ways, this is what filmmaking is about – bringing together people with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of seeing the world. Beyond practical support, we want to give emerging filmmakers the opportunity to develop their ideas, learn from one another, and build connections across Asia. The International Film Camp would not be possible without the support of many organisations and individuals. On behalf of the Asian Film Awards Academy, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR government and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR for their guidance, and to the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and the Film Development Fund for their continued support. Our sincere thanks also go to Sands China for its generous sponsorship, and to our mentors, judges, speakers and team. The camp may be ending tonight, but the creative journey for these filmmakers is only beginning. I hope they leave Macao not only with stronger projects, but also with new friends and future collaborators.”

On Sept. 18, the first day of the film camp, a special screening session of selected short films from previous editions was held at the Adelson Advanced Education Centre at The Venetian Macao. The event brought together this year’s participants and mentors, winners from previous camps, and participants from the New Art Studies in Filming – Micro Movie Support Program. During the event, four emerging filmmakers whose projects were selected in previous editions of the camp shared their creative insights with participants, followed by screenings of their works. The screened works included “After Her,” by Macao director Jane Zhang; “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up,” by Hong Kong director Kong Ho Yan; “Ride Your Horse,” by Chinese mainland director Song Dongxu; and “One Home To Another,” by Chinese mainland director Lan Tian.

During the IFC award ceremony on Sept. 22, actress, writer and director Fala Chen, and actor, writer, and producer Gordon Lam were invited to deliver a closing masterclass for the IFC participants. Moderated by Hong Kong director and writer Sunny Chan, the session drew on the speakers’ wealth of experience in acting and film production, as they shared stories from their creative journeys with guests and film camp participants. They also reflected on how these experiences have shaped their perspectives on performance, filmmaking and storytelling, inspiring participants to explore their own creative paths.

Short films funded by the film camp in previous editions have increasingly gained attention in the international film scene, underscoring the camp’s role as an important platform for emerging Asian filmmakers to reach the global stage. Among them, “A South Facing Window,” by Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, was selected for the 78th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, earning a Pardo Verde Special Mention and the Junior Jury Award. Following these accolades, the film was also selected for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival. Other notable projects include “Ride Your Horse,” by Chinese mainland director Song Dongxu, selected for the International Competition at the 38th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France and the Competition of the 19th FIRST International Film Festival in Xining; and “Once Upon A Time There Was A Mountain,” by Hong Kong filmmaker To Chun Him, selected for the Drama International Short Film Festival in Greece and later for the Asian American International Film Festival in New York. A number of projects developed through the camp also had their world premieres at the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, a testament to the strength and potential of young Asian filmmakers.

In addition, over 20 aspiring local filmmakers from the New Art Studies in Filming – Micro Movie Support Program, an initiative sponsored by Sands China, were invited to sit in on this year’s film camp. This arrangement provided participants with the opportunity to gain exposure to industry insights and global trends, helping nurture diverse talent for Macao’s film industry.

Guests attending Tuesday’s awards and closing ceremony included Dr. Wilfred Wong; Gary Mak, assistant commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries and secretary-general of the Hong Kong Film Development Council; Chong Siu Pang, acting head of the Department for Promoting Cultural and Creative Industries of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government; Dave Sun, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sands China Ltd. and managing director of Venetian Macau Limited; Roger Garcia, mentor and director of the IFC 2026; Anthony Chen, Chen Daming, and Heiward Mak, IFC mentors; Josie Lin, executive director of the Asian Film Awards Academy; Teng Lee Yein, production mentor of the IFC 2026; Leong Heng Teng, founding president of the Creative Industries Promotion Association of St. Lazarus Church District; a group of directors from Hong Kong and Macao; and over 20 filmmakers from the New Art Studies in Filming – Micro Movie Support Program.

International Film Camp 2026 was organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy with the patronage of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR government, sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the Film Development Fund, and Sands China Ltd., with the support of Shaw Studios, Miora Tencent Design, and NetShort.

The eight short film projects selected for production funding under this year’s film camp are as follows:

Director

Country/Region

Film Project

Qu Zhizheng

Chinese mainland

Folding Mainland

Wong Ka Ki

Hong Kong

Giri

Erica Kwok Chung Yee

Hong Kong

Imitation

Chan Chon Sin

Macao

Tower

Bo Hanxiong

Chinese mainland

Under a Burning Sun

Ilimbek Maksatbekov

Kyrgyzstan

We Came Back to Strangers, Dad

Shubha Kumar Paul

Bangladesh

What Remains of the Ordinary

Ainamkoz Yemzharova

Kazakhstan

Yesimde

 

About Sands China Ltd.

Sands China Ltd. (Sands China or the Company) is incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx: 1928). Sands China is the largest operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The Company’s integrated resorts on the Cotai Strip comprise The Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao, The Parisian® Macao and The Londoner® Macao. The Company also owns and operates Sands® Macao on the Macao peninsula. The Company’s portfolio features a diversified mix of leisure and business attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping malls; world-class entertainment at The Venetian Arena, The Londoner Arena, The Venetian Theatre, The Parisian Theatre, The Londoner Theatre and Sands Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between Hong Kong and Macao. The Company’s Cotai Strip portfolio has the goal of contributing to Macao’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS).

For more information, please visit www.sandschina.com.

Media contacts:

Corporate Communications, Sands China Ltd.
Mabel Wu
Tel: +853 8118 2268
Email: mabel.wu@sands.com.mo

Jesse Chiang
Tel: +853 8118 2054
Email: jesse.chiang@sands.com.mo

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SOURCE Sands China Ltd.

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A Full Moon for Every Child: STARTRADER’s STARCARES Brings Support to SOS Children’s Village Ho Chi Minh City

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September 23, 2026

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The Mid-Autumn initiative delivered gift sets, household essentials and direct financial support to 213 people at the village in Go Vap.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — STARCARES, the corporate social responsibility programme of global multi-asset broker STARTRADER, hosted “A Full Moon for Every Child,” a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at SOS Children’s Village Ho Chi Minh City in Go Vap. The on-site festival for the 60 children at the village was paired with essential supplies and cash support reaching 213 people, including house mothers and staff.

Every child received a gift set containing a lantern, cookies, a water bottle, a milk pack and a colouring kit. Hygiene, cleaning and pantry supplies were delivered to the village houses, alongside financial support for operating costs.

The village provides long-term, family-based care and education for approximately 160 children, from infants through university students, who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care. Since 2023, cuts to international aid have pressured operations, with remaining funding committed only through 2026. Contributions support tuition, caregiver salaries and the infrastructure that keeps these families together.

SOS Children’s Village plans care in years, not one-off gestures. STARCARES is built the same way, favouring recurring commitments under its Child Welfare & Community Aid pillar.

“The village was already doing the hard part long before we arrived. Our job is to make the practical side steadier, so the people raising these children can plan instead of improvise.” – Peter Karsten, CEO, STARTRADER.

“Support like this reaches our children in two ways. The essentials and funding ease real pressure on our households, and the celebration itself tells every child here that they are seen and thought of. That matters as much as anything we can put on a shelf.” – Mr. Hoang Long, Director, SOS Children’s Village Ho Chi Minh City.

STARCARES intends to extend this work across communities where STARTRADER operates.

About STARTRADER

STARTRADER is a global multi-asset broker empowering retail and institutional partners to access global markets through a range of platforms, including MetaTrader, STARTRADER APP, and STAR Copy. Regulated in five jurisdictions (CMA, ASIC, FSCA, FSA, and FSC), STARTRADER combines strong governance with a client-first approach, serving both retail clients and partners with a commitment to transparency, reliability, and long-term growth.

 

 

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Noma Named a Market Shaper in Gartner® Emerging Market Quadrant for AI Application Security – Startup Vendors

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September 23, 2026

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Recognition places Noma in the quadrant Gartner defines as “Full-Spectrum, Context-Aware Agentic Security,” as enterprises move to secure and govern AI agents at runtime

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Noma, the market-leading enterprise AI and agent security platform, today announced it has been recognized as a Market Shaper in the Gartner® Emerging Market Quadrant (EMQ) for AI Application Security – Startup Vendors. Noma was placed in the Market Shapers quadrant, which Gartner characterizes as “Full-Spectrum, Context-Aware Agentic Security.”

According to the report, “Vendors in this quadrant move beyond the mandatory features of AI application security to focus on analyzing the full spectrum of AI agents’ behaviors, such as user requests, user intent, agents’ instructions, intent, memory, skills, tool use, data access, and system modification actions. They compare an agent’s intended instructions and permissions with its real behavior to identify deviations or misuse, and they use comprehensive scanning of code repositories and deployment pipelines to map all connections and potential risks.”

As enterprises move AI agents into production across cloud platforms, SaaS applications, and developer endpoints, security teams face a new class of risk. Agents choose which tools to call, chain actions across long sessions, and operate with permissions that no one continuously verifies against what the agent was asked to do. Security vendors are adapting. Gartner states: “They are refining their mechanisms for determining and enforcing least-privilege principles and intent drift detection, which is a security monitoring capability for agentic AI systems that tracks whether an agent’s actions remain aligned with the user’s original stated goal as the agent operates autonomously over several steps.”

“Securing agents comes down to two questions: what is this agent supposed to do, and what is it actually doing right now,” said Niv Braun, CEO and Co-Founder of Noma. “Answering them takes context that no single-layer tool has: the agent’s posture, what it is connected to, its blast radius, and its intent, compared against its real behavior at runtime. We built Noma so enterprises can define policy for every agent in one place, enforce it across the infrastructure they already run, and let agents work at full speed without acting outside their boundaries.”

We believe Noma’s placement reflects four capabilities that distinguish its agent security and governance platform:

Coverage of every agent, wherever it runs. Noma secures endpoint agents such as Claude Code and Cursor, SaaS agents built in Copilot Studio and Agentforce, and cloud and homegrown agents on Bedrock, Azure, and Databricks, all from one platform. Noma is deployed on more than 2.6 million endpoints.A unified agent control plane. Enterprises define policy once, in Noma’s AI Constitution, and Noma enforces it across every agent type and every category of risk: agents that make mistakes, agents that drift from their instructions, and agents manipulated by an adversary. Policy spans risky behavior and threats, access and identity, and business operations.Context for the right runtime decision. Noma’s Runtime Context Engine combines posture (what an agent is connected to, its permissions, its blast radius, and its baseline behavior) with intent (what the agent was asked to do and what it is actually doing across a session). Runtime response ranges from steering an agent mid-session to masking sensitive data, blocking a single action, or terminating the agent’s operation.Architecture flexibility. Through open enforcement, Noma decouples the security and governance control plane from AI infrastructure. Policy is enforced through native integrations with gateways including Kong, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, LiteLLM, TrueFoundry, and MCP gateways; native hooks inside Claude Code, Cursor, and Copilot; SDKs and APIs for homegrown agents; and direct partner integrations with Databricks and Microsoft.

Noma operates under multiyear enterprise license agreements with Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations across financial services, pharma, insurance, and technology. Databricks is both a strategic partner and an early investor in the company, and Noma’s direct integrations with Databricks, Microsoft, and AWS extend its enforcement into the AI infrastructure enterprises already run.

This recognition follows Noma’s designation as a Cool Vendor in the Cool Vendors™ in AI Security. Noma has also been named in Gartner research including the Market Guide for Guardian Agents, the Innovation Guide for AI Agents, the Innovation Insight for AI Application Security, the Market Overview for AI Usage Control, Innovation Insight: AI Bills of Materials (AIBOMs) Strengthen AI Governance, Emerging Tech: The Future of AI Security Is in Securing Agent Actions, Not Prompts, and Agent 365: Strong for Microsoft Agents, but Users Still Need Platform-Agnostic Governance and Security.

Gartner recommended actions for Market Shapers is “Deploy these tools for complex, homegrown multiagent applications that require deep runtime monitoring and security testing.” We believe Noma gives those organizations the agent security and governance to run agents at scale, with policy defined once and enforced at runtime across every agent and every environment.

Learn more at noma.security or request a demo.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner, Emerging Market Quadrant for AI Application Security – Startup Vendors, Meghan Hollis, Dionisio Zumerle, Dennis Xu, Marissa Schmidt, 16 September 2026.

Gartner, Cool Vendors™ in AI Security, Jeremy D’Hoinne, Bart Willemsen, Dennis Xu, Avivah Litan, 24 September 2025.

Gartner, Market Guide for Guardian Agents, Avivah Litan, Daryl Plummer, Carlton Sapp, Dionisio Zumerle, Tom Coshow,  Max Goss, Lauren Kornutick, 25 February 2026.

Gartner, Innovation Guide for AI Agents, Arun Chandrasekaran, Leinar Ramos, Tom Coshow, 22 January 2026.

Gartner, Innovation Insight for AI Application Security, Dionisio Zumerle, Jeremy D’Hoinne, Meghan Hollis, 08 January 2026.

Gartner, Market Overview for AI Usage Control, Ashish Suraj Bhan, Peter Firstbrook, John Watts, 20 August 2026.

Gartner, Innovation Insight: AI Bills of Materials (AIBOMs) Strengthen AI Governance, Manjunath Bhat, Angela Zhao, Aaron Lord, 27 May 2026.

Gartner, Emerging Tech: The Future of AI Security Is in Securing Agent Actions, Not Prompts, Mark Wah, David Senf, 20 February 2026.

Gartner, Agent 365: Strong for Microsoft Agents, but Users Still Need Platform-Agnostic Governance and Security, Avivah Litan, Dan Wilson, Dionisio Zumerle, Sarah Davies, 28 May 2026.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Noma

Noma is an AI security platform that helps enterprises discover, govern, and protect AI agents across every environment where they run. Noma covers homegrown applications on AWS Bedrock and Azure, SaaS agent platforms like Microsoft Copilot Studio and Salesforce AgentForce, and coding assistants and MCP servers on developer machines. Four products in one platform: discovery and posture (AI-SPM), access control, adversarial testing (Red Teaming), and runtime detection and response (AI-DR). Backed by $130M+ in funding. AWS, Microsoft, and Databricks are strategic partners. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies across financial services, pharma, insurance, and technology. Learn more at https://noma.security/ and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

ICR for Noma
Noma@icrinc.com 

 

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SOURCE Noma Security

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Tegene Robot Introduces 3D Sorter Portfolio for Warehouse and Parcel Operations

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September 23, 2026

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Configurations for standard parcels, high-throughput operations, complex items and future expansion

BEIJING, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Beijing Tegene Robots Co., Ltd. (Tegene Robot) has introduced a 3D Sorter portfolio for warehouse and parcel operations. The portfolio covers standard parcel sorting, high-throughput operations, complex-item handling and modular expansion. Tegene designs each configuration around parcel characteristics, throughput, the number of destinations, available space, system interfaces and future expansion requirements. The company provides solution design, equipment delivery, on-site commissioning and ongoing operational and after-sales support for parcel and express logistics, cross-border e-commerce, retail and third-party logistics (3PL) customers.

The 3D Sorter Series includes the 3D Sorter for standard parcels and multi-destination sorting; 3D Sorter M for high-throughput, multi-layer operations; 3D Sorter E for non-conveyable (NC) items, flat parcels, envelopes and complex destination flows; and 3D Sorter X for modular chute expansion. Published maximum mechanical throughput and configuration specifications include 24,500 pph and up to 1,000 chutes for the 3D Sorter, 40,000 pph for the 3D Sorter M, and 31,000 pph with up to 1,500 configurable chutes for the 3D Sorter E. Actual configurations depend on parcel size, weight, packaging condition, the number of destinations, site layout, induction method, system interfaces and project design.

In operations where cross-belt sorters process standard parcels, the 3D Sorter E is positioned as a complement rather than a replacement. Its multi-cart vertical structure, three-dimensional chute layout and multi-item design support complex items and destination flows in a coordinated sorting system. Under suitable parcel and project conditions, this can reduce re-induction, manual transfers and intermediate buffering.

Tegene has served customers including SHEIN, CIDER, SF Express, Watsons, Shopee and Temu across cross-border e-commerce, parcel logistics, retail and 3PL operations. The company supports projects in China, the United States, Europe and other Asian markets through regional teams and partners. Its global service network provides 24/7 remote diagnostics, original spare-parts support and local technical coordination for overseas warehousing, cross-border fulfillment, parcel sorting and system integration projects.

About Tegene Robot

Founded in 2022, Tegene Robot develops intelligent sorting solutions for logistics and warehousing. It operates its own intelligent manufacturing base of more than 20,000 square meters. Its services include site and workflow assessment, equipment configuration, system interfaces, delivery, commissioning, operational support and after-sales service.

Company website: https://www.tegene.com/

3D Sorter E product page: https://www.tegene.com/products/3d-sorter-nc/

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SOURCE Beijing Tegene Robots Co., Ltd.

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