Entertainment Expo Hong Kong kicks off

HONG KONG, Mar 1, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The 20th edition of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, which is being held from 24 February to 14 April, promises to be an arts and culture extravaganza showcasing the best of Hong Kong film, television, music and digital entertainment across 10 events.

The annual Expo attracts international stars, directors and entertainment industry elites to Hong Kong and is pleased to announce Leon Lai as this year’s Expo ambassador.

Alongside the three founding events, Hong Kong International Film and TV Market, Hong Kong International Film Festival, and Hong Kong Film Awards, seven core programmes will showcase Hong Kong’s status as a leading business hub for the creative industries in Asia.  These include the newly added Asia Video Summit and Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music), together with the Independent Film and Video Media Festival, Asian Film Awards, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum, EntertainmentPulse and Digital Entertainment Summit.

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Expo is sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), the Film Development Fund and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR.

The Expo’s opening ceremony will take place on 11 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, to be attended by representatives from the local film, TV and entertainment industries and international exhibitors and buyers.

Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), 11-14 March

Organised by the HKTDC, FILMART is Asia’s leading entertainment content marketplace for creative industries. It aims to facilitate content production, distribution, co-production and investment opportunities, while strengthening Hong Kong's position as a regional intellectual property trading hub.

Some 750 exhibitors from more than 25 countries and regions will showcase at the event, which also gathers leading industry professionals from around the world to engage in dialogue, establish networks and explore business opportunities. Diverse international and local productions will also be shown.

FILMART features over 30 regional pavilions from different countries and regions, including first-time exhibitors from Hubei province, Macau and Indonesia.

Additionally, a series of renowned film and TV production companies will showcase their works, such as Alibaba Cultural Entertainment, Huace, Daylight Entertainment, Artop and Linmon Media from Mainland China; TBS from Japan; Contents Panda from South Korea; BEC World from Thailand and major streaming platforms Bilibili, iQIYI and Tencent. Hong Kong film production companies introducing their upcoming projects include Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures, Golden Scene, Mandarin Motion Pictures, Media Asia and more.

The Hong Kong Design Institute will announce the opening of its virtual production studio at the Expo, while first-time participant Hong Kong Baptist University will showcase the latest in AI, visualisation and human-machine interaction technologies for film production.

FILMART, in collaboration with creative tech company Votion Studios, will also debut a virtual production studio on-site, demonstrating the latest production techniques and real-time content generation.

The four-day event will feature a variety of activities, including press conferences, film showcases, seminars, networking sessions and screenings. It will also showcase the latest international productions and cutting-edge technologies, with a focus on virtual production, video streaming, co-production and AI-generated content.

The FILMART online platform is open from late February to 13 April. The platform promotes the creative IPs of FILMART exhibitors, with dedicated business referrals and business matching.

EntertainmentPulse, 11-14 March

EntertainmentPulse will run concurrently with FILMART to provide the latest entertainment industry insights and market information. Distinguished global industry leaders will explore a wide range of topics, including co-production opportunities in Asia and Europe, the internationalisation of the entertainment industry in Mainland China and ASEAN, generative AI, and the rise of streaming content and its impact on the industry. The event will also feature an engaging dialogue between two generations of filmmakers on Hong Kong movies.

These seminars will gather an impressive array of keynote speakers sharing their invaluable insights, including:

-Jihong Chen, Equity Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm

-Alaa Fadan, CEO and Chairman, Talfaz11 from Saudi Arabia

-Binxing Fu, President, Huace Group

-Winradit Kolasastraseni, President Digital Media, True Digital Group

-Stanley Kwan and Soi Cheang, renowned Hong Kong film producer and director

-Li Jie, President, Alibaba Pictures

-Raymond Phathanavirangoon, film producer

-Shimizu Shinji, Chief Advisor, Toei Animation

-Catherine Souyri-Desrosier, International Department Director, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée

-Catherine Xujun Ying, Vice President, CMC Inc.

Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), 28 March-8 April

This year’s HKIFF welcomes renowned Hong Kong actress Karena Lam as its ambassador and Hong Kong independent film pioneer Fruit Chan as Filmmaker-in-Focus. A highlight of this year's edition is a retrospective exhibition by Academy Award-winning director Martin McDonagh.

One of the oldest film festivals in Asia, HKIFF has evolved into Hong Kong’s largest cultural event and one of the most prestigious film platforms in the region, attracting filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world to showcase their new works and entertaining hundreds of thousands of filmgoers each year.

Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), 14 April

A total of 50 films will compete at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, a significant increase of 50 percent compared to 33 films in 2022. The nominated films cover a wide range of genres and themes, many of which are produced by emerging directors and feature young actors and rising stars.

Asian Film Awards (AFA), 10 March

35 films from 24 countries and regions are in the running at the Asian Film Awards at the Xiqu Centre. One of the most nominated films, 12.12:The Day from South Korea, received nominations in six categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.

Also receiving six nominations is Evil Does Not Exist by Japanese director Hamaguchi Ryusuke, whose earlier work Drive My Car won major accolades at the Cannes International Film Festival. Snow Leopard directed by Tibetan director Pema Tseden, who passed away in 2023, and Paradise directed by Prasanna Vithanage each received four nominations. Renowned Mainland Chinese actress Zhao Li-ying and Thai star Win Metawin are confirmed to attend the ceremony.

Digital Entertainment Summit (DES), 13 March

Themed “The Realm of Animation: The Global Perspective and Cross-Border Collaborations, the 14th Digital Entertainment Summit will discuss the latest industry developments and the future of digital entertainment. Featured speakers include Shimizu Shinji, Chief Advisor of Toei Animation from Japan; Byunga Han, Anime Director of Ashubia Animation Production from Korea and Matthew Chow, Managing Director of Simage Animation and Media Ltd.

HKIFF Industry Project Market , 11-13 March

Since its establishment in 2000, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) has been instrumental in facilitating the release of over 215 feature film projects. The 22nd edition of HAF will showcase a curated selection of 41 projects from a pool of more than 460 proposals originating from 48 countries and regions. Among them are works directed or produced by esteemed filmmakers, such as Fukada Koji, Michael J. Werner, Zhang Lu, Guan Hu, Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz and Yang Chao.

This year, HAF debuts the HKIFF Industry Project Market's programme, the HKIFF Industry - CAA China Genre Initiative (HCG). It aims to support the development of Chinese genre films and will feature six shortlisted projects participating in FILMART and HAF of which two will be awarded US$20,000 each to fund their projects.

29th ifva, 24 February to 17 March

The 29th edition of the ifva Independent Short Film and Media Art Festival promises to captivate audiences with a series of screenings, exhibitions and insightful panel discussions. This year's event will bring together the creative talents of Hong Kong and Asia and provide an all-important platform for emerging filmmakers and media artists.

The grand opening ceremony and the awards presentation for the Media Art category took place on 24 February, while the exhibition is open to the public till 7 March.

Screenings and post-screening discussions will be held from 8 to 16 March, showcasing ifva nominees across various categories, including Open, Youth, Animation, and Asian New Force. The award ceremony for these categories will be held on 17 March at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music) 14 March

The 11th edition of the Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music), organised by the Hong Kong Interactive Marketing Association, marks a significant milestone in the realm of microfilm production. The scheme provides training, mentorship and promotional opportunities for emerging talents to produce original microfilms. With 31 microfilms in competition, the awards ceremony on 14 March will honour outstanding achievements and showcase the award-winning works in a special screening.

Asia Video Summit (AVS) 13-14 March

The Asia Video Summit will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. It is the flagship event of the Asian video industry. It brings together leading industry voices to explore the future development of broadcasting, pay television, streaming media and related ecosystems in Asia.

Entertainment Expo: http://www.eexpohk.com

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About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn