At right, special guests taking part in the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong press conference (front row, from left): Margaret Fong, executive director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council; Leon Lai, Hong Kong entertainment ambassador; Gregory So, secretary for commerce and economic development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government; Terry Lai, chairman, HKTDC Entertainment Industry Advisory Committee; and (back row) representatives from the 10 events
The 13th Entertainment Expo, Hong Kong will kick off on 13 March and continue through 25 April. Under the theme “Get into the Scene”, the expo features 10 spectacular events for film, television, music and digital entertainment, including three founding events and seven core events. The three founding events are: the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony. The seven core events are: the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival, the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award, ifva (Incubator for Film & Visual Media in Asia Festival), the Asian VFX and Digital Cinema Summit, the Digital Entertainment Summit and TV World International Forum.
A wide range of activities will be held during the expo. Apart from trade exhibitions, financing platforms and industry forums for professionals, the public can also take part in the film and music festivals and award presentation ceremonies that recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the industry.
In addition to diversifying its content, the expo’s scale is also expanding. Thanks to the contributions of the various event organizers over the years, the expo has promoted the steady development of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry and become an annual signature event. Last year’s expo alone attracted more than 130,000 participants.
Leon Lai’s tongue-twister challenge – For this year’s 30-second promotional video, Ambassador Leon Lai introduced all 10 events of the Entertainment Expo as a tongue-twister. The video became an instant online sensation being liked and shared thousands of times.
To encourage citywide participation in the events, the Entertainment Expo Mobile showroom will begin visiting six locations across Hong Kong; in Central, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tai Wai and Sha Tin from tomorrow until Sunday (3 to 5 March). Tongue-twister and other games as well as gifts will be on offer, to share the excitement of this annual entertainment extravaganza with the public.
Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) – FILMART is one of the founding events of the Entertainment Expo. It has now become an important film market for the international entertainment industry. This year’s FILMART will be held from 13 to 16 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will feature some 800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions. Apart from major film companies in Hong Kong, many overseas exhibitors will be setting up pavilions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Vietnam. Companies from Turkey, Mongolia, Indonesia and Poland will be making their debut at FILMART to promote local entertainment products.
Exhibitors from the Chinese mainland have also surged this year and the scale of their exhibition will be the largest to date. The governments of Ningbo and Fujian will set up regional pavilions for the first time. In addition, more than 200 exhibitors from 15 Belt and Road countries will take part in FILMART to open up global opportunities. These exhibitors include those from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland, Indonesia, Cambodia, Turkey and Mongolia.
Promoting digital entertainment is one of FILMART’s highlights. The Hong Kong Animation & Digital Entertainment pavilion, sponsored by CreateHK, will gather more than 30 local digital entertainment companies to showcase their latest services, including digital production and special effects, post production, mobile apps, smartphone games and multimedia design, such as 360-degree photography and virtual reality (VR). A VR-infused, brand new Digital Entertainment Experiential Zone will be set up to give visitors an immersive experience.
Another focus of this year’s FILMART is documentaries. Visitors can find the documentary works of some 100 exhibitors from more than 20 countries and regions and take part in the “Opportunity for Documentaries in Asia” seminar on day three, where Ruby Yang, winner of the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject and many international accolades, will examine industry-related topics.
This year’s FILMART features a star-studded line-up of speakers, inviting leading industry representatives from the film, digital entertainment, post production, animation and other sectors to share their views and insights. Speakers include Genki Kawamura, producer of Your Name, Confessions and If Cats Disappeared from the World; and a representative from Digitalidea, the post production company behind such hits as Train To Busan and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.
Multiple networking events, thematic seminars, press conferences and screenings – including some 40 world and international premieres – will be held during FILMART for industry professionals to exchange market intelligence. There will be screenings of documentaries as well, including Ruby Yang’s My Voice, My Life and In Search of Perfect Consonance, and director Zhou Hao’s The Chinese Mayor, which won Best Documentary at the 52nd Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.
TV World 2017 International Forum – TV World, entering its 11th year, is another of the Entertainment Expo’s core events and a highlight of FILMART. More than 300 exhibitors are expected to take part in the international forum. The forum has invited heavyweight television industry experts to examine “Is the Internet a Challenge or Opportunity for the Show Business?”, sharing their views on the TV industry’s challenges and opportunities in the Internet age.
Hong Kong-Asia Financing Forum – Held concurrently with FILMART, the HAF is a leading film-financing platform in Asia. The three-day event (13 to 15 March) will provide Asian filmmakers with opportunities to explore co-production ventures with top film financiers, producers, distributors and buyers from around the world.
This year, 25 outstanding works from 14 countries and regions have been shortlisted for the HAF 2017 Projects, including works from Southeast Asia and India that examine such topics as homosexuality, human trafficking and the exploitation of female workers.
The HAF is also launching the WIP Lab (Work in Progress Laboratory) this year to help film directors and producers secure post-production funds, meet distribution agents and film festival programmers.
Hong Kong International Film Festival – The HKIFF is an annual must-attend event for film fans. This year’s HKIFF will be held from 11 to 25 April. The festival has once again invited celebrity Louis Koo to be its Ambassador.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of film director Edward Yang, a special programme titled “Edward Yang, 10-year Commemoration” will be organised for fans to revisit all seven of Yang’s classics, including the recently restored Taipei Story (1985) and A Brighter Summer Day (1991).
Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony (HKFA) – The HKFA is celebrating its 36th anniversary this year. The ceremony will be held on 9 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. It will give out 19 awards to local film professionals in recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments. Louis Koo will be the emcee for the night; he will be performing the role for the first time.
Incubator for Film and Visual Media in Asia (ifva) – Entering its 22nd edition, the ifva is a cradle and enabler for independent short film and media arts creators in Hong Kong and Asia. The festival will be held from 9 to 19 March and will be screening outstanding works from the ifva competition. Other events include the “CINEMA 2.0: The Phantom Machine” media art exhibition and multiple free programmes, such as the “All About Us 2016/17” Student Creative Film Showcase and sharing by Shen Ko-shang.
Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival – For the music industry, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (Hong Kong Group) Limited (“IFPI Hong Kong Group”) will organise the seventh HKAMF on 17 March to promote the music culture. Superstars from seven Asian countries/regions – Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore – have been invited to perform at the event and promote cultural interaction. Participating artists include Korea’s B1A4, Japan’s Love Psychedelico, Taiwan’s Nick Chou and Hong Kong’s Hacken Lee. Emerging talents from the above seven countries/regions plus Thailand will also compete for the HKAMF 2017 Asian Super Nova Awards, where Jocelyn Chan will be representing Hong Kong.
In addition, a business forum will be held concurrently with the HKAMF. The theme this year is “The Collaboration between Chinese mainland’s New Media Platforms and the Music Industry of Hong Kong”. Record label and agency representatives, concert producers and media representatives will converge to discuss business opportunities and foster the growth of the music industry in Asia.
IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award – Also for the music industry, the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award will be held in April. The award honours the achievements of singers, composers and record companies in the past year. The ceremony will be broadcast via local TV, radio and the internet to Chinese communities around the world.
The IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award is the only award in Hong Kong based on audited sales. Awards include the Best Sales Local Male Vocalist, Best Sales Local Female Vocalist, Best Sales Cantonese Release and Best Sales Mandarin Release.
The 10th Asian VFX and Digital Cinema Summit – For digital entertainment, the 10th Asian VFX and Digital Cinema Summit will take place on 14 March. Speakers from Hong Kong, Asia and the world will share their experience in post-production. The summit will also explore the latest 4K/3D VR/ HDR/HFR/3D technologies, including post production workflow, special effects and trending production technologies.
Digital Entertainment Summit – The seventh Digital Entertainment Summit, jointly presented by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association, will be held on 15 March. The theme this year is “The Past and Future of Cinematic Content and Visual Effects”. Speakers will share the latest developments in the digital entertainment industry.
For more info, visit http://www.eexpohk.com.
