Entertainment Expo, Hong Kong opens tomorrow

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 key 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 (FILMART); the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and the Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony (HKFA).

The seven core events are: the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF); the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival (HKAMF); 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 recognise 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 organisers 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.

Special guests at today’s pre-event press conference included Gregory So, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government; Margaret Fong, Executive Director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC); Terry Lai, Chairman, HKTDC Entertainment Industry Advisory Committee; Leon Lai, Hong Kong Entertainment Ambassador; and representatives from supporting organisations.

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.