New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Entertainment Expo Hong Kong) Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, the leading entertainment industry gathering in Asia, formally opens 18 March and continues through 13 April with a lineup of nine multimedia events, covering film, television, digital entertainment and music. They include the Hong Kong International Film and Television Market (FILMART), which is expected to attract a record number of exhibitors from all over the world.
Alongside FILMART, two other expo founding events will focus on film: the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and the Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony. The expo will also include the seventh Asian Film Awards, as well as the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), the Asian VFX and
Digital Cinema Summit, ifva, the Hong Kong Asian Pop
Music Festival (HKAMF) and the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales
Music Award.
The World at FILMART
This year's FILMART, 18-21 March, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), will welcome nearly 700 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions. For the first time, the event, organised by the HKTDC, will include exhibitor pavilions from Canada's British Columbia, the British Columbia Film + Media, and Italy, organised by the Italian Trade Commission. Other key pavilions include: UNIFRANCE and IIe de France; UK Film; KOFIC and KOCCA from Korea; UNIJAPAN, Okinawa Film Office, Hokkaido Contents Distribution and JETRO from Japan; the Independent Film and TV Alliance from the United States; and China Film Promotion Inc from the Chinese mainland. Several other countries will also feature pavilions: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam,
Israel and Mexico.
New Media Focus
FILMART's TV World turns seven this year, welcoming more than 240 exhibitors from all over the world, up about 20 per cent over last year's participation. The theme of TV World's International Forum is TV Programming and the New Media, spotlighting the value of new media to engage audiences. A series of FILMART thematic conferences will also take place, including a look at book-to-screen productions.
The ACE Co-production Lab Hong Kong will be held at FILMART for the third time, with a group of Asian and European producers participating in the project-based workshop. ACE is organised by the ACE-European Producer Network (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen), with the support of the HKTDC, HAF and Media International (European Union).
At HAF, Asia's most important film-financing event, 18-20 March, Asian film projects will be matched with top producers, financiers and distributors for co-productions. Some 25 film projects from 16 countries and regions have been selected this year.
Movies in the Spotlight
Highlights of the HKIFF, 17 March to 2 April, include the screening of eight movies from this year's Berlin Film Festival, including Danis Tanović's An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, which won the Grand Jury Prize, and Malgoska Szumowska's In the Name of, which took the Teddy Award for Best Feature. The HKIFF will also present two Academy Award nominees for Best Foreign Language Film,
Pablo Larrain's No and Kim Nguyen's War Witch.
Honouring Asian Film
The 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony takes place, 13 April, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Organised by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association, it recognises achievement in directing, screenwriting, acting and cinematography in Hong Kong film. Regional filmmakers will be honoured, 18 March, at the Asian Film Awards. Celebrated filmmakers and actors will hand out prizes at the gala event. Independent Asian film and visual media will be featured, 8-21 March, at ifva. The event, organised by the Hong Kong Arts Centre, will take place at the Hong Kong Arts Centre and other city venues.
Music Makers
The HKAMF takes place at the HKCEC on 22 March. Organised by the IFPI (Hong Kong Group) Ltd and supported by the HKTDC, the event will feature performances of top recording artists from across Asia and a song contest for the Super Nova Award. The IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales
Music Award, which takes place this evening, will honour the outstanding performances of local and international artists and producers in Hong Kong.
Digital Entertainment
The sixth Asian VFX and
Digital Cinema Summit, organised by the Association of Motion Picture Post-production Professionals, will feature speakers from all over Asia sharing their experience in digital post-production. The event will feature the latest visual effects achievements in Hong Kong. Select digital 3D stereo screenings will also take place.
City-Wide Promotion
Entertainment Expo will launch "Enjoy Great Movies, Enjoy Special Offers" again this year. Local cinemas and more than 400 merchant outlets will participate in the campaign, providing multiple offers to movie lovers. Details will be announced in early March. The promotion is supported by the Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd and the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades.
Entertainment Expo Hong Kong: www.eexpohk.com
FILMART: www.hktdc.com/hkfilmart
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