The Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), to promote Hong Kong as the regional hub for distribution and production of film, TV programs and entertainment-related products in Asia pacific. As the largest of its kind in Asia, the event see the release and promotion of thousands film and television productions to potential buyers from around the world.
FILMART is one of eight events taking place as part of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, coordinated by the HKTDC, covering a global mix of film, TV, music and digital entertainment. FILMART is now recognised as the world’s foremost film and TV marketplace facilitating important deals in film financing, distribution, production and post-production, and where cross-media and cross-sector collaborations are promoted.
In addition to the exhibition, other attractions of FILMART include networking activities, seminars, and screenings. Promoting digital entertainment is a major feature of FILMART. Sponsored by CreateHK, the Hong Kong Animation & Digital Entertainment pavilion has gathered more than 30 local digital entertainment companies to showcase their latest services, including 2D/3D animation, digital special effects, mobile apps, smartphone games and multimedia designs.
Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) 2019
The 23rd edition of Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), last from March 15 to 18, the four-day event attracted nearly 9,000 buyers.
This year, FILMART, as a premier cross-media, cross-industry trading platform, features some 880 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions. Exhibitors from around the world continue to set up pavilions at FILMART to promote their entertainment productions to global buyers, including Mainland China, Chinese Taiwan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and Korea.
A number of prominent Hong Kong film companies are returning to FILMART to show their keen support for this prime trading platform. They include Emperor Motion Pictures, Media Asia Distribution Limited, Mega-Vision Project Workshop Limited, Mei Ah Entertainment Group Limited, One Cool Film Production Limited, PCCW Media Limited, Mandarin Motion Pictures Limited, TVBI Company Limited, Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd, Sun Entertainment Culture Limited and Universe Films Distribution Company Limited.
The Doc World zone was a key focus at this year’s FILMART, with visitors able to explore the documentary works of nearly 300 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, including the US, the UK, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Global Filming Support zone features 21 exhibitors from eight countries and regions, including Japan, Korea, Finland, Spain and Taiwan, to highlight the business opportunities presented through various filming incentives.
This year’s FILMART sees encouraging participation from various provinces and cities in Mainland China, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hunan and Hangzhou all setting up regional pavilions. Exhibitors from Jiangsu, Hengdian and Xiamen are forming regional pavilions for the first time, encouraging global buyers to leverage the potential of the mainland’s film market. Thematic seminars featuring leading figures from the mainland’s TV and film industries, including studios, distributors, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and big data research companies, will discuss the prospects, challenges and expected changes in the mainland market.
In addition to the exhibition, FILMART also features an impressive line-up of leading industry representatives from sectors including film, TV, digital entertainment and animation to share their insights. Speakers include Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia; Sean Park, Marketing Director of YouTube International Markets; Jim Packer, President of Worldwide TV and Digital Distribution, Lionsgate (distributors of movie series The Hunger Games);
Yu Gong, Founder and CEO of iQIYI, Inc and President of Worldwide TV and Digital Distribution; Joe Aguilar, Emmy Award-winning producer; and Belle Avery, Producer of The Meg. They will discuss the global appetite for Asia’s OTT platforms, how new Chinese-foreign alliances are helping to shape the world’s animation industry, and the impact of blockchain on the future of entertainment.
To motivate young people to gain a deeper understanding of the film and TV industry, FILMART will hold the “Sharing with Hong Kong Filmmakers” session again this year, inviting three local directors − Pang Ho-cheung, Director of Love in a Puff, Derek Tsang, Director of Soul Mate and Sunny Chan, Director of Men on the Dragon − to discuss their personal experiences.
FILMART’s thematic seminars featured an impressive line-up of nearly 60 leading industry representatives from the film, digital entertainment, animation and other sectors. The 14 seminars organised by the HKTDC solely or in conjunction with other institutions attracted more than 3,000 attendees.
Speakers included Esther van Messel, CEO of First Hand Films; Lex Zhu, Producer of A Bite of China; David Weiland, EVP Asia at BBC Studios; Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia; Sean Park, Marketing Director of YouTube International Markets; Jim Packer, President of Worldwide TV and Digital Distribution, Lionsgate; Yu Gong, Founder and CEO of iQIYI, Inc and President of Worldwide TV and Digital Distribution; Joe Aguilar, Emmy Award-winning producer; Belle Avery, Producer of “The Meg”; Pang Ho-cheung, Director of “Love in a Puff”; Derek Tsang, Director of “Soul Mate”; and Sunny Chan, Director of “Men on the Dragon”.
FILMART this year focused on the development of film and TV in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Leading industry representatives in the Greater Bay Area explored the cooperation opportunities and future development for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau film, TV and music in events including the “TV World 2019 – Opening Ceremony cum International Forum; Greater Bay Area: Golden Opportunity to Spearhead Film-TV business”, “Cantonese Movies Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area Forum” and “Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival Business Forum: Greater Bay Area – New Business Opportunities for Cantopop”.
Allan Zeman, Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, believes the film and TV industries in the Greater Bay Area need to understand each other and how everyone can work together to grasp those opportunities. Sin Kwok-lam, Honorary Chairman & Founder of National Arts Entertainment and Culture Group Ltd, hopes the mainland could further relax the restrictions and quotas on Hong Kong films, allowing them to be released directly in the Greater Bay Area, which has a population of about 70 million.
Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) 2018
Two new themes make their debut at the fairground to cater to the diverse needs of global industry players. The Doc World gathers more than 200 exhibitors to showcase the latest productions, while the Global Filming Support features 14 exhibitors from 8 countries and regions, including the US, Finland, Spain and Taiwan, to highlight the business opportunities presented by various filming incentives.
With documentaries under the spotlight, Daniel Braun, Co-President of Submarine Entertainment from the US will join other global industry leaders to discuss viewers’ needs at the “Documentaries: From Local to Global” seminar.
As the largest marketplace of its kind in Asia, a global entertainment trading platform to create opportunities. FILMART, as a premier trading platform, features over 850 exhibitors from 37 countries and regions, including emerging markets such as Colombia, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Ukraine. Exhibitors from across the world continue to set up pavilions at FILMART to promote their entertainment productions to global buyers, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
A range of prominent Hong Kong film companies also returned to FILMART to show their keen support for the prime trading platform, including China 3D Digital Distribution Limited, Emperor Motion Pictures, Media Asia Distribution Limited, MediaQuiz Entertainment International Company Limited, Mega-Vision Project Workshop Limited, Mei Ah Entertainment Group Limited, One Cool Film Production Limited, PCCW Media Limited, Pegasus Motion Pictures Distribution Limited, Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd, Sun Entertainment Culture Limited and Universe Films Distribution Company Limited.
This year’s FILMART sees record-high exhibitor participation from various Chinese mainland provinces and cities. In particular, exhibitors from Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fujian, Ningbo, Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong and Chongqing are setting up regional pavilions, encouraging global buyers to leverage the potential of the mainland’s film market. One of the thematic seminars held this morning featured a number of leading figures in the mainland TV sector, including studios, distributors; OTT platform and big data research company, and discussed the prospect, challenges and forecasted changes in the mainland market.
Opportunities abound in the mainland film and TV market, with IP dramas adapted from popular online novels, animations and even video games enjoying strong ratings on TV and online platforms. Against this backdrop, at a seminar titled “Navigating the Chinese TV Market” held on the first day of FILMART, representatives from leading mainland TV and online video platforms shared their insights on the latest developments.
Catherine Liu, Associate General Manager of Entgroup Solution Centre, Beijing EntGroup Century DataTechnology, led off with an analysis of the current situation of the mainland TV sector. She said that the volume of mainland TV drama transactions has been growing in the last eight years. Ma Zhong-jun, Chairman/President of Ciwen Media Co Ltd, said that online content such as novels and articles has become an invaluable source of film and TV IP adaptations.
TV World and the Hong Kong Animation and Digital Entertainment Pavilion continue to be the highlights of FILMART this year. The Hong Kong Animation & Digital Entertainment Pavilion, sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, showcases 36 Hong Kong companies from three major sectors of digital entertainment, including animation, digital effects and interactive solutions. Eight winners from the 5th Animation Support Programme are joining the pavilion for the first time.
Another highlight is the Digital Entertainment Summit 2018, where industry experts will examine the potential for monetisation of live-streaming. In addition to the exhibition, FILMART also features a remarkable line-up of leading industry representatives from sectors including film, TV, digital entertainment and animation to share their insights.
Speakers included Kang Hye Jung, CEO of Filmmakers R&K and producer of Korean blockbuster film The Battleship Island; David Kosse, President, STXinternational, STX Entertainment and executive producer of Oscar-winning films The Theory of Everything and Room; Juno Mak, a renowned local director whose works included Sons of the Neon Nights and Rigor Mortis; Shuzo John Shiota, executive producer of animation series Transformers and Ajin: Demi-Human; as well as Michael Uslan, producer of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. A first-time FILMART participant, Mr Uslan believes that the event is an ideal platform for exchanges among industry players.
At the “VR/AR: What Will This Change the Animation Industry” conference, speakers including Brandon Oldenburg, Academy Award winner for Best Short Film, Animated and Chief Creative Officer of Flight School Studio, will examine how VR is changing story-telling in animation along with other prominent speakers.
A wide range of networking activities, thematic seminars and press conferences will also be held at the four-day event to help open doors to more business opportunities, including 105 global and Asia premieres. A total of 25 award-winning titles was featured at the Market Screenings.
HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room.