This year’s Hong Kong FILMART concluded successfully, opening its doors to 7,300+ industry talents from 41 countries and regions for the four-day market and EntertainmentPulse conference series. 700+ exhibitors – including over 330 from Mainland China – showcased their latest film and TV productions at the content marketplace.

Organiser – the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) - said the number of Mainland Chinese exhibitors was record-breaking, while the fairground also staged with companies from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and more.

The bulk of both physical show floor and headspace was taken up by mainland Chinese companies, delivering a united front in support of Hong Kong and an even stronger message: promoting Chinese culture to worldwide audiences. 

This was backed up by high-profile Hong Kong companies such as Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures, Golden Scene, Mandarin, Media Asia, One Cool Pictures, PCCW Media, Universal Films, and more maximising their home-ground advantages...Renowned actors and celebrities including Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Nicholas Tse, members of boy-band Mirror, attended FILMART to promote their upcoming projects. 

The revived physical FILMART 2023 marketplace was as vibrant and active as in the past, successfully reuniting industry players from all around the globe for business partnerships.

“The film industry of Hong Kong is mature and with the advantage of international connections, it is a must for Hengdian to collaborate with Hong Kong in order to go global and co-promote Chinese culture to worldwide audiences,” says a representative of exhibitor Hengdian Film & Television Industry Experimental Zone from Mainland China.

The positive sentiment aligned with first timer buyer participant, Jean Dong, Founder/Chairman of Zespa Media Group. “This is my first time attending FILMART and I feel very well looked after. HKTDC helped line up over 10 business matching meetings, which are all helpful in establishing business contacts and developing new opportunities. I’m sure some would come to fruition with follow-ups after FILMART,” says Dong.

Over 20 sessions of EntertainmentPulse conferences, press conferences, movie showcases, etc, were held during the four-day event. Covered topics ranging from a look at the “Asian wave”, dating reality shows, application of Web3 in entertainment industry and Chinese donghua as soft power. 

Takeaways from the sessions included the future of Chinese films and the building blocks of quality TV drama series. 

“The movie Industry in mainland China is open as we are now embracing different cultures. The quality of Chinese movies is going up, including technology, creativity and production capability. As we walk alongside the core values of Chinese culture to produce great movies, we will be able to export our culture to the world, allowing people to understand the beauty of Chinese films,” says Jiang De Fu, COO, Bona Film Group & Chairperson, Guangzhou Film Association. 

“Each TV project is like building a home. If you do not have a good script, you do not have a good foundation. You then renovate your home with the right materials and furnitures such as the best cast, technology, production capability. You need to put everything together in order to build a home you like. All of them are equally important,” says Hou Hong Liang, Chairman/Producer of China’s TV production powerhouse, Daylight Entertainment.

The online FILMART portal is accessible until 15 April 2023. Users can broaden their connections with global industry players and revisit all the exciting content from EntertainmentPulse and utilise the direct messaging function offered through the FILMART online platform, anytime and anywhere.

Register now @ http://bit.ly/3zqKh49

▶ Sponsored content brought to you by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) / FILMART. Published in ContentAsia's 3-16 April 2023 eNewsletter