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| No.7 October, 2009 |
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Hong Kong award-winning films screened in Adelaide |
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 South Australian audiences had the opportunity to experience Hong Kong's silver screen talent with the staging of Hong Kong on Screen (October 13 – 17) as part of the OzAsia Festival in Adelaide.
The Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), Sydney, Ms Lorna Wong, said the week-long inaugural event also marked a new milestone for HKETO, marking the first time the office had participated in the festival. |
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Speaking at a reception (October 13) to celebrate the event's launch, Ms Wong said Hong Kong On Screen would promote one of the city's most vibrant and distinctive industries.
She said the OzAsia Festival presented a cross-section of traditional and contemporary Asian cultures as part of a compelling arts package, adding the festival had achieved resounding success in celebrating and strengthening the cultural and artistic links between Australia and its Asian neighbours since its launch in 2007.
"As Asia's world city, Hong Kong positions itself not only as a financial centre but also a creative industry hub," Ms Wong said.
"Over the years, our cultural and creative industries have become a major driving force of our economy, contributing more than an equivalent of A$8.9 billion, or around 4% of Hong Kong's GDP on an annual basis.
"At present, we have close to 32,000 creative industry-related establishments, with more than 170,000 practitioners engaging in motion picture, television, advertising, design, architecture, planning, animation and comics as well as arts and digital entertainment.
"To provide further impetus to the development of our creative industries, the Hong Kong Government set up "CreateHK" in June this year. This one-stop shop office is tasked to drive industry development, respond to industries' demands more effectively and administer a HK$300 million (A$44 million) fund dedicated specifically to support the creative industries in the coming three years."
Ms Wong said Hong Kong was an important gateway to China for the film industry. In the past few years, she said, Hong Kong continued to leverage its strong ties and bilateral free trade agreement with Mainland China to help its film industry access the rapidly growing market.
"Last year, six of the top 10 earning domestic films at the Mainland box office were HK-Mainland co-productions," Ms Wong said.
"By extension, Hong Kong also offers an unrivalled partnership opportunity for overseas production houses seeking to explore the Mainland market."
In addition, an unprecedented "Creative October" is being staged in Hong Kong, offering more than 200 events, including films, concerts, theatre, dance and exhibitions to showcase Hong Kong as a cultural and creative hub of Asia.
She said the creativity and diversity of Hong Kong films were evident in the strong line-up of five specially selected movies in Hong Kong On Screen.
"The opening film tonight, The Way We Are, the latest work of renowned director Ann Hui, reaped four awards in the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards," she said.
Also included in the festival's screenings were four other films: True Women for Sale, a social drama; Forever Enthralled, a moving story of a well-known Chinese opera singer; Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, an epic masterpiece; and Protege, a crime movie. The last three were excellent examples of the success of Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions, Ms Wong said.
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