Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, FILMART Online opens today along with the first edition of EntertainmentPulse. The four-day virtual events bring together more than 740 exhibitors and some 8,000 industry talents, who are releasing and promoting more than 2,300 of their latest film and TV productions.
Global production talents light up FILMART Online
The 2022 edition of FILMART Online has once again received enthusiastic support from production companies both local and international. Exhibitors from Hong Kong include Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures, Entertaining Power, Golden Network, Golden Scene, Golden Sun Films Distribution, Mandarin Motion Pictures, Media Asia Distribution, Mega-Vision Project Workshop, Mei Ah Entertainment Group, One Cool Film Production, Sil-Metropole Organisation, Universe Films Distribution, TVBI and PCCW.
More than 240 production companies from Mainland China are included in the stellar line-up of exhibitors, including China International TV Corporation (CITVC), iQIYI, Youku, Bilibili, Tencent, China Huace Film & TV, Daylight Entertainment, Artop International, Shanghai Youhug Media, Fantawild Animation, Midnight Blur Films, Hangzhou Ix Media, Perfect World Pictures and Hengdian Entertainment. The entertainment fair also features pavilions from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Changsha, Xiamen, Taiwan, the European Union, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and many more.
One-stop platform for business searching and matchmaking
Exhibitors can showcase their productions and company information on their own dedicated pages on the FILMART Online platform. Supported by big data and artificial intelligence, the one-stop sourcing platform allows buyers to search efficiently for productions in their field of interest. The organiser will also arrange online business matching for buyers and provide a list of recommended exhibitors tailored to their needs, with the aim of promoting trade and collaboration within the industry. Using the platform’s built-in video conferencing and messaging functions, buyers are able to establish connections with potential partners from across the globe.
Debut EntertainmentPulse covers diverse topics
Running in tandem with FILMART Online, the debut EntertainmentPulse presents a series of seminars that will showcase the latest developments in the Hong Kong film and TV industry under the new normal, benefitting industry practitioners from home and abroad. On the first day of the fair, representatives from theWalt Disney Company, Huace Group and NHK Enterprise, Inc, along with Hong Kong actor and film producer Gordon Lam, will address a range of issues, including content creation, documentaries and Hong Kong productions.
In this morning’s “Opening New Doors for APAC Storytellers” session, Walt Disney Company in Asia-Pacific head of content and development Jessica Kam-Engle, shared how Disney+ collaborates with content creators to bring Asia-Pacific productions to audiences worldwide. “With almost a hundred years of storytelling experience, Disney will continue to be long-term creative partners to the best and the next generation of content creators in Asia-Pacific,” she said.
Upcoming discussions at the forum will include The One Enterprise Group CEO Takonkiet Viravan, dissecting the rise of Thai TV dramas and the creative processes involved, Digital Domain CEO Daniel Seah guiding participants through recent developments and applications in the field of “virtual humans”, The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sébastien Borget, analysing emerging trends in the metaverse, Decentralized Pictures CEO and co-founder Leo Matchett, providing insights into how blockchain is transforming the industry landscape from the perspectives of investment, production, film criticism and more.
In a session titled “Blending in with Audience: Localisation of Scripted TV Formats”, Tommy Lo, Executive Producer and Script Supervisor of TV series Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong version); Yuki Akehi, Director of International Business Development at Nippon TV; and Mother Production Producer Harold Valentin, who participated in the production of popular French comedy Call My Agent, will discuss features and trends in adapted TV series. Meanwhile, in “Digitalising Entertainment Experience with NFTs”, FOX chief information security officer Melody Hildebrandt and Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL) president will introduce digitised entertainment experiences in the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) is another highlight event of the fair, running from today until 16 March. As the leading financing platform for film production in Asia, HAF strives to create opportunities for business exchanges for industry professionals. The forum will present shortlisted movie projects, with 28 in-development projects (IDP) and 15 work-in-progress projects (WIP). Among the shortlisted projects, 11 of them are based in Hong Kong while 21 up-and-coming directors make their first attempt at directing a feature film. New works by veteran professionals such as Fruit Chan, Stanley Kwan, Tetsuya Mariko, Nonzee Nimibutr, Yang Chao and Yang Heng are also on the list.