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.
In this morning’s “Opening New Doors for APAC Storytellers” session, Jessica Kam-Engle, Head of Content & Development for the Walt Disney Company in Asia-Pacific, 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 Takonkiet Viravan, Group CEO of The One Enterprise, dissecting the rise of Thai TV dramas and the creative processes involved; CEO of Digital Domain Daniel Seah guiding participants through recent developments and applications in the field of “virtual humans”; Sébastien Borget, Co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, analysing emerging trends in the metaverse; and Leo Matchett, CEO and Co-Founder of Decentralized Pictures, 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”, Melody Hildebrandt, Chief Information Security Officer of FOX and President of Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL), 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.
