Opening Art March 2024 in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) and EntertainmentPulse, being held from 11 to 14 March, brings collectively main trade figures from around the globe to showcase the newest cinematic masterpieces and ground-breaking applied sciences in addition to share their insights.

As a part of the month-long Entertainment Expo (EE), the 2 occasions supply a treasure trove of content material, shining a highlight on Hong Kong’s various artistic industries and cementing the town’s place as an East-meets-West centre for worldwide cultural change. They additionally embrace the digital realm, offering a web-based platform to advertise IP initiatives and facilitating alternatives for members to increase their attain within the worldwide market whereas reinforcing Hong Kong’s standing as a regional IP commerce hub.

The Entertainment Expo (EE), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong, the Film Development Fund and Hong Kong SAR Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, held its opening ceremony this afternoon. It was officiated by Hong Kong SAR administration chief secretary Eric Chan, Hong Kong SAR tradition, sports activities and tourism secretary Kevin Yeung, HKTDC chairman Dr Peter Ok N Lam, Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) Shi Zhi-yan and Hong Kong leisure ambassador Leon Lai in addition to representatives from occasion organisers and supporting establishments.

Dr Lam mentioned, “Over the past 20 years, we have worked with different film and entertainment organisations to create this mega event and bring together the best and brightest in entertainment from around the world to Hong Kong to facilitate dialogue and collaboration, strengthening Hong Kong’s role as a premier hub for business and entertainment. For its 20 edition, the Entertainment Expo brings together ten industry events to showcase the many facets of Hong Kong’s film, TV, music and digital entertainment sectors.”

He famous, “One of the Expo’s flagship events is FILMART, Asia’s largest entertainment content marketplace for filmmakers, distributors, buyers and investors to show their work, engage in dialogue and explore collaboration opportunities. EntertainmentPulse, which runs parallel to FILMART,.gathers global industry leaders for engaging conversations on a variety of industry topics and for collaboration opportunities.”

FILMART options the first-ever digital manufacturing studio

This 12 months, FILMART welcomes some 750 exhibitors from over 25 international locations and areas. It options greater than 30 regional pavilions, together with first-time exhibitors from Hubei, Indonesia, and Macau.

The Thai Ministry of Culture arrange a devoted Thai Pavilion and organised Thai Day on the primary day of FILMART. To strengthen bilateral commerce ties, the HKTDC and the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) of the Thai Ministry of Commerce signed an MoU.

This 12 months’s exhibition sees a big presence of exhibitors from Mainland China, together with trade giants, comparable to Alibaba Culture Entertainment and Bilibili who’re collaborating for the primary time. Other distinguished exhibitors embrace Huace, iQIYI, Shanghai Youhug Media and Tencent, showcasing their newest productions.

Exhibitors from Hong Kong, comparable to Media Asia, Emperor Motion Pictures, Edko Films, Golden Scene, Mandarin Motion Picture, One Cool Pictures, PCCW Media, and Universe Films arrange cubicles to showcase their upcoming movies and initiatives.

Additionally, the Hong Kong Design Institute held the opening ceremony of its digital manufacturing studio and introduced they are going to arrange Hong Kong’s largest digital manufacturing coaching centre in Shaw Studios. First-time participant Hong Kong Baptist University showcases the newest AI, visualisation and human-machine interplay applied sciences utilized in movie creation.

FILMART has partnered with Votion Studios, a Hong Kong-based artistic tech firm, to arrange a digital manufacturing studio on the occasion. This marks the primary time such a studio has been featured at FILMART to showcase the newest advances in manufacturing strategies and real-time content material era.

Media companions attending FILMART can conduct on-site interviews and create real-time content material, leveraging this cutting-edge expertise. Moreover, the occasion’s on-line platform serves as a hub for showcasing and selling exhibitors’ artistic IPs, providing skilled enterprise suggestions and enterprise matching companies throughout and after the occasion.

FILMART showcases some 30 periods of varied occasions to foster data change and facilitate connections, together with press conferences, challenge showcases, seminars, networking occasions and extra.

Notably, the inaugural Rhythm of Martial Arts Music Concert befell immediately led by music director Dr. Mui Kwong Chiu. The live performance highlighted the distinctive skills of six famend movie music composers, together with Richard Yuan, Peter Kam, Punk Chan, Leon Ko, Julian Chan and Lam Kwan-Fai. Popstars Deep Ng and Edmond Tong delivered performances of iconic theme songs from basic Hong Kong movies. The occasion additionally featured a particular visitor look by Thai movie composer Terdsak Janpan.

EntertainmentPulse brings collectively heavyweight trade leaders

At the third EntertainmentPulse, international trade leaders talk about a variety of subjects, together with Hong Kong-Europe-Asia co-productions, growth of streaming, globalisation of Chinese and ASEAN content material in addition to generative AI content material.

Asia Video Industry Association CEO Louis Boswell, engaged in dialogue with iQIYI worldwide enterprise division vp  Kelvin Yau and True Digital Group digital media division president Winradit Kolasastraseni, to debate the newest developments and alternatives of the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) mannequin of streaming platforms.

Over the years, Hong Kong cinema has produced many field workplace hits, with a big variety of rising filmmakers. “Meeting of Brilliance: A Dialogue between Two Generations of Filmmakers on Hong Kong Movies” options famend movie critic Thomas Shin, Fly Me to the Moon director Sasha Chuk and movie producer Stanley Kwan in addition to Dust to Dust producer Soi Cheang and director Jonathan Li, representing two generations of Hong Kong movie.

Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) trade programme offers filmmakers with alternatives

The HKIFF trade programme chosen a number of initiatives for funding from a record-breaking 460 submissions from 48 international locations and areas. Covering various genres and themes, these embrace initiatives filmed by acclaimed filmmakers and producers, comparable to Koji Fukada, Michael J. Werner, Zhang Lu and Guan Hu.

The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) is an integral a part of the newly expanded HKIFF trade programme. At HAF this 12 months, 10 administrators are making their debut and 7 movie initiatives from Hong Kong can be featured.

As Asia’s most important financing platform, HAF has facilitated the profitable distribution of over 213 characteristic movie initiatives since its institution in 2000. It is held concurrently with the inaugural HKIFF Industry-CAA China Genre Initiative (HCG), which helps the event of Chinese style movies.