Fujian is pinning its hopes on promoting its film and television production to the global market through deeper cooperation with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, representatives from the East China province said at a promotion session at the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (Filmart) on Tuesday.
The Fujian Film and Television Special Session promotion conference was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as a major supporting event at the 30th Filmart running from Tuesday to Friday. Over 100 officials and industry representatives attended the promotion session.
Three cooperation agreements were signed at the conference, namely a strategic partnership for the overseas distribution and promotion of Fujian-produced films; an international industry partnership for the Xiamen’s international film and television copyright service platform, and a collaboration agreement for film and television promotion across Pan-Southeast Asia.
Wang Jiannan, executive deputy director of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Fujian Provincial Committee, said that Hong Kong, as a major international hub for film and television, has always served as a platform for Fujian’s film and television industry to reach global audiences.
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They have a long history of close ties and extensive collaboration in film and TV sectors, and have jointly presented the public with a series of outstanding productions, Wang said, noting that the recently released title Blades of the Guardians — a cooperative production between Fujian and Hong Kong — had broken the global box office record for martial arts films in Chinese cinema history, with a cumulative domestic box office exceeding 1.35 billion yuan ($194 million) to date. Hong Kong's film and television industry has a deep-rooted heritage, and it is believed that the two regions can complement each other, offering unlimited potential for cooperation, he added.
Peter Wong, regional director for southern China at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) — Filmart’s organizer —, said that Fujian and Hong Kong are geographically close, with deep-rooted collaboration in film and television and complementary strengths.
He said, Fujian boasts six major film and TV production bases with comprehensive facilities, and new quality productive forces are injecting fresh momentum into the sector.
Over 800 film and TV enterprises across the province have formed a complete industrial chain, Wong noted, adding that the HKTDC hopes to act as a catalyst to drive in-depth collaboration in projects, copyright, and technology, while also facilitating the landing of global film and television resources in Fujian.
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Additionally, three core film festivals are hosted in Fujian, namely the China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival — a premier national cinematic prize; the Silk Road International Film Festival — a festival that aims to build a film network integrating the “Belt and Road” concept; and Pingtan In Moments Film Festival, an event focused on supporting young filmmakers.
Leveraging their unique positioning and platform strengths, the three festivals create multiple channels for collaboration between Fujian and Hong Kong, said Wong.
A Fujian pavilion has been erected at the premises of Filmart, introducing outstanding productions by local filmmakers and the province’s favored policies for film and TV sectors.
The six Fujian film and TV production bases will host a separate promotional session on Thursday to introduce their advantages.
This year sees Filmart’s most international edition of attendees, with over 790 exhibitors from 38 countries and regions, including first-time participants such as Belgium, Myanmar, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
