The 21st Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 13 to 16 in 2017. As one of the founding events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong (EEHK), FILMART has become a remarkable film and television market for the film, television and entertainment industry in Asia and the world, continuously fostering cross-media, cross-industry collaborations. On the one hand, FILMART provides a platform for content display and services demonstration, and enables participants to seize opportunities and tap into the giant market on mainland China; on the other hand, it also creates opportunities for domestic producers, television production units, animation companies to meet with overseas buyers in a bid to promote film and television production and discuss business opportunities. After 20 years of growth, FILMART is now a cross-media, cross-industry trading platform designed for the film, television and entertainment industry, with a high reputation among the industry worldwide.
Global Companies to Explore Emerging Industry Development
The number of exhibitors who attended the 2016 fair reached another historical high, with a total of 801 exhibitors from 37 countries and regions, including 36 national pavilions. Macao, the Middle East and Spain set up their national pavilion for the first time, other countries’ pavilions included Canada, Chinese mainland, the EU, France, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK and Vietnam among others. The year of 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of FILMART, compared with its inaugural session, the number of exhibitors grew from 75 to more than 800, showing an increase of more than 10 times.
A record-breaking participation of over 7300 visitors from 60 countries and regions at 2016 FILMART were recorded during the four-day exhibition, up 3% than the previous year, with a sharp rise for the number of buyers coming from Asia, and even a double-digit growth for those from India, South Korea and Vietnam.
FILMART has been a premier platform for homegrown film and television companies’ annual release of new works and announcement of development strategies. These HK-based film companies such as Media Asia Distribution, Mei Ah Entertainment, Emperor Motion Pictures and Sun Entertainment have shown continuous support to FILMART. Furthermore, TVB, CMC Holdings and Warner Brothers have also unveiled the logo and upcoming movie projects of their new joint venture Flagship Entertainment Group via FILMART. In addition to exhibition, the fair was also a venue for diversified exchange activities, thematic seminars, new film release and preview. With careful planning, FILMART organized a series of panel discussions with invited industry speakers well-known in different fields spanning from film, television, digital entertainment, post-production, animation, music and many others. According to the organizer’s statistics, over 70 concurrent activities were held during the 2016 FILMART, such as award presentations, cocktail receptions, as well as a number of press conferences hosted by various exhibitors.
Professional Film and Television Market to Boost the Mainland Film and Television Industry
The film and television market on Mainland China is huge, with increasing focus on exchanges and cooperation with overseas markets. With a unique advantage, FILMART has been positioned as the preferred platform for forging closer ties between the mainland industry players and their outside counterparts. The year of 2016 saw an ever larger presence of mainland exhibitors, and big names could be found in this over-200-member legion, such as China Film Promotion International (CFPI), CCTV, Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of Guangdong Province, Hangzhou Film &TV Artists Association, and Capital Radio & TV Program Producers Association. Many provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hangzhou once again set up their regional pavilions, and the Chongqing Municipal Tourism Bureau and CPC Chongqing Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department were among the newcomers of the 2016 FILMART.
Chongqing Municipality for the first time participated in the FILMART and presented a regional pavilion featuring about 35 film and television works produced by around ten film & TV companies, as well as over 10 film & TV shooting bases located in three districts or counties of Fuling, Yubei and Wulong. “The Chongqing Pavilion can not only bring the Chongqing film & TV industry to the international market, but also strengthen the exchanges and communications between Chongqing companies and their peers at home and abroad “, said He Hongyuan, Section Chief of the Film Section of Chongqing Municipal Cultural Committee. Sichuan Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department and the Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of Sichuan Province also for the first time jointly organized the Sichuan Film Delegation to attend the FILMART, aiming to promote the region’s film and television works to Hong Kong and overseas markets. Moreover, the Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of Guangdong Province led 39 outstanding film & TV companies and animation studios to attend the fair, covering movies, TV shows, cartoons, documentaries and other genres, comprehensively showcasing the development achievements of the flourishing film & TV industry in Guangdong through its provincial pavilion and some 14 promotion activities.
Outlook for FILMART in 2017
FILMART 2017 will be launched soon, and all kinds of preparatory works are orderly underway. According to the latest statistics of the organizer, up till now, more than 800 exhibitors have signed up, representing more than 30 countries and regions around the world, including new exhibitors from territories such as Turkey, Mongolia, Indonesia and Poland. This year’s event shows a growing trend of diversity, in addition to the world’s leading markets such as the U.S., France, Europe, the UK, South Korea and Japan, we will also welcome more than 200 exhibitors from about 15 “Belt and Road” countries, including Central Asia, East Asia and Eastern Europe, adding new cultural elements to the exhibition. ASEAN is also our focus at FILMART, with over 50 exhibitors from ASEAN, including the return of Thai Pavilion and Indonesia exhibitors.
Major film industry players in Hong Kong show their keen support for FILMART as one of the prime trading platform for presentation and exchanges, which is well reflected through repeated participation of such big names as China 3D Digital Distribution Limited, Distribution Workshop, EDKO Films Limited, Emperor Motion Pictures, Media Asia Distribution, Mega-Vision Project Workshop, Mei Ah Entertainment, One Cool Film Production, Pegasus Motion Pictures, Sil-Metropole Organization and other film companies. In addition, the scale of exhibitors from mainland China has also expanded, hitting a new record high. Among which, CCPIT Hunan International Exchange Service Center, Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce, Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of Fujian Province (Administration of Copyright of Fujian Province), the CPC Ningbo Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department will participate in the FILMART for the first time. A number of well-known film & TV companies are also on the list of exhibitors, such as China International TV Corporation (CCTV), Capital Radio &TV Program Producers Association (CBBPA), Huayi Brothers, iQIYI Motion Pictures, CFPI, Hunan Xiaoxiang Film Group, Huace Media, Daylight Entertainment Co., Ltd., Shanghai New Culture Media Group and so on.
A series of more than 70 special events including thematic seminars, cocktail receptions, press conferences, film premieres and award ceremonies are expected to take place during the 4-day fair period. In addition, 6 thematic seminars will cover hot topics in the film & TV industry such as “documentary” and “the application of VR & VFX technologies”, so as to advance the development of the film & TV industry, exchange experiences and furnish industry players of new market opportunities and fast-changing technologies. There will be more than 30 Chinese and foreign industry veterans to share their wisdom and experiences at these activities. About 400 selected films from 50 countries and regions will be screened during the FILMART, including Berlin Film Festival 2017 award-winning titles and 2016 Golden Horse award-winning titles, as well as many excellent documentaries.
After 20 years’ development, the FILMART has grown to an indispensable trading market for the financing, distribution, production, and even post-production for films, with special efforts being made to create an international film and television industry trading platform, acting as a bridge for closer cultural exchanges between Chinese and Western film industries. Wish a great success and fruitful achievements to the 21st FILMART!