Kit Hung’s Mama Eve became the first recipient of the Wouter Barendrecht Award at the close of the 8th Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

The Hong Kong-China-Swiss co-production is a light-hearted musical about a 50-year-old Chinese mother who is forced to change her values when her daughter announces she’s marrying a black man in Switzerland and her son comes out as gay.

The Wouter Barendrecht Award is dedicated to the memory of the late co-founder of both Fortissimo Films and HAF. The award comes with a cash prize of $6,400 (HK$50,000) from the Wouter Barendrecht Film Foundation and the Hong Kong Film Development Fund.

The HAF Award for a Hong Kong project went to Kwok Tsz-kin’s The Enchanter, a new twist on Hong Kong’s traditional gambling films, while Twins by the Philippines’ Sherad Anthony Sanchez took the prize for best project originating outside Hong Kong. Both films were awarded cash prizes of $19,300 (HK$150,000).

The Technicolor Asia award was presented to China-French co-production Cosplay from Sheng Zimin. The award came with an in-kind prize worth $25,000 from Technicolor Asia, Bangkok.

In addition, the Paris Project Award was presented to I Love You So Much by Taiwan’s Leon Dai. The film won an award of $6,600 (Euros5,000) which included one round-trip ticket and hotel accommodation to participate in Paris Project 2010.

HAF organisers said that this year’s edition of the projects market saw a 10% increase in pre-registered financiers from mainland China and a 10% increase in the number of appointments to around 500.

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