With the rise of the artificial intelligence and surge in international co-productions, this year’s Filmart looks set to witness an even sharper focus on connection and collaboration.
For almost three decades, Hong Kong Filmart has been an epicentre of activity for global industry professionals from across the value chain to gather together in pursuit of business opportunities and to explore new trends.
For its 29th edition, Filmart is introducing significant initiatives to bring the global industry closer together in post-Covid times. The inaugural Producers Connect is a special programme dedicated to international collaborations, featuring a series of events over four days from business matching sessions with buyers and producers from Southeast Asia, South Korea and Europe to fireside chats with established industry players sharing practical strategies on navigating policy and production resources and on expanding IP into different media.
The extensive Producers Connect programme is toplined by a co-production panel with notable speakers such as Emad Eskandar, head of the Red Sea Fund; Korea’s Justin Kim, head of international film production at CJ ENM; and Brazilian producer Gabriela Tocchio from Gullane, who will explore the risks and the future of global storytelling.
With artificial intelligence continuing to be a hot topic, Filmart will launch an AI Hub pilot project to demonstrate how this technology is revolutionising and reshaping the entertainment industry. Through exhibition zones and various activities, AI applications across pre-production, visual effects and sound design will be showcased by Lenovo, Sony and the School of Film and Television at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), while a conference panel, Gearing Up For the AI Opportunities, will gather AI pioneers and industry leaders to shed light on harnessing the technology’s game-changing potential. These include Yu Zhixin, producer of Ne Zha 2, the biggest animated film of all time, from China’s Hong Li Animation Studios.
Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Filmart will take place from March 17-20 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Wanchai district. More than 750 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions will showcase their latest products and services and more than 7,500 visitors from around the world are expected to turn up.
While participant numbers have not reversed back to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, this is the third in-person Filmart since it was forced to cancel or move online during the Covid years. The negative impacts of shifting consumer behaviour, shrinking box office and high inflation are still weighing on the global entertainment market five years after the outbreak. International buyers and sellers alike are making use of every opportunity to see and be seen.
“Since the end of the pandemic, Asian companies have been traveling less, and the teams attending European markets are often smaller,” says Paris-based Alexandre Rene, vice president of international cinema sales at France TV Distribution, who is bringing his European Film Market (EFM) lineup to Filmart to seek distribution in Asia. This includes Anthony Cordier’s The Party’s Over and Gaya Jiji’s Pieces Of A Foreign Life, starring Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi.
“The Berlin market has become shorter and less intense than it used to be,” he adds. “That’s why it is essential for France TV Distribution to be present at Filmart – to meet our Asian partners in person and strengthen our relationships in this key market.”
The French company, which has previously scored a flurry of remake rights across Asia for TV series Call My Agent, is also introducing film titles with strong remake potential, including feel-good adventure Robot T-0 and romantic comedy Hear Me Out.
French connection
Filmart, which comes only three weeks after EFM this year, is always well-positioned as the first major Asian market of the year. French sales agents use it as a unique opportunity to meet Asian distributors and foster business relationships after the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris in January, Berlin’s EFM in February, and before Cannes.
While the French are regulars at Filmart, this year’s delegation comprising 30 companies at the Unifrance stand marks their biggest presence since before the pandemic. Outfits such as Le Pacte, Newen Connect, Indie Sales, Kinology, Goodfellas and Pulsa make the Hong Kong trip more time and cost-effective as they will travel to Tokyo and Yokohama to visit Japanese distributors after Filmart. Japan is a major territory for French cinema and the 32nd French Film Festival in Yokohama, organised by Unifrance, takes place right after Filmart from March 20-23
Further European companies are participating through the EFP Europe! Hub, organised by European Film Promotion. Nine world sales companies from five European countries, including TrustNordisk, Filmax, The Playmaker, NFI World Sales and Picture Tree International, will promote a variety of European cinema.
“While we do not attend EFM, we find Filmart to be an excellent platform to engage with European sellers,” says Michael Chai, CEO of Cambodia-based Westec Media, who has been attending the Hong Kong market for the past 12 years as a buyer of commercial projects for release in Southeast Asian territories. “Hong Kong serves as a strategic hub for this event, offering us the unique advantage of being in close proximity to key markets in Asia while facilitating connections with international distributors and buyers.”
This year, the Cambodian company is taking a step forward as it ventures into worldwide distribution for Southeast Asian and Asian projects and will debut as a sales agent at Filmart. “The rise of Southeast Asian cinema is particularly notable, with more homegrown films gaining recognition on both regional and international platforms,” Chai observes. “Filmmakers from the region are increasingly showcasing unique narratives rooted in local culture, resonating not just with domestic audiences but also with global viewers.”
He will provide key insights on the dynamic Southeast Asian film market at the ASEAN film production and market outlook panel. Fellow speakers include Koh Mei Lee from Malaysia’s Golden Screen Cinemas, Songpol Wongkondee from Thailand’s GDH 559 and Lim Teck from Singapore’s Clover Films.
Taking the pulse
Running concurrently with Filmart is the EntertainmentPulse conference series, which returns for its fourth edition, where key industry stakeholders will discuss the latest trends and outlook in Asia and beyond. Apart from diving into the rapidly growing ASEAN market, key topics include unlocking Asia’s flourishing animation market and exploring how OTT platforms are opening new pathways for filmmakers to connect with global audiences.
“The popularity of Japanese animation has been constantly, if not exponentially, growing in the region and globally, making it a commodity in high demand,” says Francesco Prandoni, head of international operations at Japan’s Production I.G. “As a studio we are experiencing an increasing number of requests coming from abroad for anime adaptations, anime-like productions or investment into anime projects.”
The Japanese studio is best known for the Ghost In The Shell franchise and the animation segment in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol 1.
Prandoni notes that the complexity of the Japanese industry is rarely understood, which can lead to frustration on both sides. “Wanting to become an investor into a Japanese production requires an understanding of the sometimes byzantine production committee system that dominates, in a broader meaning, the Japanese movie industry.”
He will speak at the Digital Entertainment Summit along with Yu Zhou from China’s Light Chaser Animation, Karyabudi Mohamed Aris from Malaysia’s Les’ Copaque Production and Mia Angelia Santosa from Indonesia’s Visinema Group.
Regional presence
More than 30 regional pavilions are making their presence felt at Filmart. New pavilions include Australia, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Emerging markets such as the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan are joining for the first time, further enhancing the depth and diversity of Filmart.
Returning pavilions from Asia include the International Drama Festival in Tokyo and UniJapan; the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and Korean Film Council (KOFIC); and representatives from mainland China provinces and cities such as Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Local Hong Kong companies such as Emperor Motion Pictures, MakerVille, Media Asia, Mei Ah Entertainment and TVB will welcome visitors with their elaborate and eye-catching booth designs. Edko Films, Entertaining Power, Golden Scene, RTHK and Sil-Metropole will also return.
However, several key local players will be missing from the trade floor this year, including One Cool and Mandarin Motion Pictures. Their absence underlines the issues besetting the Hong Kong film industry, which is experiencing declining box office and reduced production output despite having delivered two record-smashing hits last year (both The Last Dance and Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In broke the HK$100m ($12.9m) ceiling).
Filmart is one of the nine signature events under the banner of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, which runs from March 16 to April 27. The Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong Film Awards, Asian Film Awards and Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) are among the other events.
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