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Following is the speech (English only) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the opening of the Hong Kong Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia, today (Thursday):

Ms Delahunty, Ms Jones, guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It's an honour for me to be here to officially open the Hong Kong Film Festival in Melbourne - a city that has the distinction of being the cultural capital of Australia and home of the Australian Film Institute. I understand the Institute has done a great deal to develop the film industry in this country and we are once again delighted to have your support and assistance with our film festival.

Over the years Hong Kong has featured prominently in a number of international movies, but today it's the turn of our artists to share the spotlight in Melbourne. And here I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Jacob Cheung, the director, and Shaun Tam, the star of tonight's opening film "The Kid", which is a tender and heart-wrenching film involving a battle over custody of a child. I'm sure you'll empathize with the way Jacob Cheung has tackled this highly emotional subject.

As you will see from the programme, the history of cinema in Hong Kong dates back just over one hundred years, but it wasn't until the early 1930's that the industry really blossomed with the advent of the Cantonese "talkies". They've been "talking" ever since and the films continue to provide entertainment for audiences around the globe producing "superstars" such as Jackie Chan and the late Bruce Lee, who, even today, has a cult-like following.

While the industry may not be as prolific as it was in the early part of this decade, Hong Kong still produced some 90 films last year. But just as importantly, Hong Kong's creative talent - the directors, actors and producers - are beginning to make names for themselves, and for Hong Kong, on the international scene. Michele Yeoh, John Woo, Chow Yun-fat and Sammo Hung are just some of the names. They are winning acclaim for their unique style, incisive direction and sometimes off-beat story lines.

We in the Hong Kong government are also playing our part, behind the scenes, to encourage the industry. We're promoting "Hong Kong on location" as a film centre with the facilities, the expertise and support for every movie occasion. We've established a Film Services Office, which is streamlining procedures for location shooting, providing location scouting services, and making land available for film production facilities.

These measures, together with the efforts of the industry itself, should help to revitalise the movie business in the years ahead. In the meantime, I sincerely hope you will be stimulated and entertained by what you see at this year's Hong Kong Film Festival. Between now and early next month you'll have the opportunity to see a selection of nine of Hong Kong's vibrant and original cinema productions. There are movies for all tastes - action thrillers, romantic dramas, and the inevitable martial arts fantasy epic. What a better way to unwind!

I am sure you will not only enjoy tonight's premiere, and the movies to be shown during the next 10 days, but would also appreciate the talent and creativeness which have made Hong Kong one of the world's leading film centres.

Thank you.

End/Thursday, November 25, 1999

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