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The Projects Vetting Committee of the Film Services Advisory Committee at its meeting on 13 December 1999 considered the third batch of applications under the Film Development Fund and decided to fund two projects, a spokesman for the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority said today (Wednesday).

The first project is the establishment of a website by the Hong Kong Kowloon & New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association on copyrights and box office figures of local films. The website will provide a copyright database on the local films and an image database on the cover designs of their VCDs/DVDs. These databases will help the industry, law enforcement agencies and the public to verify copyright information. This will help safeguard the interests of the local film industry and promote public awareness of the protection of intellectual property rights. The website will also contain information on the box office figures of the local films. The approved funding is some $1.2 million.

The second project is the organization by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association of "The Hong Kong Millennium Film Awards Presentation Ceremony". With plans to expand the scale of the event and to enrich its content and presentation, the Association will take the opportunity to pay tribute to local film makers and to publicise the strength and quality of local productions. Arrangements will be made for the broadcast of the presentation ceremony by local and overseas TV stations. This will draw more attention from overseas media and film distributors to Hong Kong films. The organizer will also organize a month-long film festival to revive public interest in local films. No admission fees will be charged for the viewing sessions of the festival. The amount of funding has yet to be decided pending further discussion between the Film Services Office (FSO) of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority and the applicant on the project budget.

The Projects Vetting Committee also suggested that FSO conduct a survey on the taste and consumption pattern of cinema goers. FSO will consider the timing and the mode of the survey, as well as consult the industry on the objective and scope of the survey to ensure that it will meet the needs of the industry.

"FSO has informed the applicants of the decisions of the Projects Vetting Committee and will follow up the detailed arrangements on the funding and project implementation," the spokesman said.

Between 1 June and 30 October 1999, the FSO received a total of 11 applications. These applications broadly fall into four categories, namely, film related services (four applications), film festivals (four applications), film production (two) and research (one project).

The spokesman clarified, "The main purpose of the Film Development Fund is to finance projects that will benefit the long-term development of the Hong Kong film industry and serve the interests of the entire film industry. Film production applications which mainly benefit individual private companies instead of the entire film industry do not fulfil the vetting criteria for the Fund and are therefore not financed under the Fund".

Applications for the fourth quarter should reach FSO on or before December 30. Application forms can be obtained from FSO, 40/F., Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wanchai. Enquiries can be made on 2594 5846 or e-mail to info@fso-tela.gov.hk.

End/Wednesday, December 22, 1999

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